Unsealed
subjects from the Bible.
- Who did the work?
Son did noting of Himself .
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People who have ears and hear not
- I am
the way, the truth and the Life ..
- The
birth of Gospels
- Do
we posses original Gospels?
- An
example of differences between the Gospels
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Meaning of Jesus Son of God
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The nature of Lord
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The nature of Jesus
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Meaning of Antichrist
- 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
Email
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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!
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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.
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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.
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.
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.
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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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Video Presentations:
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July 9
A meditation on
the Martyrdom of the Bab
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