Before Jesus was born, his title was "The Word." John 1:1 says, "In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God, and the Word was God." Verse 14 tells us that the Word became a human and lived among us. God, the Word, was born under the name of Yehoshua (the Lord is Salvation) and translated into English as Joshua. Translated from Hebrew into Greek, his name is Iesous, and translated into English is Jesus.
Historical records verify that Jesus was born in Bethlehem; lived in Egypt, Nazareth and Galilee (and several other places); was a carpenter and a stone mason. Contrary to popular opinion, Jesus was no wimp. Although he had a gentle disposition, he was muscular, physically tough and had a will of iron. Those who were hurting or oppressed received gentle looks of compassion, but some of his adversaries shriveled under his steely glare!
Jesus had no identity crisis. He knew who he was, and knew why he left heaven to live on earth. This was verified in Luke 2:48-49. Joseph and Mary were looking for Jesus and found him in the temple bewildering the teachers of the law. When Mary asked 12-year-old Jesus why he didn't stay with them, Jesus responded, "Why were you looking for me? Didn't you know that I must be in my Father's house?"
Jesus never did anything worthy of execution, so why was he crucified?
A sacrifice had to be made to rescue us from the black hole of oblivion called hell so that we could live with God forever in heaven. But to complete this liberating task, the sacrifice could not remain dead. Only God could accomplish this other-worldly task, and that's why Jesus came.
Historical records verify that multi-thousands of people, including the Roman Emperor, heard that Jesus had risen from the dead, although most folks didn't want to believe it. When the guards told the leaders of the Sanhedrin that they saw Jesus walk out of the tomb, the leaders paid them to lie and say that Jesus' disciples took his body from the tomb while they were sleeping. But that lie was absurd. Any reasonable child understands that we don't know what's happening while we're asleep.
In 1546 AD, John Heywood said, "There are none so blind as those who will not see." That resembles the verse in Jeremiah 5:21, "Listen, you foolish and senseless people, with eyes that do not see and ears that do not hear" (NLT). Both Jeremiah and John were speaking to people who refused to believe the obvious: those who closed their eyes and ears to reality. But Jesus was seen by many hundreds -- perhaps thousands -- of people during the 40 days after he left the tomb. Jesus is alive!
Myths and legends have been created by those who refused to accept the fact that Jesus is alive, and I've been asked a number of times what happened to him? The greatest history book in the world -- the Bible -- answers that question.
In Acts 1:9-11, after Jesus gave parting instructions to the hundreds of people standing with him on the hill, he left earth under his own power. The verses say, "...as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud hid him from their sight. As he was going, they were looking into the sky. Suddenly, two men wearing white clothes stood beside them. They said, 'Men of Galilee, why are you standing here looking into the sky? Jesus, whom you saw taken up from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you saw him go'" (NCV).
Not only did innumerable people see Jesus for 40 days after he walked out of the tomb, hundreds of people watched Jesus overrule gravity and ascend into the sky. As he disappeared into the clouds the angel told them how Jesus would return.
Return? How? Why?
Jesus was not ruled by the laws of physics nor the pressures of politics, and the same will be true at his next appearance. So accompanied by myriads of angels and people, Jesus will come out of the sky under his own power. He will end the prevailing wars and put an end to all evil empires, corrupt democracies, and inadequate kingdoms. Jesus will set up his own Kingdom, and those whom he calls righteous will rule with him.
This is not the end of the story: read the Bible for more.
-- Gene Linzey is a speaker, author and mentor. Send comments and questions to [email protected]. Visit his website at www.genelinzey.com. The opinions expressed are those of the author.
Religion on 04/24/2019