7 Questions You Must Ask Yourself Before Dying, Part II

The following is an excerpt from Journey to Salvation

Learning to Accept the Evidence

Do you ignore the truth to validate your immoral behavior? Think about it for a moment. How convenient is it to continue indecent behavior without thinking about the consequences of breaking the commandments that your Creator established. In ignoring the truth people are able to continue to do what they know is wrong, which makes it easier to stop listening to your conscience. And gradually over time, as you learn not to listen to your conscience, it becomes easier to invalidate the truth in order to condone your immoral/sinful lifestyle. This is one of the main reasons people challenge the authenticity of the Bible.

How ironic is it that the world accepts ancient historical text on people such as Plato, Cleopatra, or Socrates without hesitation. Yet when it comes to Bible, people question it. There is no reluctance in accepting historical text, which seems to be held to a higher standard than the Bible.

The doubters love to ask "How do you know the Gospel is true if it was written years after Jesus Christ death?" The same argument can be applied to thousands of historical/ancient documents. Were you aware that there is more historical evidence on Jesus Christ that any other religious leader?

The Gospels contain plenty of historical evidence and records that have been proven via archaeological evidence. Excavations have proven the existence of the Biblical characters mentioned in the Gospel:

• King Herod
• John the Baptist
• Caiaphias, High Priest
• Pontius Pilate

One would have to question the appeal for Jews to believe in a new radical religion so much so, that they were willing to walk away from what they were taught and spread the revelation of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. They were even willing to lay down their very lives for Jesus Christ. What would Biblical authors of the Gospels gain by writing about a subject that would cause death? Christians were attacked; the majority of the Apostles were persecuted and murdered. How is it that a religion that started under strained circumstances became so popular? The first followers of Jesus Christ were Jewish. These Jewish men already had a traditional respected religion. What could have happened for a religion to spread like wild fire? The True Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

EYE WITNESS ACCOUNTS

After the death of Jesus Christ, the Apostle Matthew records

And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

Matthew 27:51-53

The eyewitness testimonies of Jesus Christ's resurrection and His defeat of death would stand up in a court of law. No other "god" can claim such a feat. Buddha? Mohammed? You can visit their graves, where their bones rest. Jesus Christ is the only One who can claim triumph over death. For if you go to where Jesus Christ was buried in Jerusalem, "He is NOT here. For He has risen!" is written outside the tomb. Other people who wish to follow a doctrine of "creating your own reality" claiming that "we are all one with God/Higher Power." I say to those people, "If we are all gods then, go ahead, and create a rock, a tree, or a flower."

After Jesus Christ's resurrection, many Jews followed Jesus Christ without question. It is because they witnessed the resurrection of Christ with their own eyes and committed to spread the Good News of the Gospel.

Proof of the resurrection of Jesus Christ lies in the attempted cover-up of the actual resurrection. The Jews and Romans tried to hide the truth. Both groups spread rumors to people that the Apostles stole Christ body. If they could, the Romans and Jews would have produced the body of Christ to stop the spreading of resurrection. Blessed be to God, they could NOT for He had risen from the dead.

When they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, saying, "Tell them, 'His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.' And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will appease him and make you secure." So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day. Matthew 28:12-15

Other religions dictate that in order to get into Heaven, one must do pilgrimages, give alms, or donations. It doesn't matter how much you do, your works will never be good enough to gain eternal life with Jesus Christ. "And there is salvation and through no one else, for there is no other name [Jesus] under Heaven given among men by and in which we must be saved"

(Acts 4:12).Jesus Christ has already paid the price, accept it.

Please don't delude yourself believing anything else.

If you haven't completed the seven questions mentioned in Part I of this article, please do so. There is one final question: why do people believe the historical information on Alexander the Great and Nero without question, but disregard historical information on Jesus Christ? Flavius Josephus, a well-known first century historian wrote about a famous man from Bethlehem:

"Now there was about this time, Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews, and

He was [the] Christ, and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men among us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him, for he appeared to them alive again the third day; as the divine prophecies had foretold then and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians so name from him are not extinct at this day (Antiquities of the Jews)."

During the fall of Jerusalem, the Romans took Josephus captive. What agenda would he have in declaring Jesus is the Messiah? He did not have an agenda. Josephus simply wrote about history. The evidence is clear, all you have to do is accept it.

I invite you to read Journey to Salvation it is available at www.nevadayork.com