Since Jesus birth in Bethlehem by the miracle of the 'Incarnation.' (in Christian theology, the embodiment of God, the begotten Son in human flesh) Indeed, Jesus Christ had lived physically on earth. But 40 days after the resurrection, His earthly ministry ceased with His 'Ascension' into heaven.

To a large extent the 'Ascension' was for the benefit of Jesus' apostles, prophets, disciples, followers and believers. They could no longer expect His physical presence. They must now wait for the promised of the Holy Spirit through whom the work of Jesus would continue.

Bethlehem is the birthplace of Jesus Christ. It was situated south of Jerusalem in the district known as Ephrathah, a region known for its fertile hills and valleys. Bethlehem was the burial place of Rachel, the wife of Jacob/Israel. - Gen. 35:19 - The original home of Naomi and her family, it was also the setting for much of the Book of Ruth. Bethlehem also was the ancestral home of king David - 1 Sam. 17:12 - and was rebuilt and fortified by king Rehoboam - 2 Chr. 11:6 -

The prophet Micah predicted that Bethlehem would be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. - Mic. 5:2 - a prophecy quoted in Matthew 2:6. It is significant that the King of kings who was of the house of king David, was born in David's ancestral home. According to Luke 2:11, Jesus was born in the "City of David" Bethlehem. Christ Jesus who is the "Bread of Life." was cradled in a town whose name means "House of Breads."

The Church of the Nativity which marks the birthplace of the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, is one of the best authenticated sites in the Holy Land. The present structure, built over the cave area which served as a stable for the inn, goes back to the time of the Roman emperor Justinian (6th century A.D.) This Church replaces an earlier building, built in A.D. 330 by Helena, the mother of the Roman emperor Constantine.

Jesus' departure into heaven was a bodily Ascension in His resurrection body. The setting of the 'Ascension' has traditionally been regarded in the Old Testament.

When Enoch was 65 years old he became the father of Methuselah. Enoch walked with God. After the birth of Methuselah he lived for three hundred years and he became the father of sons and daughters. In all, Enoch lived for 365 years. Enoch walked with God. Then he vanished because God took him. - Gen. 5:21-24 -

This is what happened when Yahweh took Elijah up to heaven in the whirlwind: Elijah and Elisha set out from Gilgal, and Elijah said to Elisha, 'Please stay here, for Yahweh is only sending me to Bethel.'........ The brotherhood of prophets who live at Bethel came out to meet Elisha and said, 'Do you know that Yahweh is going to carry your lord and master away today?' 'Yes, I know' he said 'be quiet.' Elijah said, 'Elisha, please stay here, Yahweh is only sending me to Jericho.'......

Fifty of the brotherhood of prophets followed them, halting some distance away as the two of them stood beside the Jordan. Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water; and the water divided to left and right, and the two of them crossed over dry-shod.... Now as they walked on, talking as they went, a chariot of fire appeared and horses of fire, coming between the two of them; and Elijah went up to heaven in the whirlwind. Elisha saw it, and shouted, 'My father! My father! Chariot of Israel and its chargers!' Then he lost sight of him. - 2 Kin. 2:1-12 -

Now having met together, they asked Jesus, 'Lord, has the time come? Are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel?' Jesus replied, 'It is not for you to know times or dates that the Father has decided by His own authority, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and then you will be my witnesses not only in Jerusalem but throughout Judaea and Samaria, and indeed to the ends of the earth.'

As Jesus said this he was lifted up while they looked on, and a cloud took Jesus from their sight. They were still staring into the sky when suddenly two men in white were standing near them and they said, 'Why are you men from Galilee standing here looking into the sky? Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven, this same Jesus will come back in the same way as you have seen Him go there.' - Acts 1:6-11 -

And so the Lord Jesus Christ, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven: there at the right hand of God he took his place, while they, going out, preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word by the signs that accompanied it. - Mark 16:19-20 -

At the moment of writing to you, I am hoping that I may be with you soon; but in case I should be delayed, I wanted you to know how people ought to behave in God's family - that is, in the Church of the living God, which upholds the truth and keeps it safe. Without any doubt, the mystery of our religion is very deep indeed:
                                                   Jesus was made visible in the flesh,
                                                   attested by the Spirit,
                                                   seen by angels,
                                                   proclaimed to the pagans,
                                                   believed in by the world,
                                                   taken up in glory. - 1 Tim. 3:14-16 -

Apostle Stephen and Apostle Paul both reported seeing the Lord Jesus Christ in bodily form after His Ascension.

The Ascension marked the beginning of the Lord Jesus Christ intercession for His apostles, prophets, disciples, followers and believers at the right of God. There He makes continual intercession for all.

In Apostle Stephen's speech: .......'You stubborn people with your pagan hearts and pagan ears. You are always resisting the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do. Can you name a single prophet your ancestors never persecuted? In the past they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, and now you have become his betrayers, his murderers. You who had the Law brought to you by angels are the very ones who have not kept it.'

They were infuriated when they heard this, and ground their teeth at apostle Stephen.

But Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at God's right hand. 'I can see heaven thrown open' he said 'and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.' - Acts 7:51-56 -

Christ died for our sins, in accordance with the Sacred Scriptures; that he was buried; and that he was raised to life on the third day, in accordance with the Sacred Scripture; that He appeared first to Cephas and secondly to the Twelve. Next Jesus appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died; then He appeared to James, and then to all the apostles; and last of all Christ Jesus appeared to me (apostle Paul) too; it was as though I was born when no one expected it. - 1 Cor. 15:4-8 - Acts 9:1-19 -

Could anyone accuse those that God has chosen? When God acquits, could anyone condemn? Could Christ Jesus? No! Jesus not only died for us - He rose from the died, and there at God's right hand He stands and pleads for us. - Rom. 8:33-34 -

Then there used to be a great number of those other priests, because death put an end to each one of them; but this one, because He remains for ever, can never lose His priesthood. It follows, then, that Christ Jesus power to save is utterly certain, since He is living for ever to intercede for all who come to God through Him. - Heb. 7:23-25 -

The Ascension set in motion the coming of the Holy Spirit with His gifts for apostles, prophets, followers, believers, and now enjoys the presence of the Holy Spirit. This reign will last until His 'Second Coming' when the Lord Jesus Christ will return to the earth as the reigning Messiah.

Now you must repent and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, and so that the Lord may send the time of comfort. Then He will send you the Christ He has predestined, that is Jesus, whom heaven must keep till the universal restoration comes which God proclaimed, speaking through His holy prophets. - Acts 3:20-21 -

Holy Spirit refers to the third person......

                                                                 Page 25
Faith . Hope . Love - Welcome donation. Thank You. God bless. 

By bank transfer/cheque deposit:
Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
Bank: Public Bank Berhad account no: 4076577113
Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -

The Lord Jesus Christ appearances are clearly at the heart of the early Christian belief. The consistent witness of the New Testament, is that, in the appearances of Jesus something incredible happened to Cleopas and a friend. (Jesus followers and believers) - Luke 24:13-35 -

This phenomenon is precisely how and what I have had experienced and encountered the Lord Jesus Christ. Truly, truly, and later, I was baptized in this manner. That is, recognized the Lord Jesus Christ at the breaking of bread. Amen!

All praises and thanksgiving to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus said to them, 'You foolish man! So slow to believe the full message of the prophets! Was it not ordained that the Christ Jesus should suffer and so enter into His glory?' Then, starting with Moses and going through all the prophets, Jesus explained to them the passages throughout the scriptures that were about Himself.

Now while Jesus was with them at table, Jesus took the bread and said the blessing; then Jesus broke it and handed it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognized the Lord Jesus Christ; but Jesus had vanished from their sight. Then they said to each other, 'Did not our hearts burn within us as Jesus talked to us on the road and explained the scriptures to us?' - Luke 24:25-32 -

The Lord Jesus Christ appears to the apostles and giving the last instructions to the apostles.

They were still talking about all this when Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, 'Peace be with you!' In a state of alarm and fright, they thought they were seeing a ghost. But Jesus said, 'Why are you so agitated, and why are these doubts rising in your hearts? Look at my hands and feet; yes, it is I indeed.

Touch me and see for yourselves; a ghost has no flesh and bones as you can see I have.' And as Jesus said this He showed them his hands and feet. Their joy was so great that they still could not believe it, and they stood there dumbfounded; so Jesus said to them, 'Have you anything here to eat?' And they offered Jesus a piece of grilled fish which Jesus took and ate before their eyes.

Then Jesus told them, 'This is what I meant when I said, while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, in the Prophets and in the Psalms, has to be fulfilled.

Jesus then opened their minds to understand the Sacred Scriptures, and Jesus said to them, 'So you see how it is written that the Christ would suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that, in His name, repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be preached to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses to this. - Luke 24:36-48 -

For the Lord Jesus Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the Good News, and not to preach that in the terms of philosophy in which the crucifixion of Christ cannot be expressed. The language of the cross may be illogical to those who are not on the way to salvation, but those of us who are on the way see it as God's power to save.

As scripture says: I shall destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing all the learning of the learned. Where are the philosophers now? Where are the scribes? Where are any of our thinkers today? Do you see now how God has shown up the foolishness of human wisdom? If it was God's wisdom that human wisdom should not know God, it is because God wanted to save those who have faith through the foolishness of the message that we preach.

And so, while the Jews [Israelites] demands miracles and the Greek look for wisdom, here are we preaching a crucified Christ; to the Jews [Israelites] an obstacle that they cannot get over, to the pagans madness, but to those who have been called, whether they are Jews or Greeks, a Christ who is the power and the wisdom of God. For God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength.

Take yourselves for instance, brothers and sisters, at the time when you were called: how many of you were wise in the ordinary sense of the word, how many were influential people, or came from noble families? No, it was to shame them the wise that God chose what is foolish by human reckoning and to shame what is strong that He chose what is weak by human reckoning; those whom the world thinks common and contemptible are the ones that God has chosen - those who are nothing at all to show up those who are everything.

The human race has nothing to boast about to God, but you God has made members of Christ Jesus and by God's doing He has become our wisdom, and our virtue, and our holiness, and our freedom. As scripture says: if anyone wants to boast, let him/her boast about the Lord. - 1 Cor. 1:17-31 -

As for me, brothers and sisters, when I came to you, it was not with any show of oratory or philosophy, but simply to tell you what God had guaranteed. During my stay with you, the only knowledge I claimed to have was about Jesus, and only about Him as the crucified Christ. Far from relying on my power of my own, I came among you in great 'fear and trembling' and in my speeches and the sermons that I gave, there were none of the arguments that belong to philosophy; only a demonstration of the power of God.

But still we have a wisdom to offer those who have reached maturity: not a philosophy of our age, it is true, still less of the masters of our age, which are coming to their end. The hidden wisdom of God which we teach in our mysteries is the wisdom that God predestined to be for our glory before the ages began.

It is a wisdom that none of the masters of this age have ever known or they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory; we teach what scripture calls: the things that no eye has seen and no ear has heard, things beyond the mind of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.

These are the very things that God revealed to us through the Spirit, for the Spirit reaches the depths of everything, even the depths of God. After all, the depths of a person can only be known by his/her own spirit, not by any other person, and in the same way the depths of God can only be known by the Spirit of God.

Now instead of the spirit of the world, we have received the Spirit that comes from God, to teach us to understand the gifts that He has given us. Therefore, we teach, not in the way in which philosophy is taught but in the way that the Spirit teaches us: we teach spiritual things spiritually. An unspiritual person is one who does not accept anything of the Spirit of God: he/she sees it all as nonsense; it is beyond his/her understanding because it can only be understood by means of the Spirit.

A spiritual person, on the other hand, is able to judge the value of everything, and his/her own value is not to be judged by the other peoples. As scripture says: Who can know the mind of the Lord, so who can teach Him? But we are those who have the mind of the Lord Jesus Christ. - 1 Cor. 2:1-16 -

Since Jesus birth in Bethlehem.......

                                                                    Page 24
Faith . Hope . Love - Welcome donation. Thank You. God bless. 

By bank transfer/cheque deposit:
Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
Bank: Public Bank Berhad account no: 4076577113
Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -

I never stop thanking God for all the graces you have received through the Lord Jesus Christ. The witness to Christ Jesus has indeed been strong among you. But, unfortunately, not all who sought identification with the Christian Church proclaimed; of the Lord Jesus Christ resurrection.

Some preached a spiritual awakening or resurrection that was already past. Such a view and understanding adopted by Hymenaeus and Philetus and adopted by later Gnostic heretics. Gnosticism refers to a system of false teachings that existed during the early centuries of Christianity. Its name came from the Greek word for knowledge, gnosis. The Gnostic believed that only human knowledge was the way to salvation. Thus, it was sternly condemned by Apostle Paul or Saint Paul.

Remind them of this; and tell them in the name of God that there is to be no wrangling about words: all that this ever achieves is the destruction of those who are listening. Do all you can to present yourself in front of God as a person who has come through His trails, and a person who has no cause to be ashamed of His life's work and has kept a straight course with the message of the truth.

Have nothing to do with pointless philosophical discussions - they only lead further and further away from true religion. Talk of this kind corrodes like gangrene, as in the case of Hymenaeus and Philetus, the men who have gone right away from the truth and claim that the resurrection has already taken place. Some people's faith cannot stand up to them.

However, God's solid foundation stone is still in position, and this is the inscription on it: 'The Lord knows those who are His own' and 'All who call on the name of the Lord must avoid sin.'

Not all the dishes in a large house are made of gold and silver; some are made of wood or earthenware: some are kept for special occasions and others are for ordinary purposes. Now, to avoid these faults that I am speaking about is the way for anyone to become a vessel for special occasions, fit for the Master Himself to use, and kept for any good work.

Instead of giving in to your impulses like a young person, fasten your attention on holiness, faith, love and peace, in union with all those who call on the Lord with pure minds. Avoid these futile and silly speculations, understanding that they only give rise to quarrels; and a servant of the Lord is not to engage in quarrels, but has to be kind to everyone, a good teacher, and patient.

He/She has to be gentle when he/she corrects people who dispute what he/she says, never forgetting that God may give them a change of mind so that they recognise the truth and come to their senses, once out of the trap where the devil caught them and kept them enslaved. - 2 Tim. 2:14-26 -

Resurrection Of Jesus Christ is a central doctrine of Christianity that affirms that God raised Jesus from the dead on the third day. The resurrection is the point at which God's intention for Jesus becomes clear. So significant is the resurrection of Jesus that without it, there would be no Church or Christianity, and we would still be in our sins.

This news is about the Son of God who, according to the human nature he took, was descendant of David: it is about Jesus Christ our Lord who, in the order of the spirit, the spirit of holiness that was in him, was proclaimed Son of God in all his power through his resurrection from the dead.

Through the Lord Jesus Christ we received grace and our apostolic mission to preach the obedience of faith to all unbelievers and pagan nations in honour of His name. You are one of these nations, and by His call belong to Jesus Christ. - Rom. 1:3-6 -

In spite of the centrality of the 'Resurrection' however, scholars, unbelievers and among them, the Jews and Israelites have frequently debated a number of elements in the 'Resurrection Of Jesus Christ' accounts in the New Testament. Even until today, they argue that because apostle Paul does not speak of an empty tomb, the idea of the resurrection of Jesus must have developed years after His earthly life and ministry was over. But apostle Paul did refers to the suffering of Jesus and burial which argues both for a proper tomb and against the body being dumped into a pit or a common criminal grave.

In order to comprehend explicitly. The Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible had foretold, and in the Old Testament, the Book of Wisdom and the Book of Isaiah tell us and proclaimed:

'Let us lie in wait for the virtuous man, since he annoys us
and opposes our way of life,
reproaches us for our breaches of law
and accuses us of playing false to our upbringing.
He claims to have knowledge of God,
and call himself a son of the Lord.

Before us he stands, a reproof to our way of thinking,
the very sight of him weighs our spirits down;
his way of life is not like other men,
the paths he treads are unfamiliar.
In his opinion we are counterfeit;
he holds aloof from our doings as though from filth;
he proclaims the final end of the virtuous as happy
and boasts of having God for his father.

Let us see if what he says is true,
let us observe what kind of end he himself will have.
If the the virtuous man is God's son, God will take his part,
and rescue him from the clutches of his enemies.

Let us test him with cruelty and with torture,
and thus explore this gentleness of his
and put his endurance to the proof.
Let us condemn him to a shameful death
since he will be looked after-we have his word for it. - Wisdom 2:12-20 -

We had all gone astray like sheep,
each taking his own way,
and Yahweh burden him
with the sins of all of us.
Harshly dealt with, he bore it humbly,
he never opened his mouth,
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter house,
like a sheep that is dumb before its shearers
never opening its mouth.

By force and by law he was taken;
would anyone plead his cause?
Yes, he was torn away from the land of the living;
for our faults struck down in death.
They gave him a grave with the wicked,
a tomb with the rich,
though he had done no wrong
and there had been no perjury in his mouth.

Yahweh has been pleased to crush him with suffering.
If he offers his life in atonement,
he shall see his heirs, he shall have a long life
and through him what Yahweh wishes will be done.

His soul's anguish over
he shall see the light and be content.
By his sufferings shall my servant justify many,
taking their faults on himself.

Hence, I will grant whole hordes for his tribute,
he shall divide the spoil with the mighty,
for surrendering himself to death
and letting himself be taken for a sinner,
while he was bearing the faults of many
and praying all the time for sinners. - Is. 53:6-12 -

In the New Testament: Jesus was arrested when he was still speaking when Judas, one of the Twelve, appeared, with him a large number of men armed with swords and clubs, sent by the chief priests and elders of the people........... The men who had arrested Jesus led him, off to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assemble... The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus, however false, on which they might pass the death sentence.........

When Judas found that Jesus had been condemned, Judas his betrayer was filled with remorse and took the thirty silver pieces back to the chief priests and elders.......... The words of the prophet Jeremiah were then fulfilled: And they took the thirty silver pieces, the sum at which the precious One was priced by the children of Israel, and they gave them for the potter's field, just as the Lord directed me. 

Jesus, then, was brought before the governor, and the governor put to him this question, 'Are you the king of the Jews?' .......Now as Pilate was seated in the chair of judgment, his wife sent him a message, 'Have nothing to do with that man; I have been upset all day by a dream I had about him.' ...Pilate said to them 'what am I to do with Jesus who is called Christ?' They all said, 'Let him be crucified.'.......

Then Jesus is crowned with thorns. They stripped him and made him wear a scarlet cloak, and make fun of him they knelt to Jesus saying, 'Hail, king of the Jews!' And they spat on him and took the reed and struck him on the head with it....... When they had finished crucifying him they shared out his clothing by casting lots.. Above his head was placed the charge against him; it reads: 'This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.' And the crucified Jesus Christ is mocked by the scribes and elders....

From the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?' that is, 'My God, my God, why have you deserted me?'... But Jesus, again crying out in a loud voice, yielded up his spirit.

At that, the veil of the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom; the earth quaked; the rocks were split; the tombs opened and the bodies of many holy men rose from the dead, and these, after his resurrection, came out of the tombs, entered the Holy City and appeared to a number of people. Meanwhile, the centurion, together with the others guarding Jesus, had seen the earthquake and all that was taking place, and they were terrified and said, 'In truth this was a son of God.'

And many women were there, watching from a distance, the same women who had followed Jesus from Galilee and looked after him. Among them were Mary of Magdala, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee's sons.

When it was evening, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, called Joseph who had himself become disciple of Jesus. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate thereupon ordered it to be handed over. So Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean shroud and put it in his own new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock. He then rolled a large stone across the entrance of the tomb and went away. Now Mary of Magdala and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the sepulchre.

Next day, that is, when Preparation Day was over, the chief priests and the Pharisees went in a body to Pilate and said to him, 'Your Excellency, we recall that this impostor said, while he was still alive, "After three days I shall rise again." Therefore, give the order to have the sepulchre kept secure until the third day, for fear his disciples come and steal him away and tell the people, "Jesus has risen from the dead." This last piece of fraud would be worse than what went before.'

'You may have your guard.' said Pilate to them. 'Go and make all as secure as you know how.' So they went and made the sepulchre secure, putting seals on the stone and mounting a guard.

After the Sabbath, and towards dawn on the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala, and the other Mary went to visit the sepulchre. And all at once there was a violent earthquake, for the angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled away the stone and sat on it. His face was like lightning, his robe white as snow.

The guards were so shaken, so frightened of him, that they were like dead men. But the angel spoke; and he said to the women, 'There is no need for you to be afraid. I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here, for Jesus has risen, as he said he would. Come and see the place where Jesus lay, then go quickly and tell his disciples, "Jesus has risen from the dead and now he is going before you to Galilee; it is there you will see Jesus." Now I have told you.' Filled with awe and great joy the women came quickly away from the tomb and ran to tell the disciples.

And there, coming to meet them, was Jesus. 'Greetings.' he said. And the women came up to him and, falling down before Jesus, clasped his feet. Then, Jesus said to them, 'Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers that they must leave for Galilee; they will see me there.'

While they were on their way, some of the guards went off into the city to tell the chief priests all that had happened. These held a meeting with the elders and, after some discussion, handed a considerable sum of money to the soldiers with these instructions.

'This is what you must say, "Jesus's disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep." And should the governor come to hear of this, we undertake to put things right with him ourselves and to see that you do not get into trouble.' The soldiers took the money and carried out their instructions, and to this day that is the story among the Jews. (Israelites/Hebrews)

Meanwhile, the eleven disciples set out for Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had arranged to meet them. When they saw Jesus they fell down before him, through some hesitated. Jesus came up and spoke to them. Jesus said:

"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations; baptise them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you. And know that I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.' - Matt. 26:47-75, 27:1-66, 28:1-20 -

Indeed, Jesus did died on the Cross for our sins, in other words, crucified and mocked by the Roman, on the insistence and demand of the Jews and Israelites. Crucifixion of Jesus Christ was the method of torture and execution used by the Romans to put Christ Jesus to death.

Crucifixion was used by many nations of the ancient world. Alexander the Great of Greece crucified 2,000 inhabitants of Tyre when he captured the city. The Romans later adopted this method and used it often throughout their empire. Crucifixion was the Romans' most severe form of execution; so it was reserved only for slaves and criminals. No Roman citizen could be crucified.

The God's inspired authors of the Gospel in the New Testament tell us that the Lord Jesus Christ spoke of the 'Cross' before His death as a symbol of the necessity of full commitment, even unto death, for those who could be His apostles, prophets, believers, and disciples. But the major significance of the cross after Jesus' death and resurrection is its use as a symbol of Jesus' willingness to suffer for our sins, so that we might be reconciled to God and know Him.

The 'Crucifix' and the 'Cross' then, is a symbol of Jesus' love, God's power to save, and to those who know the salvation which the Lord Jesus Christ gained for us through His Passion, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension. Amen!

What the New Testament tell us of the resurrection of Jesus Christ was they are bearing witness not what God did for them but what God did to Jesus. Certainly, as a result of the resurrection of Jesus human lives, were transformed. For apostle Paul this transformation of Christians is not termed resurrection but 'salvation.' "In Christ Jesus" is the expression which apostle Paul uses for the spiritual experience of the living Christ Jesus.

The Lord Jesus Christ.......

                                                                     Page 23
Faith . Hope . Love - Welcome donation. Thank You. God bless. 

By bank transfer/cheque deposit:
Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
Bank: Public Bank Berhad account no: 4076577113
Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -

3. - The Hope Of A General Resurrection.

Many of the Greek philosophers, such as Plato, believed that an immortal soul inhabited a body and that at death the soul left its bodily prison and soared upward to the divine spirit. However, in the Old Testament Sheol/Hades/Hell (Underworld) is the place of the rephaim, the Hebrew term for a weakened existence.

On your account Sheol beneath us
is astir to greet your arrival.
To honour you he rouses the ghosts
of all the rulers of the world.
He makes all the kings of the nations
gets up from their thrones.

Each has something to say
and what they will say to you is this,
So you too have been brought to nothing, like ourselves.
You, too, have become like us.
Your magnificence has been flung down to Sheol
with the music of your harps;
underneath you a bed of maggots,
and over you a blanket of worms. - Is. 14:9-11 - Ezk. 32:17-32 -

These beings, however, are not souls without bodies. Therefore, the psalmist expected that God would ransom his/her soul from Sheol. It was Israel's firm belief in the goodness of God that led the Jewish people to believe that the righteous dead would yet see God. This expectation was the foundation upon which the Jewish ideas concerning the 'resurrection' were built.

Like a sheep to be penned in Sheol,
Death will herd them to pasture
and the upright will have the better of them.
Dawn will come and then the show they made will disappear,
Sheol the home for them!

But God will redeem my life
from the grasp of Sheol, and will receive me.

Do not be afraid when a man grows rich,
when the glory of his/her House increases;
when he/she dies he/she can take nothing with him/her,
his/her glory cannot follow him/her down. - Ps. 49:14-17 -

After my awaking, He will set me close to Him,
and from my flesh I shall look on God. - Job 19:26 -

By the time of Jesus Christ, two positions were firmly entrenched within Judaism. The 'Sadducees' who were oriented to this world, rejected any belief in the 'resurrection'. They believed that such an idea was irrelevant to this life and was not part of the revelation which God gave to Moses. When they encountered Christ Jesus, the Sadducees sought to trap Jesus by their question concerning the seven brothers who married one woman. Jesus criticized their view of 'resurrection' life by indicating that earthly marriage patterns are not repeated in heaven. Jesus also condemned their understanding of Moses and the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible.

Then some Sadducees - who deny that there is a resurrection - came to Jesus and they put this question to him. 'Master, we have it from Moses in writing, - Deut. 25:5-6 - if a man's brother dies leaving a wife but no child, the man must marry the widow to raise up children for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first married a wife and then died leaving no children.

The second married the widow, and he too died leaving no children; with the third it was the same, and none of the seven left any children. Last of all the woman herself died. Now at the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be, since she had been married to all seven?'

Jesus said to them, 'Is not the reason why you go wrong, that you understand neither the sacred scriptures nor the power of God? For when they rise from the dead, men and women do not marry; no, they are like the angels in heaven. Now about the dead rising again, have you never read in the Book of Moses, in the passage about the Bush, how God spoke to him and said: I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob? - Ex. 3:6 - He is God, not of the dead, but of the living. You are very much mistaken. - Mark 12:18-27 - Matt. 22:23-33 - Luke 20:27-40 -

The Pharisees, in contrast, believed in a 'resurrection.' The Jewish historian Josephus reported that the Pharisees held that the good dead are transferred into other bodies. Although this report is not totally clear, it is certain that the Pharisees proclaimed a life after dead that required a resurrection. It was from the ranks of these scholarly Pharisees that the apostle Paul came.

If it came to relying on physical evidence, I should be fully qualified myself. Take any person who thinks he/she can rely on what is physical: I am even better qualified. I was born of the race of Israel and of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrew parents, and I was circumcised when I was eight days old. As for the Law, I was a Pharisee; as for working for religion, I was a persecutor of the Church; as far as the Law can make you perfect, I was faultless. - Phil. 3:4-6 -

Apostle Luke records that in apostle Paul's defense before the Sanhedrin (Jewish Council) Paul stressed that he was a Pharisee of Pharisaic descent and that he was on trail for affirming the 'resurrection'. - Acts 23:6 -

Israel's concepts of the 'resurrection' were born out of her relationship to God in her tumultuous history. At first glance the prophet Isaiah seems to express a view that the 'resurrection' is for the faithful one and that the wicked and evil one may not arise. The Jewish apocryphal 'Book of 2 Maccabees' apparently agreed that for some there will be 'no resurrection to life.'

At the time (Archangel) Michael will stand up, the great prince who mounts guard over your people. There is going to be a time of great distress, unparalleled since nations first came into existence. When the time comes, your own people will be spared, all those whose names are found written in the Book. Of those who lie sleeping in the dust of the earth many will awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting disgrace.

The learned will shine as brightly as the vault of heaven, and those who have instructed many in virtue, as bright as stars for all eternity. But you, Daniel, must keep these words secret and the book sealed until the time of the End. Many will wander this way and that, and wickedness will go on increasing. - Daniel 12:1-4 -

The path of the upright man is straight,
you smooth the way of the upright.
Following the path of your judgements,
we hoped in you, Yahweh,
your name, your memory are all my soul desires.

At night my soul longs for you
and my spirit in me seeks for you;
when your judgements appear on earth
the inhabitants of the world learn the meaning of integrity.

If favour is shown to the wicked,
he does not learn the meaning of integrity.
He does evil in the land of uprightness,
he fails to see the majesty of Yahweh.

Yahweh, your hand is raised,
but they do not see it.
Let them see your jealous love for this people and be ashamed,
let the fire prepared for your enemies consume them.

Yahweh, you are giving us peace,
since you treat us
as our deeds deserve.

Yahweh our God,
other lords than you have ruled us,
but we acknowledge no one other than you,
no other name than yours.

The dead will not come to life,
their ghosts will not rise,
for you have punished them, annihilated them,
and wiped out their memory.

Enlarge the nation, Yahweh, enlarge it,
to the nation grant glory,
extend all the frontiers of the country.

Distressed, we search for you, Yahweh;
the misery of oppression was your punishment for us.
As a woman with child near her time
writhes and cries out in her pangs,

so are we, Yahweh, in your presence:
we have conceived, we writhe
as if we were giving birth;
we have not given the spirit of salvation to the earth,
no more inhabitants of the world are born.

Your dead will come to life,
their corpses will rise;
awake, exult,
all of you who lie in the dust,
for your dew is a radiant dew
and the land of ghosts will give birth. - Isaiah 26:7-19 -

The New Testament consistently teaches love and hope in the 'Resurrection' of the believer based upon "The Resurrection Of Jesus Christ" as the firstborn from the dead. The 'Resurrection Of Jesus Christ' and His [Ascension] exaltation to the right hand of the Father, and the giving of the Holy Spirit are all to be seen as a single complex of events. Although the elements may be viewed as separate happenings, the New Testament, God inspired authors see them as closely integrated theologically. Together they represent the first-fruits of the New Age.

Christ Jesus is the image of the unseen God
and the first-born of all creation,
for in Him were created
all things in heaven and on earth:
everything visible and everything invisible,
Thrones, Dominations, Sovereignties, Powers-
all things were created through Him and for Him.

Before anything was created, He existed,
and He holds all things in unity.
Now the Church is His body,
He is its head.

As He is the Beginning,
He was first to be born from the dead,
so that He should be first in every way;
because God wanted all perfection
to be found in Him

And all things to be reconciled through Him and for Him,
everything in heaven and everything on earth,
when He made peace
by His death on the cross. - Col. 1:15-20 - 1 Cor. 15:1-58 -

We want you to be quite certain, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, to make sure you do not grieve about them, like the other people who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again, and that it will be the same for those who have died in Jesus: God will bring them with Him.

We can tell you this from the Lord's own teaching, that any of us who are left alive until the Lord's coming will not have any advantage over those who have died. At the trumpet of God, the voice of the archangel will call out the command and the Lord himself will come down from heaven; those who have died in Christ will be the first to rise, and then those of us who are still alive will be taken up in the clouds, together with them, to meet the Lord in the air.

So we shall stay with the Lord Jesus Christ for ever. With such thoughts as these you should comfort one another. - 1 Thess. 4:13-18 -

For we know that when the tent that we live in on earth is folded up, there is a house built by God for us, an everlasting home not made by human hands, in the heavens. In this present state, it is true, we groan as we wait with longing to put on our heavenly home over the other; we should like to be found wearing clothes and not without them. Yes, we groan and find it a burden still in this tent, not that we want to strip it off, but to put the second garment over it and to have what must die and taken up into life. This is the purpose for which God made us, and He has given us the pledge of the Spirit. - 2 Cor. 4:1-5 - Rev. 6:9-11 -

Blessed be God the Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ, who in His great mercy has given us a new birth as His sons, by raising Jesus Christ from the dead, so that we have a sure hope and the promise of an inheritance that can never be spoilt or soiled and never fade away, because it is being kept for you in the heavens. Through your faith, God's power will guard you until the salvation which has been prepared is revealed at the end of time. - 1 Peter 1:3-5 -

For us, our homeland is in heaven, and from heaven comes the Saviour we are waiting for, the Lord Jesus Christ, and He will transfigure these wretched bodies of ours into copies of His glorious body. He will do that by the same power with which He can subdue the whole universe. - Phil. 3:20-21 -

Do not be surprised at this,
for the hour is coming
when the dead will leave their graves
at the sound of His voice:
those who did good
will rise again to life;
and those who did evil, to condemnation. - John 5:28-29 -

So significant is "The Resurrection of Jesus Christ" that without it there would be "No Church" or "Christianity".

I never stop thanking God for.......
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Faith . Hope . Love - Welcome donation. Thank You. God bless. 

By bank transfer/cheque deposit:
Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
Bank: Public Bank Berhad account no: 4076577113
Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -