In the Bible’s New Testament, the self-proclaimed “apostle” Paul established the contemporary Christian church’s beliefs related to the death & resurrection of Jesus Christ – namely, that Jesus did indeed die on the cross, that he was indeed buried for three days thereafter, and that he did indeed rise from the dead into everlasting life […]
No written document can be truly comprehended without also understanding the basic cultural environment in which it was penned. As such, a brief glimpse into the cultural climate of Jesus’ day & time can prove helpful to understanding the Bible’s texts more deeply, and can provide additional insight into the contents of the same as […]
Very early the next day, at the dawn’s beginning — while the sun was rising but also while it was still relatively dark [Matthew 28:1a, Mark 16:1, Luke 24:1a & John 20:1a], the same group of women (including Mary Magdalene, Mary – the mother of James & Joses, Salome & Joanna) headed to the tomb, […]
For starters, in order to be able to better comprehend the alternative explanation of the “Resurrection Story” that will follow, let us briefly review what Jesus’ ministry was all about – let us review just what it was Jesus was trying to accomplish during the few years before his crucifixion. *First of all, it […]
Now that we better understand Jesus’ probable intentions, let’s look at what happened during his pre-crucifixion ministry; namely the sources of the regular & immense frustration that ultimately led to his choice to be crucified … *First of all, realize that the “everyday folk” to whom he frequently spoke repeatedly refused to hear or follow […]
So, seeing as how almost everyone was ignoring the profound wisdom he was trying to share, Jesus finally had no choice but to SHOW others what he meant; to SHOW them what willing self-sacrifice looked like; to SHOW them The Way of selfless Love. And the way he chose to do so was by organizing […]
*Truth #02: JESUS PRE-PLANNED HIS CRUCIFIXION … If we have the humility to read it with an open mind, the New Testament clearly shows that Jesus planned his crucifixion himself (see John 13:1-3, John 18:31-32, et al). Note that he is seen reconnoitering Jerusalem on several occasions (see Mark 11:11, Luke 9:52, 10:1, 19:5 & […]
*Truth #03: JESUS REFUSED TO SAVE HIMSELF … Whether or not he was indeed the one & only Son of God, there is little doubt that there were many times when Jesus could have easily avoided being crucified. Indeed, he actually went the opposite direction on many occasions – often demanding to be so punished. […]
*Truth #04: JESUS PRE-DISCLOSED HIS PLAN … Jesus informed his disciples of his crucifixion arrangements many times beforehand (see Matthew 16:21, 17:22, 20:18-19, 20:22, 23:34-36, 26:2, 26:6-12, 26:21, 26:24, 26:32, 26:45-46, Mark 8:31-32, 9:31-32, 10:33-34, 14:21, 14:28, Luke 9:22, 9:44, 11:30, 11:49-51, 13:33, 18:31-33, 22:15, John 2:21-22, 3:14, 6:51, 7:33, 8:21, 8:28, 10:11+15, 10:17-18, 12:8, […]
Truth #05: JESUS HAD MANY PROBABLE CO-CONSPIRATORS … Feel free to draw your own conclusions in this regard after considering the following canonical & non-canonical facts: *Fact: Joseph of Arimathea (see Matthew 27:57, Mark 15:43, Luke 23:51 & John 19:38) was a disciple of Jesus (Matthew 27:57b, John 19:38a) and was good friends with Pontius […]
*Truth #06: THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF JESUS’ CRUCIFIXION ARE SUSPICIOUS … First of all, it was well-known in Jesus’ day that the Roman government openly respected the legal customs of the Jews. The historian Josephus mentioned the same in his wirings, and August Caesar even passed a Roman law that stated: “Jews are to follow […]
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