Sons of Galilee​

Can I know that the Gospel is true?

 

God put the evidence of His existence and identity on open display through the observable Universe. Every person has the evidence all around them that proclaims that nature, the solar system, the Universe, and even the fabric of reality is designed to support intelligent life. Please see "Is there a God?" to see more about how we can know there is a God.

 

God also wrote on the human conscience the evidence of His existence. 

 

The character God displays in creation is the same that we see in the Scripture. By this I mean that the God designed the world in perfection. The universe is the perfect place and has the perfect properties to support intelligent life. The solar system is perfectly designed to support life - (just think of the role Jupiter plays in planetary sustination). And the earth stands on a razor's edge of perfect element balance, at the ideal distance from the sun, right distance from the moon, and has the correct amount of liquid water to support intelligent life.

 

God made the world out if nothing, and the world was at one point perfect until human beings fell into disharmony with God through disobedience. As a result God cursed the earth and we now see a perplexing mix of astonishing beauty and terrible suffering.  

 

As far as our conscience bearing witness to the truth, the Scripture says:

 

"For since the creation of the world

His invisible attributes are clearly seen,

being understood by the things that are made, 

even His eternal power and Godhead,

so that they are without excuse, 

 

because, although they knew God,

they did not glorify Him as God,

nor were thankful,

but became futile in their thoughts,

and their foolish hearts were darkened.

 

Professing to be wise, they became fools,

and changed the glory of the incorruptible God

into an image made like corruptible man—

and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

 

Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness,

in the lusts of their hearts,

to dishonor their bodies among themselves,

who exchanged the truth of God for the lie,

and worshiped and served the creature rather

than the Creator, who is blessed forever.

Amen" -Romans 1:18-25

 

God has also given the confirmation of the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in every persons heart, so that when they hear the message it rings true with their spirit that this is the true Grace of God. We know it's the same God that made the Universe that gave the Gospel.

 

What "religion" gives salvation away for free? None, you must work hard to earn Heaven. That's how human beings think because we have been taught through society that performance equals acceptance. Not with God, nobody is acceptable to Him, and this is unacceptable with Him. He designed a Way that everyone regardless of physical descent, race, ethnicity, age, and gender can be acceptable through His Son. He made the world for us, gave us sunlight, family, grace, love, made food delicious, made the world a beautiful place. It doesn't make sense that God would design a works-based religion to be acceptable with Him. Why? Because only ignorant human beings would dream we can be acceptable to a Holy, Just, God through our own works. Only Jesus is acceptable with God. So God desired to offer free salvation and fellowship through Him apart from the basis of human works. Jesus can be the only way! 

 

  

Consider also the meaning of the sermon by apostles in Acts chapter 17:

 

God "now commands all men everywhere to repent,

because He has appointed a day

on which He will judge the world in righteousness

by the Man whom He has ordained.

He has given assurance of this to all

by raising Him from the dead.”

-Acts 17:30-31

 

This Scripture says there is assurance that the message of the Gospel is true in the proof of Jesus' resurrection from the dead. 

 

Now consider this for a minute; because if your like me you might think "how can we know certainly 2,000 years later if Jesus actually rose from the dead?"

 

The answer is Martyrdom. And yes I readily realize and confess that Martyrdom is not unique to Christianity. But what is unique to Christianity is that virtually all the Apostles were Martyred. And sometimes in the most cruel ways imaginable, by being skinned alive, dipped in boiling oil, and being crucified upside down. So what is unique about this as opposed to all other Martyrs?

 

They were in a unique position to know whether or not He really rose from the dead

 

All martyrs have in common they die for a belief that they think is true, but they are never in the position to know whether its actually true. Now contrast this with the history of the Apostles, whose deaths we are familiar with*(see below). See if you think these people all behaved as if they knew something certainly:

 

• Simon Peter died being crucified upside down, probably in Rome

• James the son of Zebedee died by having his head severed in Jerusalem

• Thomas was tortured by spears, hot-plates, and then burned alive in India

• Matthew was beheaded in Ethiopia

• Jude Thaddeus was martyred in Syria by being beaten mercilessly with rods

• Philip was tortured and crucified in Phyrgia

• Andrew preached in Greece, Asia Minor, and was hung on an olive tree in Achaia

• John the beloved preached everywhere, pastored churches in Ephesus and Asia Minor. Its believed he was dipped in hot oil before being banished to Patmos, he was the only one to die later in life

• Simon the Zealot preached everywhere, then was crucified in Syria 

• Batholemew was skinned alive, then crucified

• James Alpheus was thrown from the temple, stoned, and his brains were beat out of his skull with a fuller's rod

 

 

• Paul, who was not numbered as an Apostle, was a violent, vigourus persecutor of the early church. He physically saw Christ and was converted, preached the gospel throughout much of the ancient world and was finally beheaded by Nero in Rome 

 

• Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Christ, hung himself

 

 

Now lets review what this means; Virtually all of the Apostles were mercilessly killed after being tortured in unimaginable ways. Not one recanted. They died trying to bring the Gospel all over the world, in most instances vastly separated from each other.

 

In addition, the only one who betrayed Christ, Judas Iscariot, (would have been a hero in the eyes of those in power who hated Jesus and had Him crucified) hung himself.

 

Simon Greenleaf, the world famous Harvard Law professor who wrote "Treatise on the Law of Evidence" set out to disprove the Gospel and came to this conclusion after rigorous study:

 

“The great truths which the apostles declared

were that Christ had risen from the dead,

and that only through repentance from sin and faith in Him,

could men hope for salvation.

 

This doctrine they asserted with one voice,

everywhere, not only under the greatest discouragements,

but in the face of the most appalling errors

that can be presented to the mind of man.

 

Their master had recently perished as a malefactor,

by the sentence of a public tribunal.

His religion sought to overthrow the religions of the whole world.

The laws of every country were against the teachings of His disciples.

The interests and passions of all the rulers

and great men in the world were against them.

The fashion of the world was against them. 

 

Propagating this new faith,

even in the most inoffensive and peaceful manner,

they could expect nothing but contempt,

opposition, revilings, bitter persecutions,

stripes, imprisonments, torments, and cruel deaths.

Yet this faith they zealously did propagate;

and all these miseries they endured undismayed,

nay, rejoicing.

 

As one after another was put to a miserable death,

the survivors only prosecuted their work

with increased vigor and resolution.

 

The annals of military warfare afford scarcely

an example of the like heroic constancy,

patience, and unblenching courage.

 

They had every possible motive to review

carefully the grounds of their faith,

and the evidences of the great facts and truths

which they asserted; and these motives were

pressed upon their attention with

the most melancholy and terrific frequency.

 

It was therefore impossible that they could have persisted in affirming the truths they have narrated, had not Jesus actually risen from the dead."

 

Now let's consider this information in light of what Jesus said:

 

“Most assuredly, I say to you,

he who does not enter the sheepfold by The Door,

but climbs up some other way,

the same is a thief and a robber. "

 

"But he who enters by The Door is the Shepherd of the sheep.

To him the doorkeeper opens,

and the sheep hear His voice;

and He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out." 

 

"And when He brings out His own sheep,

He goes before them;

and the sheep follow Him,

for they know His voice.

Yet they will by no means follow a stranger,

but will flee from him,

for they do not know the voice of strangers.”

 

Jesus used this illustration,

but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.

 

Then Jesus said to them again, 

“Most assuredly, I say to you,

 

I am The Door of the sheep.  

 

All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers,

but the sheep did not hear them. "

 

"I am The Door.

 

If anyone enters by Me,

he will be saved, 

 

and will go in and out and find pasture.

 

The thief does not come except to steal,

and to kill, and to destroy."

 

"I have come that they may have life,

and that they may have it more abundantly."

 

“I am the Good Shepherd.

The Good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep"

 

Does this sound like someone who wanted to deceive people? Someone who wanted to take something? Or was Jesus predicting His own death on behalf of those whom He came to save. I would argue this is someone who knew the great cost of redeeming sinful humanity through His own precious Blood. This is someone who suffered on our behalf in a terrible manner so that we can know God. We can all easily recognize authority, conviction of truth, personal sacrifice, and Divine Love in this passage. Are these the words of anyone but the true Lord? I think we all know in our hearts that this is the one true God.

 

 

 

We can also clearly verify the truth of Scripture regarding the Lord Jesus because it is axiomatic. By fulfilling ancient Messianic Prophesies in some cases 1500 years before He was born Jesus clearly demonstrated that He was Lord alone! 

 

Some say there are more than 300 Messianic Prophesies Jesus fulfilled. I have isolated some of these and put them in "Jesus is the Hebrew Messiah" for your review. please take a look.

 

Remember the odds of one person fulfilling just 8 prophesies is mathematically unfathomable, let alone all of them Jesus perfectly fulfilled. 

 

 

 

Now lets examine the reasoning why we don't want to accept what Jesus said about Himself. After reviewing the facts it can only be one thing: we don't want it to be true. Its essentially saying to God: "I know you made everything including me, I know Jesus is your free offer of life and salvation to all human beings regardless of ethnicity, social status, whether rich or poor, but I like MY WAY. And since I have been around for (fill in the blank) amount of years, I am content with what my heart likes and I would rather take its course to Eternal Fire than take Free Salvation and a real relationship with You. I also like to feel I earn things so that I can look down on others. Plus I have no desire to turn from the sin that is destroying me because I have grown to enjoy it. And if God doesn't choose to honor my demand to connect with Him on my terms...well then God is just a cruel, mean, not-loving God! And I wouldn't even want to know a God who doesn't cater to my selfish lifestyle!"

 

Sounds extremely shallow and terribly ignorant right? Yet essentially that's what we say to the Omnipresent God when we reject His message of free salvation and love through His Messiah Jesus.. 

 

I pray that everyone who ever reads this will realize the error in supposing God will accept a person on their own terms instead of His....Because I once thought like that:

 

 

 

Finally let me make one last point; among many other Scriptures this maybe was the single most impressive writing I read. No matter what my mind came up with I absolutely knew this was God. Nobody else could or would say this: (and as a side note for further proof it even includes God the Father and God the Messiah before anyone fully understood what that meant... after all this is written in 740 B.C.!!!)

 

"Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel

    and His Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:
“I AM the first and I AM the last;
    besides me there is no god."

"Who is like me? Let him proclaim it.
    Let him declare and set it before Me,"

"since I appointed an ancient people.
    Let them declare what is to come,

    and what will happen.
 Fear not, nor be afraid;
    have I not told you from of old and declared it?

    And you are my witnesses!
Is there a God besides me?
    There is no Rock; I know not any.”

 

 "All who fashion idols are nothing,

and the things they delight in do not profit."

 

"Their witnesses neither see nor know,

that they may be put to shame."

 

"Who fashions a god or casts an idol that is profitable for nothing?

 

Behold, all his companions shall be put to shame, and the craftsmen are only human. Let them all assemble, let them stand forth. They shall be terrified; they shall be put to shame together."

 

"The ironsmith takes a cutting tool and works it over the coals.

He fashions it with hammers and works it with his strong arm.

He becomes hungry, and his strength fails; he drinks no water and is faint. The carpenter stretches a line; he marks it out with a pencil. He shapes it with planes and marks it with a compass. He shapes it into the figure of a man, with the beauty of a man, to dwell in a house. He cuts down cedars, or he chooses a cypress tree or an oak and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it. Then it becomes fuel for a man.

 

He takes a part of it and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread.

 

Also he makes a god and worships it;

he makes it an idol and falls down before it.

 

Half of it he burns in the fire.

Over the half he eats meat; he roasts it and is satisfied.

 

Also he warms himself and says,

“Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire!”

 

And the rest of it he makes into a god, his idol,

and falls down to it and worships it. 

He prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god!”

 

"They know not, nor do they discern,

for he has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see,

and their hearts, so that they cannot understand.

 

No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say,

“Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?”

 

He feeds on ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”

 

 Remember these things, O Jacob,
    and Israel, for you are My servant;
I formed you; you are My servant;
    O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me.
 I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud
    and your sins like mist;
return to me, for I have redeemed you"

 

“I am the Lord, who made all things,
    Who alone stretched out the heavens,
    Who spread out the earth by Myself"

-Isaiah 44:6-22,24

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Consider  also: Isaiah 53:1,  Isaiah 45:3,  Hebrews 10:20,  Ephesians 2:18,  1 John 5:20,  John 15:1,  John 11:25,  1 Timothy 2:5,  Zechariah 13:1,  John 12.32,  John 10:11, Luke 2:32,  John 6:35,  Psalm 2:12

 

 

*There is some debate over where and how some apostles were martyred, (but the point is still undebatable) see the resources below for more information

https://www.reclaimingthemind.org/content/Parchmentandpen/DeathoftheApostles.pdf