Is There a Christian-Muslim Divide?

Good day, Brethren!

Are Christians and Muslims inextricably set out against each other? Is
there a great Christian-Muslim Divide?

In the world that we live in, we are increasingly witness to the
global sweep of Muslim radicalism - daily bombings in Iraq against its
own people, resurgence of the fundamentalist Taliban in Afghanistan,
the Iranian nuclear threat against Israel, countries suspected of
sponsoring terrorism (Syria and Iran), the active and "sleeper" cells
of the Al-Qaeda operating in the West and even in the Philippines, and
not to mention the 9/11 destruction of the World Trade Center and the
persistent rumors of "dirty bombs" in convenient suitcases..

Why this seemingly radical transformation of Islam from the mosque to
the streets? Was it caused by George Bush Jr? Maybe, but American
presidents come and go and US policies do change with administrations.
Many people are asking why this so-called "religion of peace" (after
all, 'Islam' means 'surrender to Allah's will') has bred so much
fanaticism and violence, no country seems to be safe anymore, not even
Islamic ones (say, Pakistan and Turkey).  True, for a few radicals out
there, there are  also  many that are moderate, even peaceful (eg.
Malaysia, Sabah, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia).

One hint is the bible prophecy on Ishmael, Abraham's son by the slave
girl Hagar. Sarai hated Hagar for the latter had borne Abraham's son
out of wedlock while she herself was barren. So, Sarai had the
pregnant Hagar driven out. But the angel of the Lord appeared to Hagar
and told her (Gen. 16:11-12):

"You are now with child and you will have a son. You shall name him
Ishmael [which means 'God hears.'] for the Lord has heard your misery.
HE WILL BE A WILD DONGKEY OF A MAN; HIS HAND WILLL BE AGAINST EVERYONE
AND EVERYONE'S HAND AGAINST HIM, AND HE WILL LIVE IN HOSTILITY TOWARD

[some translations: ' in the east of'] ALL OF HIS BROTHERS." (emphasis mine).

Later, when Sarah's son Isaac [meaning: 'he laughs'] was born and
weaned, Sarah permanently drove Hagar and her young son Ishmael away
into the desert without food and water, to die. Again, an angel led
them to a well, and said to her:

"God has heard the boy's cries...I WILL MAKE HIM INTO
A GREAT NATION." (v.18), and the bible adds, "GOD WAS WITH THE BOY AS HE GREW UP. HE
LIVED IN THE DESERT AND BECAME AN ARCHER." (v.20).

These prophecies are relevant to us now, for a number of reasons:

1. The muslims trace their ancestry to Abraham and Ishmael, whom they
consider 'nabi' (or , prophets); in fact, they claim God's blessings
flowed from Abraham to Ishmael, NOT to Isaac, thus muslims are the
TRUE 'people of God,' they assert. The Jews are merely 'People of the
Book' in the Koran.

2. But the Bible clearly states that it is through Isaac that
Abraham's seed will be "reckoned."(Gn. 21:12). To "reckon" means to
"take into account," or TO BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR. See item #4 below.

2. God's love and providence is NOT limited to the Jews and to the
Christians, but also for the rest of mankind ("God so loved THE
WORLD...", Jn. 3:16) since He had the grace to save Hagar and Ishmael
from certain death. Not only that, He protected Ishmael so that the
boy grew up to be a great warrior and hunter. (Note: contrast this to
the Israelites who were farmers and herdsmen. God set them apart for a
purpose).

3. Today, the GREAT nations of Islam (most are located in the Middle-
and Far-East, as prophesied) live in increasing HOSTILITY towards the
West and towards their own brothers (Note: The Arabs and Israelis are
of the same racial stock: shemites, or semites). In reaction, those in
the West (particularly the U.S. and the European Community) have
banded together to fight this 'War on Terror.' For instance, just a
few days ago, the French foreign minister was quoted as saying France
may have to go to war if Iran's nuclear ambitions are not stopped.

4. What is the responsibility of Isaac and the 'children of the
Promise' (meaning, us, the New Israel- Gal. 3:29;6:16 )? In my humble
view this is simply the extension of the prophecy found in Gen. 3:15
that the woman's "seed" and the serpent's "seed" will BATTLE IT OUT in
mortal combat.  The woman's "Seed" is of course, Jesus Christ - the
Lamb that "looked like it had been slain" (Rev. 5:6) - and the serpent's
seed, the Beast (Rev. 11:7;20:10) or the Anti-Christ.

Given this biblical scenario of conflict between the followers of
Christ and Satan, it is not far-fetched to conclude that our present
secular conflicts simply MIRROR that of the former. Therefore, I
believe it becomes OUR responsibility to WIN AS MANY over to the side
of Christ, moderate muslims included!  However, conversion is
specifically prohibited among them by the Koran, making our job doubly
difficult.

But wait! Can't the conflicts be resolved by peaceful means? In God's
mysterious ways perhaps, in the future, but for now the book of
Revelation has a ring of INEVITABILITY about it that's impossible to
fathom. The book, after all, warns that "the time is near." (Rev.1:3).

Maybe, the Christian-Muslim Divide will eventually be breached in God's own time.

But GOOD and EVIL  EXISTING SIDE-BY-SIDE?  I doubt it.

I have added some readings about the topic for better perspective. See
below. Your comments are also welcome.

-Ayjayar

The Muslim Will to Power: Part I 

Source: "acts@actsweb.org"  
"Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."1
Mark Early, president of Prison Fellowship, wrote in BreakPoint, "The history of the last fifty [plus] years has richly validated Friedrich Nietzsche's argument that man's desire to control his own destiny and to impose his will on others is the most basic human motivation. Nietzsche's prophecy that the 'will to power' would fill the twentieth-century's vacuum of values has been fulfilled through Hitler, Mao, Stalin, to name only the worst tyrants."2 To this list could be added the will to power of radical Muslims whose aim is to rule and control the world—or a very large part of it—without any qualms whatsoever on how to fulfill this goal.
The German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel said, "What experience and history teach is this—that people and governments never have learned anything from history, or acted on principles deduced from it;" Churchill paraphrased it by saying, "The only thing we learn from history is that we never learn from history." And as another has said, "What we don't learn from history we are doomed to repeat." Tragically, with the ever increasing resurgence of radical Islam, history is again repeating itself. 
Preceding World Ward II Neville Chamberlain, Prime Minister of England, "fought" for appeasement with Hitler whose life was dominated by his will to power. Chamberlain meant well but he failed because there is no such thing as appeasement with the Hitlers and terrorists of the world. You give in to all their demands or they kill you. We in the West need to wake up and learn from history. To claim that most Muslims want peace will not protect or save. Radical Muslim's have a will to ultimate power and will stop at nothing to achieve that power and control.
Reality defies the description that Islam is a religion of peace. I don't know who the author of the following article is but it exemplifies the fact that the claim of peaceful, non-radical Muslims is irrelevant at this point of time. For example: 
"A man whose family was German aristocracy prior to World War II owned a number of large industries and estates. When asked how many German people were true Nazis, the answer he gave can guide our attitude toward fanaticism. 'Very few people were true Nazis,' he said, 'but many enjoyed the return of German pride, and many more were too busy to care. I was one of those who just thought the Nazis were a bunch of fools. So, the majority just sat back and let it all happen. Then, before we knew it, they owned us, and we had lost control, and the end of our world had come. My family lost everything. I ended up in a concentration camp and the Allies destroyed my factories.'
"We are told again and again by 'experts' and 'talking heads' that Islam is the religion of peace, and that the vast majority of Muslims just want to live in peace. 
"Although this unqualified assertion may be true, it is entirely irrelevant. It is meaningless fluff meant to make us feel better, and meant to somehow diminish the specter of fanatics rampaging across the globe in the name of Islam. The fact is that the fanatics rule Islam at this moment in history." 
To be continued ...
Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help every Christian never to be ignorant of Satan's devices and always be cognizant of the fact that Satan's goal is to deceive and destroy all who believe in you. Help us always to trust in you and so live that people seeing our good works will glorify you,3 and that seeing Jesus in us will want him in their life as well. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."
For a comparison grid between what Christians and Muslims believe go to:

http://www.carm.org/islam/grid.htm
1. 1  Peter 5:8 (NIV).

2. Mark Earley, BreakPoint, June 7, 2007,

www.breakpoint.org

3. See Matthew 5:16. 
<:))))><
========================
 
Comparison grid between

Christianity and Islamic doctrine

(This is a general representation of Islamic beliefs)



Term


Christianity


Islam




Afterlife


Christians   will be with the Lord in heaven (Phil. 1:21-24), in our   resurrected bodies (1   Cor. 15:50-58).   Non-Christians will be cast into hell forever   (Matt. 25:46).


There   is an afterlife (75:12) experienced as either an ideal life of Paradise (29:64), for faithful Muslims   or Hell for those who are not.




Angels


Created beings, non-human, some of which, fell into sin and became evil. They are very powerful. The unfallen angels carry out the will of God.


Created   beings without free will that serve God.  Angels were created from   light.




Atonement


The sacrifice   of Christ on the cross (1   Pet. 2:24) whereby His blood becomes the sacrifice that turns away the   wrath of God (1 John 2:2)   from the sinner when the sinner receives (John 1:12), by faith (Rom. 5:1), the work   of Christ on the cross.


There   is no atonement work in Islam other than a sincere confession of sin and   repentance by the sinner.  




Bible


The   inspired and inerrant word of God in the original manuscripts (2 Tim. 3:16).


Respected word of the prophets but the Bible has been corrupted through the centuries and is only correct in so far as it agrees with the Koran.




  Crucifixion


The place where Jesus atoned for the sins of the world. It is only through this sacrifice that anyone can be saved from the wrath of God (1 Pet. 2:24).


Jesus   did not die on the cross.  Instead, God allowed Judas to look like Jesus   and he was crucified instead.




Devil


A   fallen Angel who opposes God in all ways.  He also seeks to destroy   humanity (Isaiah   14:12-15; Ezek.   28:13-15).


Iblis, a fallen jinn. Jinn are not angels nor men, but created beings with free wills. Jinn were created from fire, (2:268; 114:1-6).




God


God is   a trinity of persons:  Father, Son, and   Holy Spirit.  The Trinity is   not three gods in one god, nor is it one person who took three forms.    Trinitarianism is strictly monotheistic.    There is no other God in existence.


God is known as Allah. Allah is one person, a strict unity. There is no other God in existence. He is the creator of the universe (3:191), sovereign over all (6:61-62).




Heaven (Paradise)


The   place where God dwells.  Heaven is the eventual home of the Christians who are saved by God's grace. It is heaven because it is where God is and Christians will enjoy eternal Fellowship   with Him.


Paradise to Muslims, a place of   unimaginable bliss (32:17), a garden with trees and food (13:35;15:45-48) where the desires of   faithful Muslims are met, (3:133; 9:38; 13:35; 39:34; 43:71; 53:13-15).




Hell


A place   of torment in fire out of the presence of God.  There is no escape from Hell   (Matt. 25:46).


Hell is   a place of eternal punishment and torment (14:17; 25:65; 39:26), in fire (104:6-7) for those who are not Muslims (3:131) as well as those who were and whose works and faith were not sufficient (14:17; 25:65; 104:6-7).




Holy Spirit


Third   person of the Trinity.  The Holy Spirit   is fully God in nature.


The   arch-angel Gabriel who delivered the words of the Koran to Muhammad.




Jesus


Second   person of the Trinity.    He is the word who became flesh (John 1:1, 14).  He is both   God and man (Col. 2:9). 


A very   great prophet, second only to Muhammad.  Jesus is not the son of God (9:30) and certainly is not divine (5:17, 75)) and he was not crucified   (4:157).  




Judgment Day


Occurs   on the day of resurrection (John 12;48) where God   will judge all people.  Christians go to heaven.  All others to   hell (Matt. 25:46).


Occurs on the day of resurrection where God will judge all people. Muslims go to paradise (3:142, 183-185, 198). All others to hell (3:196-197). Judgment is based on a person's deeds (5:9; 42:26; 8:29).




Koran, The


The work of Muhammad. It is not inspired, nor is it scripture. There is no verification for its accurate transmission from the originals.


The final revelation of God to all of mankind given through the archangel Gabriel to Muhammad over a 23 year period. It is without error and guarded from error by Allah.




Man


Made in   the image of God (Gen.   1:26).  This does not mean that God has a body, but that man is made   like God in abilities (reason, faith, love, etc.).


Not   made in the image of God (42:11).  Man is made out of the dust of the   earth (23:12) and Allah breathed life into man (32:9; 15:29).




Muhammad


A   non-inspired man born in 570 in Mecca who started the Islamic   religion.


The   last and greatest of all prophets of Allah whose Qur'an is the greatest of   all inspired books.




Original Sin


This is   a term used to describe the effect of Adam's sin on his descendants (Rom. 5:12-23). Specifically, it is our inheritance of a sinful nature from Adam. The sinful nature originated with Adam and is passed down from parent to child. We are by nature children of wrath (Eph. 2:3).


There   is no original sin.  All people are sinless until they rebel against   God.  They do not have sinful natures.




Resurrection


Bodily   resurrection of all people, non-Christians to damnation and Christians are   resurrected to eternal life (1 Cor. 15:50-58).


Bodily   resurrection, some to heaven, some to hell (3:77; 15:25;75:36-40; 22:6).




Salvation


A free   gift of God (Eph. 2:8-9)   to the person who trusts in Christ and His sacrifice on the cross.  He   is our mediator (1 Tim.   2:5).  No works are sufficient in any way to merit salvation since   our works are all unacceptable to God (Isaiah 64:6).


Forgiveness of sins is obtained by Allah's grace without a mediator. The Muslim must believe Allah exists, believe in the fundamental doctrines of Islam, believe that Muhammad is his prophet, and follow the commands of Allah given in the Koran.




Son of God


A term   used to designate that Jesus is divine though he is not the literal son of   God in a physical sense (John 5:18).


A   literal son of God.  Therefore, Jesus cannot be the son of Allah.




Word, The


"In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God...and the word became flesh and dwelt among us..." (John 1:1, 14).


Allah's   command of existence which resulted in Jesus being formed in the womb of   Mary.



 


Source: http://www.carm.org/islam/grid.htm

			
			

				
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Harmonizing the Gospel Accounts of Jesus’ Resurrection
			
			

			
				

					
September 16, 2007 by Ildefonso Rubrico   
 Filed under Scriptural study
 
				
				
				

					
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Harmonizing the Gospel Accounts of the Resurrection
Hi!  Care for some “resurrection puzzle?” 
This is just an exercise on how well we - readers of the Bible - are able to harmonize the various (and, seemingly) contradicting accounts of some important incidents in the Bible, as written by several authors. 
One of them is the gospel account of Christ’s rising from His tomb that glorious Easter Sunday. There are 4 gospel versions - two versions of which were written by two apostles (namely, John and Matthew)and the other two versions by later disciples (Mark, the companion of Peter and Barnabbas; and, Luke, the companion of Paul). It is important to note that John and Matthew both claimed to be EYEWITNESSES to the Resurrected Christ, while Mark and Luke - though not eyewitnesses themselves - based their versions on the eyewitness accounts of Peter and Paul (who claimed a separate encounter with the Risen Lord).
The harmonized account is my own, in response to Dan Barker’s Challenge, and may not necessarily be THE CORRECT version, so the reader is encouraged to explore the verses more

assidously and come up with his own, too.
Lastly, no need to consult the Bible. The 4 gospel accounts are already reproduced in the attachment (NIV version).
HAPPY EASTER, everyone!!
-nr
================




Harmonizing the Four Gospel Accounts of Christ’s Resurrection
———————————————————————
    




Event(s)


Gospel Verse(s)
 


Remarks




1


Mk. 16:1


Aftr Sabbath, women buy/prep. spices




2


Lk. 23:56


Aftr. preparing spices, women restd.




3


Matt. 28:2, 3


Violent earthquake; angel fr. heaven rolls back stone   & waits for women




4


Matt. 28: 4


Guards see the angel and pass out like dead men.




4


Jn. 20:1


Mary Mag goes to tomb alone whl. still dark; finds stone   rolled back but fails to notice passed-out guards.




5


Mk. 16:2; Lk. 24:1;   Matt. 28:1


At daybreak, a separate grp of women go to tomb(Mary,   Salome, others) bringing spices




6


[Jn. 20:2];                     [Mk.16:3]


Mary Mag runs to tell Peter & John that Jesus’ body is   missing ; women approach tomb wondering who will roll the stone.





7


[Jn. 20:3];   [Mk.   16:4; Lk. 24:2]


Peter & John starts to run to tomb; meanwhile, Mary’s   party of women arrive at tomb & find stone rolled away




8


Lk. 24:3


Women enter tomb, looking for Jesus’ body, and wondering.




9


Mk. 16:5;  Lk. 24: 4


Upon entering, women notice man/2 men in gleaming clothes   standing/sitting beside them & they were frightened.




 


[Matt. 28: 5, 6, 7]
[Mk.16: 6, 7]
[Lk. 24: 5,6,7 ,8]


The angel(s) asks who they were looking for; calms them, declares Jesus is risen as He promised; as they remember His words, angel(s) tells them to go inform the disciples to meet Him in Galilee.




10


Matt. 28: 8;  Mk. 16:8


Afraid yet overjoyed, the women run to tell the disciples what they were told by the angel(s). At this point, the women must have dispersed in different directions to contact the disciples, telling no one what they had just witnessed, but not before they encountered the Risen Lord and touched and worshipped Him; see Matt. 28:9.




11


[Jn. 20: 4, 5, 6,   7, 8, 9]



[Lk. 24:12]


John outruns Peter to the tomb but does not enter. Peter arrives and enters tomb where he sees the scattered burial stripes and head cloth neatly folded. John enters tomb, and seeing, partially believes, but Peter is skeptical, for as yet, they could not fully understand the Scripture regarding Jesus’ resurrection.




12


[Jn. 20: 10, 11,   12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17]





[Mk. 16: 9]


Peter & John go home, leaving Mary Mag weeping; she peeks into the tomb and sees two angels in white sitting where Jesus’ body had lain. Angels ask why she was weeping and she replies bec. someone took away and hid Jesus’ body. Meanwhile, the risen Jesus appears at her side and asks her the same question. Thinking He was the gardener who took Jesus’ body, she asks where it was. At this point, Jesus calls her name and she immediately recognized His voice, and crying “Teacher,” makes a move to touch Him. Jesus admonishes her not to touch Him bec. He has not yet returned to the Father/God; when He does, to tell the disciples. Thus the risen Lord first appeared to Mary Magdalene.




13


Matt. 28: 9, 10


The second appearance of Jesus occurs when He suddenly meets the women who had just come from the tomb. The “women” referred to here are the “other Mary” (who is identified as ‘Mary the mother of James’[and therefore Jesus' mother, since He and James are brothers]and Salome and possibly, others;see Mk.16:1. Mary Magdalene could not have gone with them to the tomb as she went alone earlier; see J.20:1.
Jesus greets the women (incl. His mother, Mary) and allows them to clasp His feet and worship Him. He then instructs them to tell His “brothers” (disciples) to go to Galilee where they will meet with Him.




14


[Jn. 20:18]
[Mk.16: 10,11]
[Lk. 24: 9, 10, 11]


At this point, Mary Magdalene, Mary, Salome, Joanna & the other women could have separately converged at the house of Peter where the other apostles were also gathered bec. of the amazing news about Jesus’ resurrection as told by the women. However, they refused to believe the women, bec. in those days, the testimonies of women were considered weak and unreliable. It was believed then that women were not credible witnesses.




15


Matt. 28: 11


Meantime, the guards at the tomb revive and report the   matter to the chief priests.




16


Matt. 28: 12, 13,   14, 15


The chief priests devise a plan to cover-up Jesus’ rising from the dead by bribing the guards to say Jesus’ body was stolen by His disciples while they slept. They will then also bribe the governor (Pontius Pilate) to keep silent about the matter. Their plan succeeds and thus, this is the story that “widely circulates among the Jews to this very day.”




Prepared by Nene Rubrico as basis for class discussion. UP-Church of the Risen Lord.
08 April 2006

Harmonizing the Gospel Accounts of the Resurrection http://www.coppit.org/god/gospels.php43
I put this page together to compare the four Gospel accounts of the Resurrection, in order to take a look at Dan Barker’s Challenge. I reproduce it here:
The conditions of the challenge are simple and reasonable. In each of the four Gospels, begin at Easter morning and read to the end of the book: Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, and John 20-21. Also read Acts 1:3-12 and Paul’s tiny version of the story in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8. These 165 verses can be read in a few moments. Then, without omitting a single detail from these separate accounts, write a simple, chronological narrative of the events between the resurrection and the ascension: what happened first, second, and so on; who said what, when; and where these things happened.
Since the gospels do not always give precise times of day, it is permissible to make educated guesses. The narrative does not have to pretend to present a perfect picture–it only needs to give at least one plausible account of all of the facts. Additional explanation of the narrative may be set apart in parentheses. The important condition to the challenge, however, is that not one single biblical detail be omitted.



Matthew 


Mark 


Luke 


John 




Matthew 28

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.
His appearance was        like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.
The guards were so        afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
The angel said to the        women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for        Jesus, who was crucified.
He is not here; he has        risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.
Then go quickly and tell his disciples: `He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”
So the women hurried        away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his        disciples.
Suddenly Jesus met        them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet        and worshiped him.
Then Jesus said to        them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee;        there they will see me.”
While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened.
When the chief priests        had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a        large sum of money,
telling them,        “You are to say, `His disciples came during the night and stole him        away while we were asleep.’
If this report gets to        the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.”
So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.



Mark 16

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body.
Very early on the        first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the        tomb
and they asked each        other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the        tomb?”
But when they looked        up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away.
As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.
“Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.
But go, tell his disciples and Peter, `He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”
Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.
When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons.
She went and told        those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping.
When they heard that        Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it.



Luke 23

Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.

Luke 24

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb.
They found the stone        rolled away from the tomb,
but when they entered,        they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
While they were        wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like        lightning stood beside them.
In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?
He is not here; he has        risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee:
The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’”
Then they remembered        his words.
When they came back        from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the        others.
It was Mary Magdalene,        Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this        to the apostles.
But they did not        believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense.
Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.



John 20

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.
So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”
So Peter and the other        disciple started for the tomb.
Both were running, but        the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.
He bent over and        looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in.
Then Simon Peter, who        was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of        linen lying there,
as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus’ head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen.
Finally the other        disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and        believed.
(They still did not        understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)
0Then the disciples        went back to their homes,
but Mary stood outside        the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb
and saw two angels in        white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other        at the foot.
They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”
At this, she turned        around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was        Jesus.
“Woman,” he said, “why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”
Jesus said to her,        “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic,        “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).
Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, `I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.




Vespers Sunday School. UP-Church of the Risen Lord. Prepared as a basis for class discussion.  (Nene Rubrico-08 April 2006).

			
			

				
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Doing the Math on the Divinity of Jesus
			
			

			
				

					
September 15, 2007 by Ildefonso Rubrico   
 Filed under Scriptural study
 
				
				
				

					
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Dr. Alban Douglas, the author of the best-seller “One Hundred Bible Lessons” (Manila:OMFLit.,1966), devotes 17 chapters of his book on God the Son, Jesus Christ. One chapter discusses Jesus’ deity , and here Dr. Douglas offers “fifteen proofs of the deity of Christ,” namely:
1. Jesus Christ is referred to as Lord - Ps.110:1; Matt.22:41-46;Mk.12:35-36;Lk.20:39-44; Acts 2:34
2. The Virgin Birth would be God coming to live with men - Is.7:14;Matt.1:23
3. The Messiah, Jesus Christ, was given divine names in prophecy -Is.9:6,7;Lk.18:19;Ps.16:7;Jn.10:30
4. The Christ who was prophesied to come was  to be from “Everlasting.” - Mi.5:2
5. God and Christ both gave their personal names as “I AM.” - Ex.3:14;Jn.8:58
6. Jesus Christ forgave sins.- Mk.2:5,7
7. Jesus claimed equality with the Father and the Holy Spirit.- Matt.28:19;2Cor.13:14
8. Jesus claimed omnipresence.- Matt.18:20
9. Jesus claimed omniscience. - Mk.11:2-6; Matt.12:40,24:3-31
10. Jesus claimed omnipotence.- Matt.28:18
11. Jesus had creative power. -Jn.1:1-3;Heb.1:3
12. Jesus had power over nature.- Lk.8:24;Mk.4:39;Matt.14:25,26
13. Jesus Christ received worship due only to God.- Jn.9:38;Lk.4:8
14. Jesus accepted the testimony of Thomas.- Jn.20:28
15. The fact of Jesus’ resurrection.- Rom.1:4;Rom.6:4
In addition, Jesus is God because He possesses the 10 exclusive attributes of God: eternal (Rev.1:8); unchangeable (Heb.13:8);omnipotent (Matt.28:18); omnipresent (Jn.1:48); omniscient (Lk.5:22,Jn.2:24,Mk.11:2-6);holy (Mk.1:24,1Pet.2:22); just (Jn.2:14-17); loving (Jn.15:13); merciful (Ti.3:5); and, faithful (2Tim.2:13).
For the mathematically-inclined, here’s some interesting piece of statistics on the topic:
———————

Doing the Math on the Divinity of Jesus




 
                                Read more of it on “Jesus Christ: The Real Story” at:
http://www.gnmagazi ne.org/booklets/ JC/JC.pdf, or
http://www.gnmagazi ne.org/booklets/ JC/index. htm

============ =
Fulfilled prophecies in the Gospels
Those Jews who believed that Jesus fulfilled the

messianic prophecies were in the minority. The Gospel

writers, however, are relentless in their quotations

from the Scriptures to demonstrate how Jesus fulfilled

in detail the many messianic prophecies.
The apostle Matthew, for example, appears to have

specifically written his Gospel to a first-century

Jewish audience. Through a series of Old Testament

quotations, Matthew documents Jesus Christ’s claim to

be the Messiah. Jesus’ genealogy, baptism, messages

and miracles all point to the same inescapable

conclusion: He is the prophesied Messiah.
Matthew’s Gospel cites 21 prophecies that were

fulfilled in circumstances surrounding the life and

death of Christ. Eleven passages point out these

fulfillments using such introductions as “that it

might be fulfilled which was spoken of by the prophet

…” or “then was fulfilled what was spoken by the

prophet …”
Accidental fulfillment of prophecies?
The New Testament writers cite messianic prophecies

from the Old Testament more than 130 times. By some

estimates the Old Testament contains 300 prophetic

passages that describe who the Messiah is and what He

will do. Of these, 60 are major prophecies. What are

the chances of these prophecies being fulfilled in one

person?
Of course, as Dr. Geisler points out, God makes no

mistakes. It is virtually inconceivable that God would

allow either a total deception in His name or an

accidental fulfillment in the life of the wrong

person. Such things rule out a chance fulfillment (p.

343).
One might argue there is still that

“possibility” however remote. But the mathematical

odds that all of these prophecies could have converged

by chance in the events of the life of Jesus are

staggeringly “minuteâ” to the point of eliminating any

such possibility.
Astronomer and mathematician Peter Stoner, in his book

Science Speaks, offers a mathematical analysis showing

that it is impossible that the precise statements

about the One to come could be fulfilled in a single

person by mere coincidence.
The chance of only eight of these dozens of prophecies

being fulfilled in the life of one man has been

estimated at 1 in 10 to the 17th power. That would be

1 chance in 100,000,000, 000,000,000.
How can we put this in terms we can comprehend? Dr.

Stoner illustrates the odds with this scenario:

“…Take 10 to the power of 17 silver dollars and lay them on the face

of Texas  [with its approximate land area of 262,000

square miles]. They will cover all of the state two

feet deep. Now mark one of these silver dollars and

stir the whole mass thoroughly, all over the state.

Blindfold a man and tell him that he can travel as far

as he wishes, but he must pick up one silver dollar

and say that this is the right one.
“What chance would he have of getting the right one?

Just the same chance that the prophets would have had

of writing these eight prophecies and having them all

come true in any one man …”
But that is only eight of the dozens of prophecies of

the Messiah. Using the science of probability, the

chance of as many as 48 of these prophecies coming to

pass in one person is 1 in 10 to the 157th power, or 1

followed by 157 zeros (1963, pp. 100-109).
One or two fulfillments in Jesus’ life could be

dismissed as coincidental. But when the instances of

fulfilled prophecies are counted up, the law of

probability quickly reaches the point where mere

probability becomes CERTAINTY. This is one of the

proofs Jesus was the promised Messiah - the messianic

prophecies were accurately and precisely fulfilled in Him.
————–
“Where there is no vision, the people perish.” - Prov.29:18 (KJV)

			
			

				
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Why does Christiniaty “Work?”
			
			

			
				

					
September 15, 2007 by Ildefonso Rubrico   
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Question: “Why is it that Christianity works for Christians and does not for non-Christians?”
Actually, this is like asking why a Christian is a Christian while others are not. Author Christian Smith below provides one answer: “[T]he belief content of the Christian faith gives rise to certain practices and experiences—particularly emotional ones—that many people find highly engaging, compelling, persuasive, and convincing.”
In other words, Christianity moves people EMOTIONALLY.
But, that’s not all, Smith says. People can also be moved by the Christian faith INTELLECTUALLY and SPIRITUALLY but powerful emotional forces play a big role.
So really, one is a Christian for emotional, intellectual or spiritual reasons in varying degrees of importance.
What do you think?
-nr

================================
Christian Smith on Why Christianity ‘Works’
Hunter Baker | posted 9/13/2007 08:31AM
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/septemberweb-only/137-42.0.html
Journal Watch: Sociology of Religion
Peter Berger once imagined that the end of the 20th century would witness believers huddled together in small sects as they tried to survive a worldwide secular culture. He’s now a critic of the theory that humankind is slowly outgrowing religious faith, but the question persists: Why isn’t the world more secular? And why are there still so many Christians?

Related articles and links
Sociologists have many answers, as Christian Smith notes in the summer 2007 issue of Sociology of Religion:
The moral and emotional uncertainties of the transition from communist order to now-emerging market societies, for example, might be thought to explain the growth of Christianity in China and Russia. The social dislocation resulting from the mass migration of Latin Americans from rural to urban areas is believed to explain the powerful appeal of Pentecostal faith in that region. The competition and “product” richness of America’s de-regulated religious economy are theorized as explaining its high rates of theism and churchgoing.
“Such sociological accounts are valid as far as they go,” Smith writes. “They often can illuminate the social processes influencing the extent and shape of religious practices. But in the end, such sociological accounts possess limited abilities to explain the persistence over millennia and into the modern world of religion generally and—for my purposes here—Christianity in particular.”
What sociologists sometimes miss, Smith writes, is that there’s something in Christianity itself that may explain its persistence.
“[T]he belief content of the Christian faith gives rise to certain practices and experiences—particularly emotional ones—that many people find highly engaging, compelling, persuasive, and convincing,” he says. “[T]he very internal logic of doing Christianity persistently produces events, interactions, and feelings in and among people compelling enough to keep the tradition flourishing despite many countervailing forces.”
This explanation, he writes, is “entirely compatible with the perspectives of Christian believers and unbelievers alike. [It] is explanatory both if God exists and Christianity is true and if God does not exist and Christianity is not true. In other words, [my] argument itself—although it presents experience from a Christian point of view—does not take a side about the actual validity of Christian truth-claims.” I followed up with Smith in a brief interview.
CT: So what does make Christianity work?
Smith: According to my argument in this article, Christianity “works” from a sociological perspective because it is able to successfully address a whole set of basic human needs and desires, particularly offering an emotionally as well as cognitively satisfying experience for ordinary believers. Whether or not various philosophers and scientists raise objections to Christianity, the fact seems to be that in believers’ phenomenological experience, there is tremendous power in living in a theistic universe, having a way to deal with moral failure, believing one is loved and cared for by God, having communities of worship and belonging to be a part of, and so on. For many millions of people, that is much more compelling than arguments Freud or Darwin might have made.
CT: You explain the health of Christianity in terms of the questions it answers and the communities it creates and sustains. That explanation belies the usual approaches which emphasize structural factors like religious markets, social dislocations, government arrangements, etc. What are the merits of dealing with the faith on its own terms rather than looking for external forces to explain its fortunes in a society?
Smith: A full understanding of human life has to account both for social structural forces at work, as well as personal experience and action. Structural and institutional analyses are good and important, but to understand the fullness of how and why life works the way it does, I believe we also need an account of human actors who engage the world with particular kinds of personal capacities, needs, and interests and who perceive, evaluate, make choices, and live in relationships for reasons that are meaningful to them. People are not mere pawns shoved around by “social forces.” They are participants in the making of their own lives, even though they do not have absolute control over or perspective on that. So if we want to understand religion, we have to work to see how it is experienced by the people actually involved in it; otherwise we miss a crucial dimension. Of course, this is not only true of religion but of any human social reality.
CT: In explaining how Christianity works for and in the lives of believers, you mention the apparently failed prophecies of the church’s demise by Voltaire, Marx, Nietzsche, and Freud. You say flatly that Christianity is not likely to die anytime soon. Is this a message the scholarly community needs to hear? If so, why?
Smith: This is a message worth continuing to say. It is becoming more commonly accepted in the academy that religion is not going away anytime soon, although more than a few, I think, still view religion as irrational and destined to be displaced by science, reason, etc. In the sociology of religion as a field, secularization theory is far from dead, it is still a live debate. My piece is an attempt to contribute to the debate from a different-than-usual angle.
CT: There’s one thing I can’t leave behind after our interview and reading the article. You explain why Christianity works, but I keep thinking the explanation would simply satisfy the person who says, “See, religion is a mental crutch!” I want to respond that I’m not a Christian because it accomplishes x, y, and z in my life. I’m a Christian because I believe Christ really did rise from the dead. You leave that point unaddressed. Isn’t it the case that many Christians embrace the faith, not for its effects but for what they believe is its truthfulness?
Smith: Sure. But those are not mutually exclusive things. Both can be true. In most cases people really do believe it. But believing it may also have certain often-positive effects for people emotionally. Why can’t it be both? To call religion a “crutch” is a negative way of saying people rely on it. But people do rely on it. So what? That’s fine. Everyone relies on lots of things. This can be interpreted from a believing perspective or a non-believing perspective, as I say in the article. But nothing in the article per se needs to undermine faith.

			
			

				
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The Altar Call: Still Relevant?
			
			

			
				

					
September 10, 2007 by Ildefonso Rubrico   
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The Altar Call - Pls. give Me your Views
Greetings in the Lord, brother Khristi! It’s good to see u post. My ministry is undergoing some difficult challenges right now, but as we learned at HI, weeping precedes rejoicing. Certainly, Jesus shed quite a few tears too. I do need your prayers too.
Regarding altar calls, we of course respect the views of our other brothers -particularly Pieter, Pam and Phillip: we do admit that public declarations of faith of the thousands who have responded must certainly have stopped Satan in his tracks at one time or the other (Ja. 4:7). We’ve all experienced the great emotional surge of many a charismatic revival meeting where the Holy Spirit was palpably present and personally felt by us and others.
Scriptural or not, altar calls do work - for some. But I believe that is not the issue here, as I can glean from your posting. Rather, the issue is: what relevance (if any) does the modern invitation have in our walk with the Lord?
HIstorically, we are told, the altar call was introduced into the U.S. in the 1820s and popularized by Charles Finney,Oral Roberts,and, of course, Billy Graham. In the Philippines, the rise of Pentecostalism in the 1970s and the Charismatic Movement witnessed the emergence of a powerful Filipino spirituality and evangelism. Today there is hardly any country in the world that does not have Filipiino missionaries in or outside of foreign mission organizations. This national experience is also being duplicated in many countries in Asia, Latin  America and Africa.
What’s the point? Arguably, once upon a time, the altar call was an effective evangelical tool (it still is, in many churches). But judging from the comments of our evangelical fundamentalist brethren themselves (see sample below), its effectiveness has been lessened to a degree where its use is no longer relevant to asking for a commitment to Christ. Let me cite any example:
I recently attended the 20th anniversary celebration of the Blessed Hope Christian Ministries International, my brother-in-law’ s founded church, at a school auditorium. The guest preacher from the U.K., Rev. Whitehall, passionately preached for more than an hour and ended his sermon with a ‘call for a verdict.” Did he invite people to come forward? (The auditorium was big). NO. He simply asked people TO STAY WHERE THEY ARE and commit their lives once more to God’s mission. It was as simple as that and yet people felt empowered.
Among the many churches I have attended, even those that have been “spiritually awakened,” the altar call has generally been supplanted by an announcement by the worship leader, at the closing hymn, for those who would want to “kneel down” at the altar pews provided for the purpose, for their “special concerns” — birthdays, anniversaries, thanksgiving, healing, passing the govt. exams, a visa to the U.S., etc. Under this set-up, there never was pressure for the pastor or the congregation for the “required altar call.”
This is my own take on the matter. I realize it may not be another’s “cup of tea,” so I yield to the better wisdom of others who say it’s called for. Personally, I can relate to my Lord in other, more personal, ways.
May God richly bless you in your own mission.
neneR

———— ——— –

Some Comments about altar calls:
A. 7 Comments on “The Altar Call: A Fundamentalist Sacrament”
http://timmybrister .com/2007/ 02/11/the- altar-call- a-fundamentalist -sacrament/

Renee Says:

February 12th, 2007 at 4:22 pm 

So, we have this Interim Pasor, who will remain nameless, but I really really like him. Ilike that he is preaching the gospel by preaching God’s word with expositional teaching. He is so refreshing after the last pastor and his “feel good” preaching. While we wait for God’s man to fill the pulpit, this Interim is truly a blessing. But there is one thing that bothers me. The altar call at every single service, including Sunday evening and Wednesday evening. Yesterday he tells this story about a guy he knew who pretended to be a christian to please his wife,,,,went to church every Sunday, was a nice guy,,,nice enough that the church asked him to be a deacon and he got ordained, but he whole time the guy knew he was living a lie. The altar call had obviously not worked for this person, but our lovable Interim Pastor proceeds to give an invitation to give people the chance to make sure that they knew about their eternal salvation, the chance to “nail it down” as you put it. Prays the sinners prayer at the end of every single service. It’s like he doesn’t know how to wrap up a message with out that ritual. The Interim Pastor is extremely (and I mean EXTREMELY) intelligent, so I don’t want to question his ability to understand that most people just don’t really get saved by walking the aisle on Sunday morning. So I’m left questioning his motives. What is up with that? 

Mark       Says:

February 12th, 2007 at 6:40 pm 

Renee,

A possibility. He may not have bad motives or be unintelligent. He may be evangelistic and feel that every time he preaches he should invite and urge sinners to come to Christ. He also may realize that many people are saved when the gospel is preached and p