ARE THE GOSPELS RELIABLE? PART 5 (copied from Y-Jesus.com) Who needs Kinko's The original writings of the apostles were revered. Churches studied them, shared them and carefully preserved them and stored them away like buried treasure. But, alas, Roman confiscations, the passage of 2,000 years and second law of thermodynamics, have taken their toll. So, today, what do we have of those original writings? Nothing. The original manuscripts are all gone. (though each week, Bible scholars, tune in to Antiques Roadshow, hoping one might emerge. Yet the New Testament is not alone in this fate. No other comparable document from ancient history exists today either. Historians are not troubled by the lack of original manuscripts if they have reliable copies to examine. But, are there ancient copies of the New Testament available, and if so, are they faithful to the originals? As the number of churches multiplied, hundreds of copies were carefully made under the supervision of church leaders. Every letter was meticulously penned in ink on parchment or papyrus . And so, today, scholars can study the surviving copies (and the copies of copies and the copies of copies of copies - you get it), to determine authenticity and arrive at a very close approximation of the original documents. In fact, scholars studying ancient literature, have devised the science of textual criticism to examine documents, such as The Odyssey, comparing them with other ancient documents to determine their accuracy. More recently Military historian, Charles Sanders, augmented textual criticism by devising a three-part test, that looks at, not only the faithfulness of the copy but also the credibility of the authors. His tests are these: . The bibliographical test . The internal evidence test . The external evidence test Let's see what happens when we apply these tests to the early New Testament manuscripts. Bibliographical Test This test compares a document with other ancient history from the same period, it asks: . How many copies of the original document are in existence? . How large of a time gap is there between the writings and the earliest copies? . How well does a document compare with other ancient history? Imagine if we had only two or three of the original New Testament manuscripts, the sampling would be so small that we couldn't possibly verify accuracy. On the other hand, if we had hundreds or even thousands, we could easily weed out the errors of poorly transmitted documents. So, how well does the New Testament compare with other ancient writings, with regard to both the number of copies and the time gap from the originals? More than 5,000 manuscripts of the New Testament exist today in the original Greek language. Many of these manuscripts are merely fragments, while others are virtually full books. When counting translations into other languages, the number is a staggering 24,000 - dated from the 2nd to the 15th century. Compare that with the second-best-documented ancient historical manuscript, Homer's Iliad, with 643 copies. And remember that most ancient historical works have far fewer existing manuscripts than that one does (usually fewer than 10) . New Testament scholar, Bruce Metzger, remarked: "In contrast with these figures (of other ancient manuscripts) the textual critic of The New Testament is embarrassed by the wealth of his material."
(copied from Mark Cahill's Book) Chapter nine Decisions, Decisions. Christianity has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and left untried. - G.K. Chesterton Timothy McVeigh said something very interesting before he died. His last words were: "I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul." He was quoting from the poem "Invictus, and he was right in the sense that he got to make the decision where he would be spending eternity. But he was completely wrong if he thought he was in control for all of eternity. The God of the Bible is in control. However, He does allow you to decide who or what you will worship. By the way what is your decision going to be? One of Frank Sinatra's most famous songs was called "I did it my way." But my way, your way - nobody's way, but God's way is going to cut it on Judgment Day. Are you ready to do it God's Way? We all walk to the edge of the canyon of death. We all step off the edge. The only question is : Do you have the right parachute? Do you have the parachute that will softly land you in heaven? Or will your parachute not open, landing you in hell with a thud? Some people think they will live this life they way they choose and then, when they are old, they will get right with God. But here is something to think about: Whether you are old or young is not determined by your age, but by when you die. If you are 18 and you are going to die at age 80, you have a lot of life left. So, relatively speaking you are still a very young person. But if you are 18 and you are going to die a week from now, then relative to your lifespan you are very old. We think that "old" people have walkers or wheelchairs, but that is no necessarily the case. In depends on when you die. That means you don't know whether you are old or young, no matter what age you are. I have a simple question for you: Can you guarantee that you are going to wake up tomorrow morning ? Of course you know you cannot guarantee that. The Bible says : For yourselves know perfectly that the Day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. (1 Thessalonians 5:2) Since you may not have tomorrow, make today your day of salvation. ..... behold now is the accepted time; behold now is the day of salvation. (2 Corinthians 6:2) You shouldn't put your head on your pillow tonight unless you know that heaven is your eternal destination, after you take your last breath. next post 1st March
(copied from Mark Cahill's Book) God said He made mankind in His own Image and likeness. "And God said, 'let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.' " (Genesis 1:26) Being made in the image of God, is something you should not take lightly. Every soul is of infinite value to God. "For Thou hast possessed my reins: Thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise Thee: for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are Thy works and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from Thee, when I was made in secret and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being imperfect; and in Thy book all my members were written, which were in continuance fashioned, when as yet there was none of them." (Psalm 139:13-16) You are fearfully and wonderfully made in the eyes of Almighty God, no matter what anyone else may think or say. During my conversation with Anakhanda, my driver, I asked him the question: "When you die, what do you think is out there when you walk out of here?" That opened up an amazing conversation. He grew up half-Christian and half-Muslim. So we had this great talk while we traveled across the highways of L.A. When I got to the point of mentioning repentance, he told me that he was sick of his life and wanted a change, and he knew it was time for it. Later, as we talked, he called out to God and repented of his sins, confessing his faith in Jesus as his Savior. You could literally see the transformation on his face as we prayed: "Likewise I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth." (Luke 15:10) He told me that he knew that God had sent me to talk with him that day. Now think about that. To meet this guy, I had to miss a plane flight, go to a different airport and get the right driver out of them all. That is called a divine appointment. It wasn't by chance, we were supposed to meet because the God of this universe had set up this meeting. Yes, God does that many times. Is it a divine appointment that you are reading this book right now? Truth has been laid before your eyes. Are you ready to repent and commit your life to Jesus? Your appointment with God will come along one day. Do you want to make sure that you are right with Him before you meet Him? Before you finish this book you will have the opportunity. Are you ready to put your life in God's hands and trust Him to do better for you than you could possibly do for yourself? Are you ready to turn from sin and get ready to go to Him? If so, some amazing news awaits you. The mystery of eternal truth is coming into focus, and will be completely solved in the next chapter. next post 27th February
ARE THE GOSPELS RELIABLE? PART 4 (Copied from Y-Jesus.com)
NAVIGATION Biblical archaeologist William Albright, concluded on the basis of his research, that all the New Testament Books were written while most of the apostles were still alive. He wrote: "We can already say emphatically, that there is now no longer any solid basis for dating any Book after about 80 A.D., two full generations before the date of between 130 and 150 A,D, given by the more radical New Testament critics of today." Elsewhere, Albright put the writing of the entire New Testament at, very probably, sometime between 50 A.D. and 75 A.D. The notoriously skeptical John A.T. Robinson dates the New Testament earlier than even most conservative scholars. In Re dating the New Testament, Robinson asserts that most of the New Testament was written between 40 and 65 A.D. That puts its writing as early as seven years after Christ lived. If that is true, any historical errors would have been immediately exposed by both eyewitnesses and the enemies of Christianity. So, let us take a look at the trail of clues that takes us from the original documents to our New Testament copies today. next post 28th February
ONE HEARTBEAT AWAY PART 90 (copied from Mark Cahill's Book) Travelling and speaking is always an adventure. I have spoken at the University of Florida several times. There are usually 600-700 college students at the talks, which always makes for a good time. One time, I was leaving Florida for Los Angeles, the morning after my talk. I had to
get there for a live T.V. show. As I got to the airport in Florida, everything seemed fine. However, I soon learned that the fog had something to say about the situation! The plane I needed to get on would't land because it was just too foggy. Due to the delay, I arrived late in Atlanta, where I needed to change planes for L.A. and you guessed it, I arrived at the gate just as my plane was pulling away! I was not happy! After talking with the agents, I learned that I could still get to L.A. on time, but I would have to land at a different airport. Now unless you know L.A. airport locations and traffic, that may not mean much to you. But after landing, I would have to get all the way across L.A. during rush hour to make it in time for the show. So I called the show's producers and asked them if they wanted me to cancel. They said to give it a shot and they would get me on at the end of the show. As we landed in L.A. a driver from the studio picked me up and began to drive me toward the shoot location. His name was Anakhanda. He was from the Bahamas. I began to chat with him. As he drove, I asked him: "who was the rudest person you have ever driven around before?" He told me that he could't say. But he eventually did and it was a very famous\celebrity. One of the things he told me was that he was not allowed to talk to the client first. The client must make the first statement. He stated that many people did not say a word to him. To me that is a sad commentary on the way we live our lives with those around us because we do not see the value of each person we see. Think about it. What is a soul worth? God's answer to Jeremiah was: "Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee, and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations." (Jeremiah 1:5) That was God's answer to Jeremiah, and God's answer to you about the worth of your soul as well. It is just as loving and just as important. Before God formed you in your mother's womb He knew you ! That's how He knew to make your body a proper reflection of your soul and a proper vehicle for His plan for your life. You are incredibly valuable to Him. next post 25th February
MY FAVOURITE PSALMS PART 94 Sing praises to the Lord Who dwells in Zion Declare among the people His deeds He does not forget the cry of the afflicted The Lord is King, forever and ever O, Lord, Thou hast heard the cry of the humble Thou wilt strengthen their heart Thou wilt incline Thine ear. In the Lord, I take refuge The Lord is in His holy temple The Lord's throne is in heaven His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men The Lord tests the righteous and the wicked. The Lord is righteous He loves righteousness The upright will behold His face The Words of the Lord are pure words as silver tried in the furnace of the earth refined seven times Thou, O Lord, will keep them Thou wilt preserve him from this generation forever. I have trusted in Thy loving kindness My heart will rejoice in Thy salvation. next post 2nd March
ONE HEARTBEAT AWAY PART 89 (copied from Mark Cahill's Book)
My high-school buddies look at my life now and tell me my life is so different now, they hardly know me. They can see changes on the outside, because of what has changed on the inside of me - my heart and my mind. I changed my thoughts toward God and He has been changing me to what He wants me to be. There are two distinct changes to repentance. Let me illustrate it this way: You're sitting on your camel, baking in the sweltering heat, surrounded by the hot desert sand, the rest of the caravan is stretched out behind you, wondering why you have stopped. As you scan the horizon, you come to the inescapable conclusion that this is not the direction you need to go. That's the first stage. Next, in stage two, you turn your mount around and make your way back through the muttering crowd .... repentance is not complete until you turn your mount around. Charles Spurgeon said: "A man may hate sin as much as a murderer hates the gallows, but this does not prove repentance. If I hate sin because of the punishment, I have not repented of sin. I merely regret that God is just. But if I can see sin as an offence against Jesus Christ, and loathe myself because I have wounded Him, then I have a true brokenness of heart. Consequences alone, should not cause repentance. Offending God should make me want to make drastic changes in my life. We should want to leave that sinful life behind us. Do you? Do you want a changed life that will glorify God? Do you want all your sins to be forgiven? Do you want God to start preparing you for a life in heaven for eternity? Charles Spurgeon said: "To hate sin because it caused the brow of Christ to be girt with the thorn crown, and the face of Christ to be dishonored with the spittle, and the hands of Christ to be pierced with the nail - this is repentance - not because I am afraid of hell, not because sins brings pains and penalties with it, but because it made Jesus to suffer for me such pangs unutterable. " next post25th February
ARE THE GOSPELS RELIABLE PART 3 (copied from Y-Jesus.com) But is it true? In books, magazines and TV documentaries the Jesus Seminar suggests the Gospels were written as late as A.D. 130 to 150 by unknown authors. If those later dates are correct, there would be a gap of approximately 100 years from Christ's death (scholars put Jesus' death between A.D.30 and 33). And since all of the eyewitnesses would have been dead, the Gospels could only have been written by unknown, fraudulent authors. So what evidence do we have, concerning when the Gospel accounts of Jesus were really written? The consensus of most scholars is that the Gospels were written by the apostles during the first century. They cite several reasons which we will review later in this article. For now, however, note that three primary forms of evidence appear to build a solid case for their conclusions. . early documents from heretics such as Marcion, and the school of Valentinus citing New Testament Books, themes and passages (see Mona Lisa's Smirk).
. Numerous writings of early Christian sources, such as Clement of Rome, Ignatious and Polycarp. . discovered copies of Gospel fragments, carbon-dated as early as 117 A.D. next post 28th February
ONE HEARTBEAT AWAY PART 88 (copied from Mark Cahill's Book) So, why did He (Jesus) choose "repent." "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness, but is longsuffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." (2nd Peter: 3:9) "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord." (Acts 3:19) "But shewed first unto them of Damascus and at Bethlehem, and throughout all the coasts of Judea and then to the Gentiles that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance." (Acts 26:20) And the times of this ignorance God winked at, but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent." (Acts 17:20) In meekness, instructing those that oppose themselves, if God, peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth." (2nd Timothy 2:25) "Now I rejoice, not that you are made sorry, but that you sorrowed to repentance: for you were made sorry after a godly manner, that you may receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation, not to be repented of : But the sorrow of the world worketh death/" (2 Corinthians 7:9-10)
Being sorry that you got caught at something is not repentance. "Repentance," in Greek, which is what the New Testament is written in, carries a strong indication of change. A change of heart and mind. A change in what you want to do. Salvation is not : Drink beer, use drugs, have illicit sex, cheat on tests, disobey your parents. When you repent there is a visible change in your life. Your rethinking and regretting and reconsidering result in a change in the way that you think and behave, because when Jesus moves into a life, that life changes. Once you are saved, you may still struggle with temptations, but with Jesus there to help you, you will overcome the temptations. So there will be changes in your life. You will avoid the things that used to separate you from God. You will want a different life. next post 22nd February
And this is how we are saved from being declared "guilty," As we repent and believe we become new creatures, born into God's family and we are no longer under the condemnation of the Law. Let us see what else the Bible says about this: "I tell you Nay: but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." (Luke 13:3) "I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven, over one sinner that repenteth, more than ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. " (Luke 15:7)
"I came, not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." (Luke 5:32) "And I gave her space to repent of her fornication: and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds." (Revelation 2:21-22) "And the rest of the men who were not killed by these plagues, yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold and silver, and brass and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts. " (Revelation 9: 20-21) "And from that time, Jesus began to preach and to say, Repent: for the Kingdom of God is at hand. ' (Matthew 4:17) Jesus had all of eternity to think about what His first words would be when His ministry began. You know how important it is to say the right thing at the start. That is why Jesus' first words in His public ministry were: ".........repent ye, and believe the Gospel" (Mark 1:15) So, why did He choose "repent." next post 20th February
ONE HEARTBEAT AWAY PART 86 (copied from Mark Cahill's Book) Chapter 8 The next step Sin and Hell are married unless repentance proclaims the divorce. Charles Spurgeon Let's see where we stand. The evidence is overwhelming. We have each broken the Commandments of Almighty God. I will be guilty on Judgment Day. You will be guilty on Judgment Day. So, what is the next step for you and me to get right with God? There is a word that we do not use much in every day English anymore, and that's the word "repent." It represents an essential concept in human life, and the Bible mentions it more than one hundred times. What does "repent" mean? In English and the Latin, from which much of it comes, "re" means again and "pent" means think again. So, "re-pent" means "think again" or to "rethink" something. In the Hebrew of the Old Testament, the word translated "repent" means to "return," with the implication that it means "return to God." In the Greek of the New Testament, the words translated "repent" mean "regret" and "reconsider." So when we repent,
we turn away from our sins and toward God, rethinking or reconsidering what we have been thinking and doing in the light of what He wants us to think and do. We are sorry for having offended Him, and we have an intention to change our ways, with His help. At the same time that we repent, we have an urge to cast away everything in our lives that invites us to do the things we're repenting of, and we determine, with God's help, not to return to that mess. God likens a return to sin, after repentance and receiving God's cleansing forgiveness, to returning to vomit or to a pig's sty: But is happened to them according to the true proverb, the dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire. (2 Peter 2:22) Simultaneously we are placing our faith and trust in Jesus as our Saviour. In other words, repentance and faith go hand in hand. And this is how we are saved from being declared "guilty," : As we repent and believe, we become new creatures, born into God's family, and we are no longer under the condemnation of the Law. next post 19th Feb
PRAISING GOD PART 13 The Lord lives, blessed be my Rock and exalted be the God of my Salvation It is God that avenges me and subdues the people under me He delivers me from my enemies He lifts me up above those who rise up against me. You have delivered me from the violent man Therefore I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the heathen and I will sing praises to Your Name. The Law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul the testimony of the Lord is sure making wise the simple The statues of the Lord are right rejoicing the heart The commandments of the Lord are pure enlightening the eyes The fear of the Lord is clean enduring forever The judgments of the are true and righteous altogether More to be desired than gold Yes, than much fine gold Sweeter also than honey and honey from the honeycomb Moreover, by them is Your servant warned and in keeping them there is great reward. next post 24th February
MY FAVOURITE PSALMS PART 93 Thou hast made him (man) to rule over the work of Thy hands Thou dost put all things under his feet all sheep and oxen and also the beasts of the field the birds in the heavens the fish in the sea and whatsoever passes through the paths of the sea. O Lord, our Lord, How majestic is Thy Name in all the earth I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart I will tell of all Thy wonders I will be glad and rejoice in Thee I will sing praises to the Name of the Lord Most High The Lord abides forever, He has established His throne for judgment And He will judge the world in righteousness He will execute judgment for the peoples with equity The Lord will also be a stronghold for the oppressed. A stronghold in times of trouble and all who know Thy Name will put their trust in Thee For Thou, O Lord, hast not forsaken those who seek Thee. next post 23rd February
ARE THE GOSPELS RELIABLE?
two or three of the 
