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Easter Sunday allows many believers the opportunity to reflect on their faith, why they surrendered all to a man who sacrificed Himself so we wouldn't spend eternity apart.
As Christians, we know Jesus is love. We know He is perfect.
But today, as when Christ Himself walked the earth, He is despised by many. As the apostle Paul said, He humbled himself to the death of the cross.
Those who wanted to kill Jesus did so for one main reason: They didn't want to hand over the control of their lives to Him. To put it another way, they realized that if Jesus was the Son of God (as He claimed), then they couldn't keep on living the way they wanted to.
Think, for example, of King Herod. When the wise men came to Jerusalem they asked one question: Where can we find the new king of the Jews? When Herod heard this, he was enraged; he had no intention of giving up any of his power. As a result, he made a determined effort to have the young child killed, forcing His family to flee to Egypt. (You can read about this in Matthew 2.)
Herod soon died—but throughout Jesus' ministry, some people felt threatened by His claim to be the Son of God and were determined to kill Him. In spite of His miracles and His teaching, they refused to believe in Him. They knew that if they did, they'd have to change their way of living and become His followers. They refused—and eventually they urged Pilate to condemn Him.
Although we live in a different world, the human heart has not changed. We want to run our own lives, and we don't want to hand control over to Jesus. Like the people in one of Jesus' parables, we bluntly declare, "We do not want this man to reign over us" (Luke 19:14b). But Christ hasn't changed, and neither has His power to forgive us and save us. Have you given your life to Him?
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Last week, the stars of the constellation Gemini (The United) were directly overhead at the zenith point in the southern U.S.
Gemini is one of the zodiacal constellations and is the tenth chapter of the Star Bible. The name means "The Twins" in Greek, but in the ancient Hebrew, it means "The United." It is a picture of two men standing together who are united as one. The first contains the bright star Pollux, meaning "He Who Comes to Suffer" at its head, with the Star Alhena, meaning "Wounded" at its feet. This figure corresponds to the first half of Genesis 3:15, where the seed of woman will be wounded in the heel, and is clearly a picture of the crucifixion and First Coming of Christ. The second figure has Castor, "The Ruler" as its head and Mebsuth, "Treading Under Foot" at its feet. This speaks to the second half of Genesis 3:15, where the seed of woman crushes the head of the serpent, and represents the return of Christ. Together, the stars of Gemini tell us that the one who suffered will return to rule.
The bright stars of Gemini, Castor and Pollux are also part of the prophetic calendar which produces signs in the sun, moon and stars surrounding both appearances of Christ. In 6 B.C., the precession of the equinoxes carried the Star Pollux, "He Who comes to Suffer," directly overhead at zenith in Jerusalem. This was a sign of the nearing advent of Christ and described his sacrificial death on the cross. That same year, the constellation Gemini entered the summer season. It was in the summer of 6 B.C., nine months before the star of Bethlehem appeared in the spring of 5 B.C., that we believe Gabriel appeared to Mary and Christ was conceived.
Now, over 2000 years later, the precession of the equinoxes has carried the star Castor, "The Ruler", close to the zenith point over Jerusalem. This star is a sign of the Second Coming of Christ, when He will return to rule on Earth. It will move to zenith over Jerusalem in 2121 A.D., as Gemini moves out of the summer season and Taurus (the bull), the sign of Christ's Second Coming, moves in. While no one knows the day or hour of Christ's return, we believe that the rebirth of Israel, likened to a fig tree by Jesus (Matt. 24:32), tells us that the prophetic summer season of His return is near. The movement of Castor toward Jerusalem zenith, along with the other signs in the sun, moon and stars, confirms that the prophetic calendar is counting down zero hour.
So look overhead tonight to Castor and Pollux, which mark the time between the First and Second Coming of Christ. And tell someone that there may only be a short time left to accept God's offer of eternal life.
Ron Allenis a Christian businessman, CPA and author who serves in local, national and international ministries spreading a message of reconciliation to God, to men and between believers. He is founder of the International Star Bible Society, telling how the heavens declare the glory of God, and the Emancipation Network, which helps people escape from financial bondage, and co-founder with his wife, Pat, of Corporate Prayer Resources, dedicated to helping intercessors.
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The god of Islam is most definitely not the same as the God worshipped by Christians and Jews.
That is the no-nonsense conclusion of Sam Solomon’s new book, Not the Same God (Wilberforce Publications), dedicated to tackling a thorny theological issue which has left many confused and misguided.
A number of Christian scholars are said to have suggested that ‘sufficient similarities’ exist between Islam and Christianity to warrant co-operation between the so-called monotheistic faiths which may even prove helpful in introducing Muslims to Christ.
But the author (writing with Atif Debs) – both of whom are former Muslims – makes a convincing case that Islamic theology amounts to a complete contradiction of the Judeo-Christian faith.
In essence, the Qur’an denies the divinity of Jesus, along with his crucifixion and resurrection. It even denies original sin, thus rejecting the need for salvation and the forgiveness of sins which is surely what Christianity (and Judaism for that matter) is all about.
Extensive quotations from the Qur’an, while uninspiring, clearly serve the purpose of the book by demonstrating how similarity with the Bible is an illusion.
Whereas the entire Bible points to Jesus, with the Old Testament (the Jewish Tenach) fulfilled in the New, Muslims claim that Muhammad is the ultimate ‘seal of the prophets’ and fulfillment of all God-given Scriptures.
And although they reject Christianity as worshipping “three gods” while boasting that they are monotheistic, it is hard to differentiate (in terms of names given and honour ascribed) between Allah, the Muslim name for God, and Muhammad, for whom they claim no divinity.
Furthermore, in dismissing Christian belief in the Trinity as worshipping ‘many gods’, they hold that Jesus’ disciples worship the Father, Son and Mary (mother of Jesus), only adding to the confusion in their understanding of our faith.
But the ‘Grand Canyon’ of the debate – which makes union between the faiths impossible – is the Islamic rejection of the uniqueness of Christ, who said: “I am the way, the truth and the life; no-one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14.6)
Moreover, Allah is described in the Qur’an as the great ‘unknowable’ who does not reveal himself to mortal man. This, of course, is a complete contradiction of Christianity, which says that God became one of us and makes himself known to all who seek him. (Jeremiah 29.13)
Solomon concludes his book (for which he probably won’t be thanked by many, but it is true nonetheless) by saying that the Qur’an can best be described as a set of “…arguments raised up against the knowledge of God…” (2 Corinthians 10.5) and expresses the hope that those looking for a ‘common path’ between Islam and Christianity will in future “reflect the reality, rather than the illusion”.
Charles Gardner is author of Israel the Chosen, available from Amazon, and Peace in Jerusalem, available from olivepresspublisher.com
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'The Passion of the Christ' isn't a G-rated version of what happened on Good Friday. (YouTube)
The Christian faith is built on the undeniable, unshakeable truth that Jesus was raised from the dead. It is also founded on the historical fact that the Savior suffered unimaginable pain when Roman soldiers nailed Him to a cross.
I hope you will ponder that pain as you celebrate the death and resurrection of Christ this weekend.
When the movie The Passion of the Christ was released 12 years ago, Hollywood insiders mocked it because it offered a realistic—and extremely bloody—depiction of Jesus' torture and death. Regardless of what you think of controversial director Mel Gibson, he did a masterful job of capturing the brutality of a first-century Roman execution.
I know some Christians who objected to the R-rated violence of Gibson's movie, as if what happened to Jesus should be reduced to the sanitized charm of a Renaissance-era painting. But the truth is that what Jesus suffered on Good Friday was R-rated. It was spattered with blood and horrifying to watch.
Nobody performed an autopsy on Jesus' mangled body after He was taken down from the cross. But doctors who have studied the Bible's description of His death say the pain would have been beyond excruciating. In fact, the word excruciating means "out of the cross." Jesus literally defined the worst pain anyone could feel.
His suffering began in Gethsemane, when God laid the sins of the world on His beloved Son. Hebrews 5:7 says Jesus offered up prayers "with loud crying and tears" during this moment of anguish. Luke's Gospel says the agony was so strong that Jesus' sweat "became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground" (Luke 22:44). The intense stress caused what physicians call hematidrosis, a condition in which blood seeps out of sweat glands.
After His arrest, Jesus was flogged so mercilessly that his skin was stripped off His back, exposing muscle and bone. The soldiers who tortured Jesus would have used a weapon called a flagellum—a whip that had several leather strands with lead balls or shards of bone attached to the ends.
The cuts inflicted by this whip could actually rip open the flesh and expose internal organs. Jesus would have lost a significant amount of blood after His scourging—and this would explain why He did not have the strength to carry His cross all the way to Calvary.
Matthew 27:28-29 says the Roman soldiers stripped Jesus naked and then twisted together a handmade crown made of thorns to mock His kingship. Bible scholars believe these thorns were extremely long and hard. When the thorns pierced the top and side of His head, Jesus would have most likely experienced what doctors call "trigeminal neuralgia"—piercing pain all over the head and face.
After this merciless abuse, Jesus was covered with a red robe and led to Golgotha. There, Roman soldiers drove seven-inch metal spikes into his wrists (most likely hitting the median nerve, causing more blinding pain) and then they rammed another spike into his feet.
At that point, doctors say, Jesus would have suffered dislocation of His shoulders, cramps and spasms, dehydration from severe blood loss, fluid in His lungs and eventual lung collapse and heart failure.
Yet Jesus refused to drink wine mixed with gall, a pain-killing solution offered to Him by his executioners (Matt. 27:34). He chose to endure the full impact of the pain.
He felt that pain for us.
Some victims of Roman crucifixion took as long as nine days to die, but Jesus' death came in a matter of hours—probably because He had been flogged so cruelly before He was nailed to the rough wood. Victims of crucifixion typically developed serious dehydration because of a lack of blood and oxygen.
As Jesus took His last breath, He said: "It is finished." He was actually quoting the last verse of Psalm 22, a psalm He recited throughout His torture. It is one of the most graphic prophecies about Christ's suffering in the Old Testament—and Jesus knew it was about Him.
Jesus willingly poured out His blood on that cruel cross. It was an ugly, revolting, disgusting scene. We don't have to downplay the violence or muffle the gut-wrenching cries. The Bible does not soften the impact or censor the cruelty of Jesus's suffering. Isaiah 53:6 says: "But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him."
God laid the sins of the world on Jesus, and then He sacrificed Him as the one and only Lamb of God. Isaiah 53 goes on to say: "But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities." He took all that pain to fully pay the price so that we could be forgiven.
This Easter, please don't settle for a G-rated, greeting-card version of the cross. Consider the depths of the agony Jesus experienced when He died for you. He took the pain we deserved.
J. Lee Gradyis the former editor of Charisma. You can follow him on Twitter at leegrady. He is the author of several books including 10 Lies the Church Tells Women, 10 Lies Men Believe, Fearless Daughters of the Bible and The Holy Spirit Is Not for Sale. You can learn more about his ministry, The Mordecai Project, atthemordecaiproject.org.
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Jesus spoke very few words when he hung on that cross for six-plus hours. (Lightstock )
Take a few moments with your New Testament and look up every passage detailing the crucifixion. Once you've found them all, write out the statements recorded as coming from the lips of Jesus while He hung on the cross.
Now, slowly repeat those statements aloud, one after the other. You'll find they barely fill one minute of spoken conversation when strung together. Seven one-liners!
What was Jesus saying during the rest of His six hours on the cross?
There is much He could have said. He could have ended the opening argument of His extradition with an ear-splitting sermon or offered up a plateful of prophetic thunder as a parting shot for Pilate. He could have unloaded an earful at the elders. He could have undressed with righteous rhetoric the Roman cohorts who stripped His clothes, and then showered condemnation on those who spat upon Him. He could have bellowed out a few shots from Jeremiah's prophecies to wayward Israel or ordered up a few hungry bears as Elijah did.
Yet the Bible says, "when He was reviled, [He] did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten" (1 Pet. 2:23). In the natural, Jesus' actions made no sense. When taunted, He remained tight-lipped. When abused and pierced, His words of forgiveness flowed as quickly as His blood.
He didn't require His wounds to dry, scab and scar before He forgave. There is no record that Jesus calculated His personal pain before discharging His pardon. Each bruise and blow was met with silent mercy.
In His silence, Jesus was doing more than dying. He was communicating in red ink the timeless secrets of the kingdom. He was openly showing His bride how to embrace the cross that awaited her—and no true disciple can escape the cross.
We all know that it is tough at times to maintain a pure perspective through strenuous seasons of cross shaping. My only hope of success comes when my eyes remain fixed on the body language of Calvary's quiet Lamb, when I carefully listen to the words He didn't say. For when my eyes and ears tune out the cross, I fast become exasperated with people and plummet into spiritual defeat.
There will always be people who make big things out of small things in my life. But then, I remember the cross—and how Jesus went through it first.
I can always count on uninvited guests who enjoy watching my heavenly Father discipline me—and that can be terribly embarrassing. But again, I remember: Jesus went through that, too.
Even if God sends spiritually immature Christians into my life as part of His mysterious blueprint to grow me—to school me in silence—I must not forget that Jesus felt that too. All of this was the cross! At least it's the one Jesus knew.
But for all the strains you and I face as followers, no one will ever pay a toll like Jesus. His death is filled with endless grace and boundless perplexity.
For it was I, not Jesus, who should have died for violating my Creator's commands. And it was I who deserved the burden of transporting heavy timbers barefoot over jagged hillsides for my iniquity. It was I who merited loud public laughter and the agony of pointy thorns stabbing through my forehead.
And it was I who should have felt my ribs being pierced as pagan spittle dripped from my face. Yes, it was I who should have hung incapacitated for six millennia, not six hours.
Yet it was Jesus, not I, who violently died in silent payment.
So this Easter, I encourage you to rise early, don the bonnets and polish the shoes. It's the day when God's people around the world colorfully rejoice in His resurrection!
But while you're celebrating, pause to remember the greatest silent sermon ever preached—the one that lasted for six hours. It's the one that's easy to memorize but difficult to emulate—the one that was lived, not spoken, by a silent Lamb.
Prayer Power for the Week of March 20, 2016
This week as you focus on God's wonderful gift of reconciliation through Christ, pray that many will find repentance and receive eternal life through Him. Remember Israel and ask for the protection of its citizens and seasonal travelers this week. Continue to pray for revival in our churches, especially during this Easter season. Pray that Christians would unite in prayer and purpose for God's kingdom to expand. Remember the persecuted church and ask God to send more laborers into the harvest field. Thank Him for directing your steps this week and giving you opportunities to share His love with others (John 3:14-17, 1 Thess. 5:15-19, James 5:16-17).
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Dare to go deeper in your faith. Our "Life in the Spirit" devotional takes you on a journey to explore who the Holy Spirit is, how to interact with Him, and how He works in your life. Are you ready to go deeper?
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Could this be the faith-friendly movie we’ve all been waiting for?
Take a moment and check out our Faith-Friendly Film Review of RISEN—which opens nationwide in theaters this Friday, February 19th.
RISEN is a fast-paced, powerful movie with many stirring and realistic scenes that encourage viewers to examine the biblical truth claims about Jesus and His resurrection.
Read below to read the full review and find out how we rated RISEN.
As you know, we’ve developed a set of five specific criteria to measure the compatibility of entertainment products for Faith Driven Consumers like you and me.
Just in time for Easter, RISEN offers moviegoers a fast-paced, well-executed and thought-provoking examination of the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus through the eyes of a high-ranking Roman soldier. Opening in theaters nationwide on February 19th, RISEN asks the hard questions and skillfully moves from the head to the heart in ways that will resonate with skeptics and believers alike.
Produced by Affirm Films and distributed by Sony/Columbia Pictures, RISEN boasts an excellent screenplay by Kevin Reynolds (“Hatfields & McCoys,” THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO) and Paul Aiello—with Reynolds also serving as the film’s director. It features impressive sets and cinematography as well as a strong cast including Joseph Fiennes (HERCULES, LUTHER) as Clavius, Peter Firth (MI-5,AMISTAD) as Pontius Pilate, Tom Felton (BELLE, HARRY POTTER) as Lucius, Maria Botto (“Mad Dogs”) as Mary Magdalene, and Cliff Curtis (LAST KNIGHTS, THE PIANO) as Yeshua (Jesus).
Overall Faith and/or Biblical Relevance
While much of the story line in RISEN is extra-biblical, it is nevertheless plausible and holds close to the biblical narrative in a creative and engaging way. Moviegoers will relate on a personal level to the important philosophical questions about hope, purpose and worldview that are raised by several deep conversations between Clavius and Pilate—and they will be similarly challenged to come to their own conclusion about who Jesus was and is.
In this sense, RISEN is a like a “who dunnit?” crime detective story in which Clavius plays the role of an investigator seeking the truth about what really happened to Jesus following His crucifixion. Even though he’s a non-believer, Clavius is committed to following the truth wherever it leads him—something all humans are called to do as well.
In today’s postmodern culture characterized by skepticism, RISEN is a fresh and timely look at the biblical claims about Jesus. The story is framed and advanced in ways that effectively respond to the doubts that non-believers have raised over the centuries to the narrative Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension—the most important event in human history.
Faith-compatible Depiction of Characters and Character Relationships
From Jesus and His followers to the Roman occupiers and Jewish leaders of the day, RISEN presents a largely faith-compatible depiction of characters throughout. In a nice touch, Jesus is referred to by His Hebrew name, Yeshua, and his disciples are very loving and appealing—ultimately softening Clavius’ heart as he seeks to carry out his mission from Pilate to find Jesus’ body.
Here, as Clavius interrogates the disciples, each joyfully testifies as to WHO Jesus is—and points to His teachings centered in love. They do not fear persecution or martyrdom and one tells Clavius, “If you knew Him, you would understand.” Their worldview is so radically different that they seem to speak in riddles and encourage Clavius to look into his heart in order to find this Jesus he is searching for.
And although Mary Magdalene is depicted as being “of the street”—a popular, but not necessarily biblical understanding—she ultimately leads Clavius to the room where the disciples are hiding, allowing Clavius to see for himself the risen Yeshua.
Faith-compatible Depiction of Situations
Although the RISEN story line picks up as the crucifixion of Jesus is winding down, the writers artfully weave miracles and other biblical events into the depiction of many scenes in ways that tell the fuller story of His life—and clearly point to His divinity. And from the opening scene in the Judean wilderness in which the stage is set, RISEN comes full-circle showing Clavius stepping out into a new life after being forever changed by his encounter with the risen Yeshua.
Along the way, the historical and biblical context of Pilate working closely with Caiaphas and the Jewish leaders to quell unruly Jewish uprisings in this far-flung Roman province is front and center. There is a Masada-type battle scene with bloody hand-to-hand combat and the Jews are shown anxiously awaiting a prophesied messiah who they think will politically deliver them from Rome’s brutal rule.
While there are many scenes in RISEN that are not found in the Bible, each nevertheless moves the story forward as Clavius tries to make sense of what has happened to Jesus’ body. When he learns that many now claim to have seen the crucified Jesus alive, the stakes are raised and Clavius begins to pursue the truth—at great risk to himself personally and professionally. In one beautiful scene, Clavius witnesses the doubting disciple Thomas as he encounters the risen Yeshua—with holes in his hands, feet and side. And in another moving scene, Clavius opens up to Jesus and discovers that Jesus already knows the deepest yearnings of Clavius’ heart.
Family Viewing Suitability
At 107 minutes in length, RISEN is rated PG-13 for biblical violence including some disturbing images. Here, events associated with Jesus’ crucifixion may be difficult for both children and adults to see. Interestingly, the place of the crucifixion—Golgotha—is depicted in unusually narrow confines and the moment when the three crosses are brought down is jarring on multiple levels.
Beyond this, there are scenes involving conversations between Clavius and Pilate in a hot-water spa featuring upper male nudity, including the suggestion of the pleasure of female company and a massage after a difficult day on the battlefield that some viewers may find unsuitable for children.
On a positive note, Roman soldiers are humanized and shown to struggle with the brutality of their jobs and Clavius relents on breaking Jesus’ legs when he sees Mary crying—deciding to spear him instead as he unwittingly fulfills the biblical prophecy that none of the Messiah’s bones would be broken.
Entertainment Value
RISEN is a fast-paced, powerful movie with many stirring and realistic scenes that encourage viewers to examine the biblical truth claims about Jesus and His resurrection. The production values are high, the script is well-written and engaging, the direction is solid, and the cast uniformly strong.
Although not directly biblical, RISEN offers a contextually accurate, real-world journey that reminds us that even the most unlikely person can be drawn to—and forever changed by—Jesus. Because of this, RISEN is an excellent movie to share with non-believing friends and family members. It poses tough questions that critics of the crucifixion have asked over the ages in ways that are fair and believable—all without being preachy.
