fact

Blog for podcast #18 (When a myth is not a myth)

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Intro
Welcome to another podcast as we try to come to an understanding of what is within the Bible. Once again this is Dreamwalker1960
Discussion
A myth occurs 150 years after an event was fact. That is what scholars say. A prime example has been seen in this realm very recently. There are those that say Abraham Lincoln was a racist. There are those that say he was a member of the Democrat Party. Both of these things are a myth. He was a member of the Republican Party and it was due to his efforts that slavery was ended. You cannot be a racist if you wish to have all people treated the same thus his desire to end slavery. As a result a Democrat named John Wilkes Booth shot him in the back of the head at close range.
Now why bring up this point about myths?
What causes them?
First and foremost. Those that were alive when the events occurred or when the person lived to counter the “myth,” are no longer around to dispute the fantasy made within it.
Again, why bring this up?
The first solid evidence of the letters that would become the New Testament date to around eighteen years after the crucifixion of Jesus upon the cross. Many people were still alive to verify or deny what is written within the first five gospels of the New Testament due to this fact.
None came forward to deny what is within them.
Archeologist have found and verified several of the locations mentioned in these books.
Historian have found written documentation of the existence of Jesus called Christ outside of the Bible. An example of this is the historian Josephus.
This adds up to saying that Jesus is not a myth, nor is what He did a myth. He did rise from the dead and was seen by many for up to forty days after His resurrection. The day of His resurrection He walked with two of His followers who didn’t even realize it was Him due to God’s design. (Mark 16:12; Luke 24:13-31)
Here is the challenge to us that live in this time of turmoil. A time that shows the fulfillment of prophecy given by Jesus as well as His disciples. We see about us that the behavior of people as described in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 are all about us. We see many about us saying that come in the name of Christ, but instead of teaching the Bible they tell you to seek after riches here in this life we now live. Which is opposite the teachings of Christ Himself who said to place our treasures in the realm that is beyond this life we now live. (Matthew 6:19-21)
It is in these times that Christ said he would spew from Him those that lived in both the world and in the church, known as the lukewarm.
So since Jesus Christ is not a myth, even though unseen at this time. Does this mean we can live our lives separate from what the Bible teaches? The answer is no.
We must turn away from the world and all that it offers and to seek after God through His Son the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Bible teaches us how to live our lives. It tells us what is a sin and to leave all sin behind us.
If you cannot turn from what is called a sin yet parade about as if you are of the Bride. Than you are counted amongst the “lukewarm.”
Since we have an active role in where we stand or don’t with God. It is our duty if we truly profess to be Christian to end all sin in our lives. Sins that will in many cases cause us personal anguish. We will have to endure emotional pain, and we will cry. However we must endure this pain if we are to see the promised reward of enteral life.
A few years ago someone whom I call a friend, tried to tell me that the world is not black and white, but it is grey. Now you have to understand why I mention this. This person was the pastor of the church I was attending. To have the spiritual leader of a church say the world is grey is truly sad. It is also another reason I have a distrust of the buildings called “churches.”
Earlier I mentioned Matthew chapter 6. Let me continue form that chapter just a few verses later then I a mentioned a bit ago.
Verse 24 – “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.”
Our life as Christians is a black and white existence. We cannot cling onto a sin and at the same time attempt to cling to God. The one thing Jesus disliked the most when He walked amongst us was the hypocrisy he encountered. Especially form those that professed to be the spiritual leaders of Israel. When you live in hypocrisy you are within the realm of the lukewarm.
As I have established in my earlier lesson on the chronological order of the letters to the seven churches in the book of Revelation chapters 2 and 3. We now live in the time of the lukewarm church. We are in the last letter and so are at the end of the church era. This signals that we are in the end times as I showed with my lessons on 2 Timothy 3:1-5 (The Many Faces of the Selfish god).
It is now that we must become more steadfast and more rigid in our beliefs. But not to the point that we would cause those seeking salvation to turn away from God.
Many, especially those under 40 have no true understanding of God or His Son the Lord Jesus Christ. They have been told that God and Jesus are fairytales. That They are a myth. As I have established above. Jesus was no myth. So what is told within the first five books of the New Testament are not a fiction, but historical fact.
Jesus is the Son of God who did walk the earth two thousand years ago. At this time if we look back upon those two thousand years, He would be 20. In ten more years He would begin His ministry which would ultimately lead to His crucifixion and then resurrection three days later.
Jesus never committed any sin. Ever. And was a virgin and pure. Spotless.
Many will scoff at this. They will say none can do that. If He were only human you would be right. No human can go sin free. However, Jesus was not nor even was human. He was God made flesh. To bear witness to the sinful nature of humanity. His flesh was made homely on purpose so those that looked upon Him would scoff and deny His words.(Isaiah 53:2) Just as those that are listening or reading this are scoffing. For they do not understand these concepts I am trying to get them to understand.
The only way we can enter into an eternal life. A life that will last billions upon billions of years is by accepting the reality of what you have been told is not a myth. No one waited 150 years to tell these stories about Jesus. Which would mean they would have been written in approximately 180 A.D. to 210 A.D. We have examples of written parchments dating from 50 A.D. and onward. The book of Revelation the last book of the Bible is said to have been written in the 90s A.D. well before the time when a myth would be written. What is even more important is that it was written by someone who actually walked and talked with Jesus before and after His death and resurrection.
Do you start to understand the import of that last sentence?
Someone who could deny the Bible finished the Bible 60 years after Jesus left. Always professing that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and went to the cross for all of our sins and for everyone’s sins. (1 John 1:1-3) That is why it is important to turn away from sin and to seek after a righteous life in the name of Jesus Christ.

God Bless

People have in a way forgotten that Jesus did walk amongst us

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This is the problem with most upon this planet at this time. It is not just limited to those that deny the existence of Jesus or God for that matter. It also includes those that call themselves “Christian.” They live their lives as if God and His Son are just a mythology that they choose to exemplify.
This is the furthest thing from the truth though.
An accounting by Senator Tactius who lived from 56 AD to sometime after 117 AD. In his account of the burning of Roman by Nero he states this:
“Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome…..”
Josephus born 37 AD and dies in 100 AD the Jewish historian allied himself with the Romans in approximately 70 AD when the 2nd Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed, made several statements that verify Jesus Christ’s existence. Said this is the least contested of his statements:
“And now Caesar, upon hearing the death of Festus, sent Albinus into Judea, as procurator. But the king deprived Joseph of the high priesthood, and bestowed the succession to that dignity on the son of Ananus, who was also himself called Ananus. Now the report goes that this eldest Ananus proved a most fortunate man; for he had five sons who had all performed the office of a high priest to God, and who had himself enjoyed that dignity a long time formerly, which had never happened to any other of our high priests. But this younger Ananus, who, as we have told you already, took the high priesthood, was a bold man in his temper, and very insolent; he was also of the sect of the Sadducees, who are very rigid in judging offenders, above all the rest of the Jews, as we have already observed; when, therefore, Ananus was of this disposition, he thought he had now a proper opportunity. Festus was now dead, and Albinus was but upon the road; so he assembled the sanhedrin of judges, and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James, and some others; and when he had formed an accusation against them as breakers of the law, he delivered them to be stoned: but as for those who seemed the most equitable of the citizens, and such as were the most uneasy at the breach of the laws, they disliked what was done; they also sent to the king, desiring him to send to Ananus that he should act so no more, for that what he had already done was not to be justified; nay, some of them went also to meet Albinus, as he was upon his journey from Alexandria, and informed him that it was not lawful for Ananus to assemble a sanhedrin without his consent. Whereupon Albinus complied with what they said, and wrote in anger to Ananus, and threatened that he would bring him to punishment for what he had done; on which king Agrippa took the high priesthood from him, when he had ruled but three months, and made Jesus, the son of Damneus, high priest.”
In what is called the “testimony of Flavius Josephus,” which is doubted by those that wish to deny Jesus is real said this:
“About this time there lived Jesus, a wise man, if indeed one ought to call him a man. For he was one who performed surprising deeds and was a teacher of such people as accept the truth gladly. He won over many Jews and many of the Greeks. He was the Christ. And when, upon the accusation of the principal men among us, Pilate had condemned him to a cross, those who had first come to love him did not cease. He appeared to them spending a third day restored to life, for the prophets of God had foretold these things and a thousand other marvels about him. And the tribe of the Christians, so called after him, has still to this day not disappeared.”
Josephus also said this about John the Baptist:
“Now some of the Jews thought that the destruction of Herod’s army came from God, and that very justly, as a punishment of what he did against John, that was called the Baptist: for Herod slew him, who was a good man… Herod, who feared lest the great influence John had over the people might put it into his power and inclination to raise a rebellion… Accordingly he was sent a prisoner, out of Herod’s suspicious temper, to Macherus, the castle I before mentioned, and was there put to death.”
All of this points to the reality of Jesus Christ. Yet many that call themselves “Christian” have no concept or even truly know the teaching within the Bible. Why is this? Because He is not seen in person, nor heard in person, so not truly real to them. This makes Him a myth. A fairytale and this is what many wish Jesus to be.
This is why you have false teachers making millions and teaching them to nothing but selfishness and greed. Causing millions to think only of themselves and their own wants and desires. This is totally opposite the teachings of the Bible.
Too many count on others to tell them what the Bible says for they are “too busy” to read the Bible themselves. How can people count on others for their own personal standing with the Creator of the universe is something that is still mindboggling to me.
Jesus walked upon this earth in human form. Why? To die for your sin and mine. Jesus rose from the dead three days later and was seen walking amongst humanity for forty days. He was seen by the surviving disciples. He was seen by over five hundred people and their families all at one time during this time before He ascended into heaven.
During this time Jesus said this unto to Thomas:
John 20:29 – Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
Soon Events will take place that will cause there to be those that will be less blessed than those that now live and belief. There will be those that will have to do more works due to His presences being reaffirmed with all creation. Their faith will be like that of Thomas. They will believe for they have seen Jesus or seen His actions upon this planet that being what is called the Rapture. As is reaffirmed in to letters to the churches in Revelation:
Revelation 3:10-11 – “Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.”
Deny He is real by placing yourself at the core of your life and you have allowed others to “seize your crown,” and you will not be spared from the “trial that is coming on the whole world.”

Doubt has always been present

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Even when the disciples still lived doubt was present, and people could not accept that what they were being told could be real. Yet the Bible does not avoid speaking of these facts and makes it known that people did question, that people did doubt.
2 Peter 1: 16 – For we were not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw his majestic splendor with our own eyes 17 when he received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice from the majestic glory of God said to him, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.” 18 We ourselves heard that voice from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain.
1 Corinthians 15:3 – I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. 4 He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. 5 He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. 6 After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. 7 Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him. 9 For I am the least of all the apostles. In fact, I’m not even worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted God’s church.
Here are important points that must be made.
Christ resurrected was seen by Peter then by the Twelve.
Christ resurrected was seen by more than 500 people at one time.
Christ resurrected was seen by James his half-brother, whose mother and father were Mary and Joseph. Someone who knew Him all His life and had rejected Him as Christ until this encounter.
Christ resurrected was seen by someone that despised them and he became known as Paul.
As for his brother James. He is mentioned in a non-Biblical history. In fact the history was written by Flavius Josephus. The mention of James is in “Antiquities of the Jews” book 20, chapter 9 and states this:
“Festus was now dead, and Albinus was but upon the road; so he assembled the sanhedrin of judges, and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James, and some others; and when he had formed an accusation against them as breakers of the law, he delivered them to be stoned: but as for those who seemed the most equitable of the citizens, and such as were the most uneasy at the breach of the laws, they disliked what was done”
There is also mention of John the Baptist and Jesus by Josephs, but due to doubt many choose to not call them credible especially the direct reference to Jesus because that mentions his resurrection.
“About this time there lived Jesus, a wise man, if indeed one ought to call him a man. For he was one who performed surprising deeds and was a teacher of such people as accept the truth gladly. He won over many Jews and many of the Greeks. He was the Christ. And when, upon the accusation of the principal men among us, Pilate had condemned him to a cross, those who had first come to love him did not cease. He appeared to them spending a third day restored to life, for the prophets of God had foretold these things and a thousand other marvels about him. And the tribe of the Christians, so called after him, has still to this day not disappeared.” Antiquities of the Jews Book 18, chapter 3.
Yet doubt is the problem with Christianity today. We are seventeen year from the anniversary of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. Two thousand years of doubt, yet at the same time two thousand years in which people still say they belief in these very statements. Nothing can truly compare in recorded history or even in religion to these statements. Yet as we see above it is not just recorded in the Bible, but its very existence is mentioned in non-religious history.
So why is there doubt? Because without doubt people cannot justify their actions if it is without doubt. They use the doubt as a scapegoat which allows them to live in sin to their pleasure and enjoyment. For without doubt they must accept responsibility for their sins and since they do not wish to leave their sins behind doubt is their only refuge for the truth. The truth that tells them that if they live in sin they are destine to a pit of fire.
So they must doubt. They must question, because they fear that the truth is all too real and will lead to damnation. That is why there is “doubt.”

Legend?

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Let’s look at legends. We have Hercules. We have Troy. We have Atlantis. We all agree that they are legends.
Troy for example was described in the Iliad. The fall of Troy was around 1100BC and the Iliad was written around 750BC. Per scholars this is enough time for it to become a myth, a legend.
This however was not the fate for the Bible and the story of Jesus Christ. Within the book of 1 Corinthians is found what is called a “creed.” This creed has been surmised through study and evaluation that it could have existed within two to five years after the crucifixion. This removes the legend theory. For there were those that still lived that would have discounted it. Examples: The Pharisees and the Roman government. Also those that had actually seen the events in the Bible and none countered the “creed.”
So if the accounts within the Bible are not myth or legend, but are in reality, facts. What does that state about Jesus? Where do you stand with Him?

Confessions of a screwed up middle aged man: the debate with those that have been blinded

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Yesterday I had an encounter on Facebook. I don’t even remember what the original post was but what got me involved was someone stating that Obama is a Christian. The person proceeded to say that anyway that disagreed with this view was and I quote: “Self-interest and greed with a side of intolerance will destroy this nation.”
So what the main discourse of the exchange that followed boiled down to how those that have not read the Bible see “Christianity” while those that have read it see it totally differently. Those on the left made it clear to the point of personally attacking me and reducing the conversation to cursing me. That I was totally wrong in my interpretation of the full context of certain Bible verse that they pull out of the Bible totally out of context with what was being said in the Bible at the passages they referred me too.
One said that you should not display piety in public. Where this person got this from was Christ talking about the Pharisees in their hypocrisy.
This person was really messed up. Later again picking parts of the Bible out to suit their point of view, first accused me of doing the exact same thing this person was doing themselves. In particular the situation where the young rich man told Jesus he was doing everything by the Torah and in his eyes was living a righteous live. By this time in the discussion I knew it was a waste of time to inform this person that they once again took things out of context. However, what was most interesting is that this person felt that all that call themselves “Christian” should sell all they had and allow illegal aliens to have it instead, including our job because we profess Christianity.
What was ironic is that I has started our discussion by recommending this person do that themselves. The debated end when I reminded this person of this fact and looked forward to hearing how things were going for their friends since they would no longer have a computer to be able to get on Facebook anymore. What is worse is that they themselves will, per this person’s responses, not lift a finger to help the poor and needy, but they expect all other especially Christians to do this.
I honestly have pity for those that get to this point in their live where they have actually fallen for the leftist propaganda that God is a myth and Christianity is a farce. That all must bow and cater to their wishes and desires because they are perfect and right in all things.
I did inform this person that a myth usually occurs about one hundred and fifty years after someone lives. I then pointed out that at least one letter within the Bible that mentions Christ’s resurrection can be dated to within sixteen years of that very event and many that were alive could refute these facts especially the Romans and the Pharisees, but they could not. Also the fact that it is the most copied document throughout history and only has changed by 2%. I even mention Josephus the historian who betrayed his Jewish faith at the time the Temple was destroyed. How this historian mention the death of the brother of Christ, James and his Christian (tribe) followers.
This is what we are up against folks. They wish to rule the world not realizing that those in actual power do not share power and they themselves will be the victims of corruption. It is only through Jesus Christ and the promised rewards that are not of this earth that true and eternal happiness will be found and rewarded. But to do so they must be willing to accept Christ as their Savior and become truly “Christian.”

Never assume

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Too many this days live off assumptions, but what are they assuming?
They are assuming what the Bible teaches. They go to church once a week think they are good with God the rest of the week because they made an assumption about the man or women before them was correctly teaching them the Bible.
Prime evidence that this is true of a video where a young man stood at the front of a church and knelt down and proposed to this boyfriend and the entire congregation cheered. This event is opposite the teaching of the Bible. In fact the building 100% stopped being a church that day. It just became a social club for sinners. Why? Because their leader told them it is ok to live in sin.
The Bible teaches to love the sinner, but hate the sin, but there is a next step as well. Tell the sinner they are sinning in the love you have for them. For because you love them you wish for them to join you in the eternal life to come. However, this will be impossible since they have embraced the sin over God.
The Bible states clear to love God with all your heart, mind and soul. When you love God that much, God becomes the first think you think of when you get up to the last think you think of when you go to sleep. You live the Bible 24/7/365.
You stumble and fall into your own sins, and sorrow, grief, fear, anguish and anger assaults you. For you have failed Jesus once again. You beg and plead His forgiveness and it is given. That is the life of a Christian.
When these two young men “marry” they will have chosen their sin fully over God. For the Bible plainly states that they are living in sin. The Bible clearly states you cannot be of the world, which is sin, and to be one with God. If fact it states those that are the friends of the world are the enemies of God. Not that God is their enemy, but that they have chosen freely to be His enemy.
In love we should be weeping tears of sadness and anguish because these two men as well as the entire congregation have chosen the pit of fire, but because they assume they are not fully aware that they have done so.
To not assume, you, yourself MUST read the Bible. Understand that it may have been penned by men, but they were given the word through the Holy Spirit. That is why the Bible being thousands of year old is the only document to have survived so long in tacked and 98% unchanged.
Can you get that: THOUSANDS of YEARS, UNCHANGED, and supported by what extremely few historical records survived.
The Bible is so pure and so accurate and so complete is due to one simple fact: GOD IS REAL AND UNCHANGING.
Only humans change. So those that say the Bible accepts sin changed, not the Bible. Read it yourself and see.

Things found in SciFi and the Bible

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Higher beings

Teleportation

Terra forming

Celestial phenomena

Dinosaurs

Ascensions to a higher life form

Asteroids and comets hitting the earth

Immortality

Multiple dimensions

Creation

This is where those that wrote SciFi got their ideas.
Ideas that have been around thousands of years before someone decided to write science fiction. Think on that a moment. Things that were not “real” when written by Jules Verne are now “real.”
Things in the Bible called real are now called fiction by those that wish to deny God. Funny how that is working. If the trend continues that means that all within the Bible is real, oh wait, people have already been saying that. Time to wake up folks.