Prophecies of The Ages                                           @                       

 

Unsealed subjects from the Bible.      

Please see page 2 If your question is not in this page.

  1. Who did the work? Son did noting of Himself .
  2. People who have ears and hear not
  3. I am the way, the truth and the Life ..
  4. The birth of Gospels
  5. Do we posses original Gospels?
  6. An example of differences between the Gospels
  7. Meaning of Jesus Son of God
  8. The nature of Lord
  9. The nature of Jesus
  10. Meaning of Antichrist
  11. Influence of other cultures and religions on Christianity.                                            Page two

Please see page 2 If your question is not in this page.

Was Jesus is a Messenger of God?

A study of the New Testament shows that Jesus was a Messenger sent by God. For example Jesus said:

" The Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the work." ( John 14:10) and " My doctrine Is not mine but his that sent me." (John 7:16-18)

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That Jesus received all power from His heavenly Father is very clear from the following remark of Jesus: " Verily, Verily I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do." ( John 5:19 )

How much more swearing Christians need from Jesus to believe the above quote. Verily, Verily ..

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People who have ears and hear not?

When Jesus came and the people failed to recognize him as their Messiah, He appealed to the people to think in a spiritual way by saying:   "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear" (Matt. 13:9) and "Because seeing they do not see, and hearing they hear not" Jesus repeats Isaiah prophecy " Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive: For the hearts of this people have grown dull. ( Matt. 13:13,14 )

Of course Jesus didn't mean that those people had lost their eyesight and hearing in a physical sense.  They could still see, they were perfectly healthy, but they were spiritually blind and spiritually deaf to His message.

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I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE

A beautiful statement of Jesus is: "I am the way, the truth and the life". (John 14:16) This was the reply of Jesus when Thomas asked Him; "How can we know the way"? (John 14:5). Jesus' answer was completely correct and still is.

Related links

Time Prophecies

  Isaiah & Micah and some history

Some Q & A 2

The Branch

Baha'u'llah's Writings

Tablet of Ahmad

Introduction to Baha'i Religion

House of Justice

  Hidden words

The Most Holy Book

Photos

More writings

Collapse & Growth

Contacts

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Jesus indeed showed the way, the highest form of knowledge and truth that people could understand during that time.

But Jesus never meant that His Revelation was the only one. There are many quotes in the Bible about He who would come after Jesus.

Similar statements were made by all the Messengers of God. Each of those Messengers showed the way for their own time and place.

Imagine you are going on a road to a specific destination. Along the road there are many signpost showing the way. All of those sign posts are right not only one of them. Only the time and place in which you see them is different. In the same way, all the Messengers of God are like sign posts, which lead to God, the ultimate destination. The only differences are the time and place in which They appeared.

I am the truth, When Jesus said at that time that His message was the truth, He didn't mean that it was the only truth for all time. ( Otherwise some people may think previous messengers like Moses were not telling the truth.)

The truth that the Messengers of God give to mankind is a gradually unfolding truth. Like the different chapters of a book, the word of God is revealed with each chapter building on the previous one. But all the chapters reveal an ever-increasing amount of information, which is a part of the one book.

As humanity's capacity to understand grows, a little more of the same truth is given to them.

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The birth of the Gospels.

Jesus never wrote anything Himself.  Books were rarely used among the Jews, and their teaching was almost entirely by word of mouth.

Jesus spoke a language called Aramaic.  The first 40 years after the death of Jesus there was no need for a written Gospel as the story was passed on with the preaching.  The only writer amongst the early missionaries was Paul.

It is a surprising but true fact that Paul's letters were written before the Gospels.  In these letters Paul did not write about the life of Jesus, but instead he wrote about the importance of the station of Jesus as 'Christ the Savvier'.  The sequence of the Gospel and the Epistles is not in chronological order!

Historians believe that the first Gospel that was written was the Gospel of Mark which was written in Rome around the year 70 AD.  At that time there was an urgent need to have a true written account as very few people who had met Jesus were still alive to remember what exactly happened.  Peter and Paul were martyred.  Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed. 

Mark never met Jesus but he accompanied Peter and Paul when they were preaching.  Many learned people called Bible scholars came to the conclusion, that Mark added the stories told by Paul and Peter into the Gospel.   Matthew and Luke most probably used the original copy of Mark's Gospel to write their own version.

Matthew, a Jew, was mainly interested in showing the Jewish community that Jesus fulfilled the ancient Jewish prophesies.  Luke was a physician from Roman background and a good friend of Paul.

The Gospel of John was written much later, is very spiritual, and is very different from the other three Gospels.  It was most probably written by a follower of John, who was the youngest disciple of Jesus.     Back to Top

 

Do we possess the original Gospels?

We do not have the original documents written by Mark, Matthew, Luke and John.   People didn't write on paper.  They used papyrus, a kind of material made from plants to write on.  Papyrus rots very quickly.

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Therefore it was impossible to keep the original Gospels.  Today we only possess copies of old transcripts.

In the early days of Christianity, priests copied the text in their own handwriting.   This was an enormous work and there was also the danger of making mistakes, alterations or even additions.  For instance, one priest may not have understood entirely with what was formerly written, so he could have altered it slightly to convey the meaning he believed to be the correct one.

We do not even have any manuscripts or copies written before 350 AD  Therefore we only know about changes to the text of the Gospels which occurred after this time.   By comparing manuscripts or copies from the fourth century until the time of the invention of printing presses, scholars discovered several alterations made by the people who copied them.

Differences in Translations

The Bible has been translated many times.  Let us not forget that the Bible we have today is a translation of many previous translations.

It took 1500 years after the death of Jesus before the Bible was finally translated into English!  The church strongly opposed translations into local languages as this brought the Bible more into the hands of the simple Christians.

They were afraid that this could effect the function of the church which regarded itself as the only authorized interpreter of the Bible.  Therefore the first person who attempted to translate the Bible was publicly executed and burned at the stake in 1536.   Translation was not only dangerous but also very difficult.

One problem of translation is that every time you translate you can change the meaning.   For example the Geek language is very rich in words whereas English has fewer words.  Therefore it is extremely difficult to find the correct word in English that covers the meaning of the word in the Greek language.

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An example of differences between the Gospels

There are not only different versions of the Bible, but differences exist between each of the Gospels.  To illustrate the difference between the Gospels, we will look more closely at the story of the 'Ascension of Jesus'.  We will use for this example the Revised Standard Version as it shows differences of different transcripts of the Bible.   From the study of the last page of each gospel we conclude:

-    Matthew does not mention the Ascension

-    Mark's older texts do not mention the Ascension.  It was added in some later version.

-    Luke says "Jesus parted from them".  Some later versions added "and was carried up in heaven"

-    John does not mention the Ascension in his Gospel.

It is surprising that in the early church so little attention is given to the story of the Ascension on the four Gospels.  The Ascension was not considered an important event during the first 100 years of Christian history. 

The early Christians believed that the Ascension was a spiritual event which meant that Jesus was spiritually exalted and had been spiritually risen up by God. 

The  feast of Ascension was only established in the church more than 300 years after the death of Jesus.

We should never forget that the purpose of the Gospel writers was not to record historical facts but to 'witness' to the greatness of Christ.

Conclusion:

It is better and more correct to say that the Bible contains the word of God instead of saying that the present Bible is the word of God.

Abd'ul'baha speaks of the Bible: This Bible is the Holy book of God, the celestial inspiration,.. ....It is the light of Kingdom.....

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Meaning of "JESUS, THE SON OF GOD"

The title "Son of God" does not mean that God, the all Glorious, impregnated Mary and produced a physical son, God is not a Physical being and is far exalted above any human attribute. Rather Son of God has a spiritual meaning.

Two thousand years ago people were very simple, and the best way for Jesus to explain His relationship to God was to compare it with the relationship of love and obedience between a father and his son.

The title 'Son of God' is used many times in the Bible. Jesus was not the only Son of God according to the Bible. Solomon was also called the Son of God. King David says: " And he said unto me, Solomon...I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father." (1 Chronicles 28.6)

Also Adam and Eve were without father and mother.

Adam also was called the Son of God: "which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the Son of God." ( Luke 3.38 ) He did not have a mother either and seems he was His first son.

All of us can become Sons of God according to the Bible. " But as many as received him, to them He gave the power to become the Sons of God." (John 1.12)
" For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the Sons of God." (Romans 8:14)
"He that overcometh shall inherit all things: and I will be his God and he shall be my son." (Rev.21: 6-7)

The greatness of Christ does not depend on whether or not he had a physical father. ( This way Adam has Higher position than Jesus, He did not have mother either.) Jesus greatness rest on His life and His teachings. He was a Manifestation of God who, like all other Divine Teachers, demonstrated all perfections and glory.

Today with technology available called " cloning " any woman can have a child without father. This does not mean the child is same as Jesus.

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The Nature of the Lord. ( Did Jesus claim to be the Lord?)

Jesus explained to the Jews that God ( the Father ) Is a spirit, without a shape (body) or voice:
" And the Father who sent me, has Himself born witness to me. His voice you have never heard, His form you have never seen." (John 5:37)
At the moment when Jesus said these words, He was standing in front of His Audience. In this way Jesus showed them that He was not God the Father.

Jesus disclaimed being the Mighty God when He called Himself  'the son of  God;' John 5:18-47

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disclaimed being the Father when He said, 'my Father is greater than I;' ( John 14:28 )

and being the Prince of Peace when He said, 'I came not to send peace, but a sword.' Mat 10:34

He disclaimed bearing the government upon His shoulder or that it would be His judgment and justice forever when He said, 'My kingdom is not of this world." John 18:36   

       "In spite of Christ's promise of further revelation of the Truth, through the Comforter, through His own return, through the Spirit of Truth, the Christian Church regards his revelation as final, and itself as the sole trustee of true religion. 

They left no room for the Supreme Redeemer of the Bible to bring in great changes for the establishment of the Kingdom of God ... John 14:28  , 16:13

'Then He [Jesus] began to tell the people this parable: The story of a man who planted a vineyard, and  leased it to vinedressers...... [Luke 20:9-19, The New King James Version]

Let us take an example of a radio. Imagine that from your radio comes the voice of somebody saying ' I am the King'. This does not mean that your radio Is the King.

The King Himself Is sitting In His place and uses the radio as his way of reaching you. In the same mouthpiece of God speaks with the power and authority of God Himself.

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The Nature of Jesus

 Jesus had two natures, one human and one divine. His human nature derives from his birth from a woman, Mary. This human nature means that like all other men Jesus also had to sleep, eat, and feel the pain and joy of life.

That God can not be contained in a human body is explained in the Bible. In 1 Kings, 8:27 Solomon proclaims:
" But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain you."

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The following quotes show that there is a difference between Jesus and His Heavenly Father; " Because I said; I go unto the Father; for my Father is greater than I." ( John 14:28 )

"I Have Come Down From Heaven.."

One day, as Jesus was speaking to a crowd of people, he surprised his listeners when he was heard to say: "I have come down from heaven..."

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 When a number of rabbis, present in the crowd that day, heard Jesus claim that he had come down from heaven, they "began to grumble about him"

And they asked "is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?' How can he now say, "I came down from heaven"?
Disciples too were shocked.  

They said: "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?... From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him." -John 6: 41,60,66 (NIV)

Most people today know that Jesus had twelve Apostles... but, many don't know that Jesus also had either 70 or 72 disciples (depending on which early manuscript you are reading).

Related links

Time Prophecies

  Isaiah & Micah and some history

Some Q & A 2

The Branch

Baha'u'llah's Writings

Tablet of Ahmad

Introduction to Baha'i Religion

House of Justice

  Hidden words

The Most Holy Book

Photos

More writings

Collapse & Growth

Contacts

Email

  It was these other disciples who "turned back and no longer followed him." It was these others who abandoned him forever.

The disciples didn't have the insight to see what Jesus was really saying. As Jesus stood there watching his disciples walk away, knowing that they were not going to ever come back, he proceeded to explain this "mystery" of His coming down from heaven. Jesus said:
"The Spirit ( PNEUMA) gives life, the flesh (SARX ) counts for nothing: The words I have spoken to you are spirit ( PNEUMA) and they are life." -John 6:63 (NIV)

"The words I have spoken to you are spirit..."

Jesus apparently was trying to explain that when he said such startling things as "I came down from heaven", he was not speaking of his physical, fleshly body coming down from heaven. Instead, Jesus was trying to explain that His "words" should not be understood in their outer literal sense.

Jesus was trying to tell us that He was speaking of non-fleshly, spiritual realities. It was the "Spirit" of God, which dwelled in Him  is the reality of Jesus that had descended from heaven... not His physical body.

The same was true of John the Baptist. Jesus said that John too had come down from heaven.

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Meaning of Anti Christ

Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. 1st John 2:22

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the spirit which confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit which does not confess Jesus is not of God . This is the spirit of Antichrist, of which you heard that was coming, and now it is in the world already.

Of course, the Baha'i writings  acknowledge physical reality and the divinity of Jesus Christ and glorify Him.

Baha'u'llah in Gleaning p.85 state: "When the Son of Man yielded up His breath unto God, the whole creation wept with a great weeping. In sacrificing himself, however, a fresh capacity was infused into all created things, its evidences, as witnessed by yourselves, are now manifest in all men.

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Influence of other cultures and religions on Christianity.

1- Roman culture .

Paul was none Jewish and was educated in a Roman town called Tarsus. He had a forceful character. He was actively involve in persecuting and killing of many Christians till trough a vision he become  a believer.

Because of his record the other disciples did not believe easily that he had changed.

Romans had no knowledge or didn't care about the Jewish expectation of the coming of the Messiah . They were not interested in the life of Jesus, who walked and taught in Israel.

Romans and Greeks liked mysteries and sacrifices with big ceremonies. They believed in gods who died and later were resurrected.

In the Greek civilization, which is an older civilization than the Roman civilization, such stories were often dramatized in theatre plays. For example in the town Tarsus, the birthplace of Paul, every year there was a festival in which a god, Heracies, was send to earth, killed and later resurrected. Greeks also believed in a god, Adonis, who was killed and went to hell, but later returned to earth.

Have you ever tried to teach a Hindu or a Buddhist about Christianity? You also may find it extremely difficult when there is not much common ground.

Paul found that preaching about a Christ who was God Himself and who sacrificed Himself to save us and later was resurrected made it much easier for the Romans to accept Jesus. Paul adapted his message to suit his hearers.

As the difference between Jewish and Roman background Christians became greater, Paul  went back to Jerusalem to explain his interpretation to Jewish disciples of Jesus.

Please note that this time was the most critical time for Christianity. If they would lose Roman background Christians, Christianity would stay as a small minority in Jewish community.

A compromised was reached thanks to the intervention  of James, the brother of Jesus. Most of early Christian churches throughout the Roman  Empire were formed or guided by Paul.

Other influences on Christianity.

Originally there were no priest , no mass and no sacrifice in the Christian church.

 However , the church was under enormous pressure by the new Christians to include into Christianity their old beliefs. with the addition of the symbolic sacrifice of "the Lamb of God" or Jesus, the early Christians found a suitable replacement for the sacrifice of poor animals which were commonly practiced by the non-Christians.

The Christian calendar

 The first Christians, who were of Jewish background, followed the Jewish law of worship on the Sabbath or Saturday. When the Faith grew and spread into the Roman Empire , the Christians adapted their activities to the existing Roman calendar.

In Rome, before the coming of Christianity, most of the people worshipped  Mithras ,  the god of the sun. The day of worship was the first day of the week, accordingly called Sunday or "the day of the conquering sun". When the Emperor Constantine became a Christian in 300 A.D. he made Sunday the day worship for the Christian as well. This was a definite break with the Jewish tradition of worship on the Sabbath or Saturday.

The date on which Christmas, the birth of Christ, is celebrated is also influenced by the Mithraic calendar. The followers of Mithras had feast of Saturnalia in the middle of December. In the fifth century the church of Rome ordered that the birth of Christ be celebrated on this same day and many customs associated with Christmas today were adopted from the none Christmas festival.

In fact, no one knows exactly when Jesus was born.

The date of Easter comes from an ancient festival, called "Oster", which celebrated the end of winter and beginning of the spring.

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Influence of Islam on Christianity.

Islam had its influence more at the time of Crusade wars and there after.

Most of cases can be found in Protestantism. For example Christians were not allowed to keep Bible at home, and only priest could explain to them. Translation of Bible was not allowed. Priests would forgive sins not god. Medication was not allowed and those who practice it would be burned as witches.

These cases was solved in Islam and would make more senses.

 

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