Agnosticism and atheism, being the hallmarks of today's mainstream academic ideologies, will be discussed and the error of these beliefs outlined. This treatise will show forth what true Christians believe and why they believe. Topics such as Biblical accuracy, fulfilled prophecy, proofs for the Resurrection, the problems with Darwinism, and how philosophy alone can prove who Jesus Christ was and is, will all be displayed encouraging further research to be indulged. This essay is but a springboard for deeper studies, though enough meat is given to make for hearty intellectual digestion.

Documentaries concerning the origins of religions have made some excellent points regarding this very human element (1). These programs are a great starting place for our debate in that they bring out the fact that humans have always believed in a God. Throughout human history, man has always formed beliefs in a Supreme Being. It is an intrinsic human need to believe in God. The question is then conceived: Did humans create God to fill some human purpose, or did God create humans for His own purpose? Where did we get these prolific stories of a God who created mankind? Did these beliefs come about from bedtime stories told to children, or did they come about from a people who saw and felt the very presence of God?

Old Testament portions of the Bible are rich with examples of God's existence, with examples of how this Divine Being displayed His presence to mankind. Most religions have been born from the very same concept, though in recent times science has been falsely used as evidence against such ideology. The fountainhead of religions has been nature itself. "The heavens declare the glory of God, the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard." This quote is taken from the book of Psalms, number nineteen. The wonder of the universe, and the amazing qualities of nature that sustains life on this planet are believed to be prime examples of Divine Providence.

With the advent of molecular science, this declaration of "God's glory" is also found by looking inward at the intricacies of all known life. Many scientists are believers in God because they cannot simply relegate all of these intelligently interwoven life systems to pure chance. An existence based upon nothing more than chance is what the opposite belief of atheistic evolution dictates. Belief that such an intelligently designed universe with complex life forms would occur by blind luck is just too unbelievable for many modern scientists, as well as for the average layperson.

The Bible is explicit in what it says regarding people who claim that they do not believe in God. In Psalm fourteen, King David wrote, "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.' They are corrupt, [and] their deeds are vile…" Human pride has always been the undoing of mankind, and the Bible states this universal insight in the third verse of Psalm ten: "He boasts of the cravings of his heart…In his pride the wicked does not seek Him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God." Suffice this to show that in the ancient world the Hebrews, as well as the other peoples living in the Middle East, held to the same viewpoint - that only a foolish and unthinking person would claim that there is no God.

In the New Testament the Apostle Paul wrote that humans are without excuse when it comes to having a rudimentary belief in God. In his letter to the Romans he said: "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. … but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools…" (Romans 1:18-22) He goes on to further explain why this has happened to mankind, being due to their narcissism: "They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator - who is forever praised." (Romans 1:25) These "created things" would be primarily themselves, as humans have always lusted after fulfilling their own selfish desires. Bowing down to an Almighty Creator is a humbling experience, and one that many people resist.

Why Use The Bible

For the person who does not know the history of the Bible, and its various validations, it may appear to be a somewhat moot point to utilize the Scriptures for the sake of this argument. But, for the purpose of this document the Bible is a necessity, as it is believed by Christians to contain the very Words of God. It is hard to imagine that the entire Bible was written solely by human intent. The Bible as we know it was written over a one thousand five hundred year period, authored by 40 different people from 40 different generations, written in three languages, authored by both kings and slaves alike as well as by both genders, and originating in geographically diverse regions of the planet - from three continents to be exact. Yet the Bible has been immaculately preserved, somehow. Biblical manuscripts that are literally thousands of years old have been found in great numbers, and when compared to what we now call the Bible, these ancient manuscripts have turned out incredibly to be exactly the same as we now hold in our hands.

What does this prove? It proves mainly one thing, that the Bible has been passed down generation to generation apparently without corruption. Is this humanly possible? Yes and no. When compared to other ancient writings that have existed until our modern day, the Bible is beyond comparison. There are literally thousands of ancient Biblical manuscripts, yet there are no other writings of antiquity that have such ancient and prolific proof. There are nearly 24,000 manuscripts of just the New Testament alone with the oldest partial manuscript dating to 100 AD, which was within a few years of its originally penned version (2). Within the realm of more recent works of antiquity, a series of plays that are only hundreds of years old show how rare it is to have manuscripts that are within a few years of the originals. The plays are the famous Shakespearean plays, as there are no existing first generation copies. All of the Shakespearean literary works have come from rewrites that are decades and even centuries older than the originally penned plays. The second runner up to the massive amount of Biblical manuscripts in age and quantity is Homer's Iliad, though the oldest of its known manuscripts are actually rewrites from many centuries after the original was written. Supposedly Homer wrote the Iliad in 900 BC yet the oldest of its known manuscripts come from 400 BC (18) (3). Not only are the Iliad's only surviving manuscripts written five hundred years after the originals, but also there are only 650 of these partial Iliad manuscripts to begin with - as proof of what the original said. When you have literally tens of thousands of manuscripts coming from diverse regions all over Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, and all of these varied sources say the same thing, then you begin to realize how accurately the Bible has been handed down.

The works of antiquity, as we call these ancient writings, are quite reliable even when they have very few surviving manuscripts. Experts regard these writings as reliable even though they are only known through manuscripts that are actually copies written down hundreds of years after the originals were penned. There are various criteria and scientific methods employed for the determination of an ancient writing's authenticity and reliability. Criteria that is used includes: corroborating evidence, internal evidence, documentary evidence, rebuttal evidence, and the like - akin to the criteria used against evidence in a court of law. Historians are among the experts who make these judgments, as most of our known history is recorded within these writings. Let us briefly examine some works of antiquity that many of us are familiar with, and their manuscript evidence. These authors are estimated as writing their literary works during the following time spans. (18)

(* = Of any one work)
(** = Matthew the tax collector, John Mark, Luke the physician, John the son of Zebedee, Saul the Pharisee - later called Paul, Simon Peter the fisherman, James the brother of Jesus, Jude the brother of Jesus)

The Bible truly stands alone among the works of antiquity when it comes to its purity and its integrity (4). The Bible has lasted among some of the fiercest persecutions known to man. In the first century A.D. the Roman Emperor Nero blamed Christians from the fire that burned much of Rome, and thus he began an immense persecution of Christians as recorded by the Roman historian Tacitus. Nero ordered some Christians to be set on fire as human torches in his gardens, while others he sent to the arena to face gladiators and lions. The Roman Emperor Diocletian issued an edict in 303 A.D. to stop Christians from worshipping and to destroy their Scriptures by fire. His edict was propagated throughout the Roman Empire and ordered that even prominent members of Roman society would loose their property and liberties if found to be Christians. (19) The irony of this situation is that twenty-five years later the following Emperor, Constantine, ordered that fifty copies of the Scriptures be created at the expense of the government. (20) Many people have lived and died with the sole purpose of keeping the Scriptures pure and intact. Not the least of which was William Tyndale, who was burned at the stake in 1536 for reproducing the Bible in common day English. What we currently hold in our hands as the Word of God, the Bible, has been accurately transmitted down through four millenniums to us today, withstanding numerous persecutions. Christians believe that this fact alone is evidence of Divine Providence. In Psalm one hundred and nineteen, the eighty-ninth verse speaks of the permanence of the Scriptures by saying, "For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven." In Psalm twelve the Psalmist wrote, "The words of the Lord are flawless." Again and again the Bible promises that it will endure forever, which indeed it has thus far.

Numerous skeptics have ridiculed the Bible over the centuries for various reasons, but miraculously the Bible continues to be validated by science, reason, psychology, philosophy, archeology, as well as by personal testimonies. As recently as the 1800's skeptics disavowed the Bible as containing any accurate history, only to be proven wrong by the past one hundred years of "Biblical Archeology." This branch of archeology is not made up of believers but of scientists who use the Bible as a source to locate excavation sites. The distinguished archeologist Professor Albright begins his classic essay, The Biblical Period, by stating that no other ancient people have a written document of their history as accurate and defining as the Hebrew people do in their national history. This Jewish history is found within the Old Testament. The French Philosopher Voltaire, pseudonym for Francois Marie Arouet, wrote in the 1700's that with all the advancements due to scientific discoveries, Christianity would be dead within one hundred years. Well, Christianity has actually been on the increase over the past two centuries, and Voltaire's own printing press was used to print Bibles within a few years after his death.

During the past century the Bible has been utilized in two mainstream psychological movements. The first being the ever-popular twelve-step programs, which originated in the 1930's. There are many such programs nowadays due to their high success rate. In fact with alcoholism and drug addiction there is no other known "cure." Even our secular courts force offenders with these addictions to attend these programs as a part of their sentence. Existing twelve-step programs include: Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Overeaters Anonymous, Smokers Anonymous, and even purportedly a Pornography Anonymous for the growing addition to Internet pornography. The Bible calls these social ills sin. By employing Biblical principles, which are what these programs were based upon being found in the Twelve Steps, millions of people have been "cured" of these addictions. Another example of Biblical psychology in the secular world is found in "reality therapy." This school of psychology teaches the opposite of the popular Freud-based psychology. In reality therapy the patients are made to view their actions and the reality of these actions, instead of being handed a Freudian excuse for their actions. This therapy even has a grassroots following that is commonly called "tough love." This school of thought has its foundation built upon Biblical principles, and it is seen as the most effective solution for many social maladies, even in the reform of repeat rapists. The Bible's worth has been shown in diverse and difficult situations, which many people believe proves its validity. This ancient book is still changing people's lives for the better thousands of years after it was written.

Biblical Prophecies

Another major vindication for the Bible is found in the various prophecies that have come to pass, which were written hundreds of years before their fulfillment in history. This is believed to be one of the prominent "stamps of approval" for the Bible's validity, as proof of it being God's very Word. In the second letter that the Apostle Peter wrote to the early Christians, he says in chapter one: "Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit."

The central theme of the entire Bible, both within the Old and New Testaments, is the redemption of mankind - being found in the Messiah, who is Jesus Christ. As proof for the authenticity of the Scriptures it is believed that God inspired men to write down prophecies; foretelling the future before it occurred. No other major religion has such prophecies. Though various ancient and sacred writings may make mention of prophets and divination, yet none of these other sacred writings actually contain specific prophecies. Prophecies concerning the Messiah regarding both of his major advents to the earth, coming first as the Lamb of God and secondly as the Lion of God, are numerous throughout the Old Testament. In all three major sections of the Old Testament - being the Law, the Poets, and the Prophets - the coming Messiah is foretold with specific details. For the person who does not know, the Old Testament is the Jewish part of the Bible that was written over many centuries B.C., well before the birth of Jesus Christ.

The already fulfilled and yet to be fulfilled prophecies concerning the Messiah are too numerous to list them all within this short essay, but many books have been written on this intriguing topic. One specific prophecy that will be discussed herein is the timeline prophecy from the book of Daniel. When King Herod asked the Jewish scribes where the "King of the Jews" was to be born, the Jewish leaders immediately responded with the prophecy from the book of Micah (in chapter five verse two) foretelling of Bethlehem as the birthplace for the Messiah. They did not reply by inquiring of what King Herod was referring to, or by stating that the Messiah should not yet be born. These Jewish scribes knew of Daniel's timeline prophecy. Even the Magi from the east knew of the Messianic prophecies, and that is why they had come to worship the newborn Messiah.

In the book of Daniel chapter nine verses twenty-four through twenty-seven, the famous "Seventy Weeks" prophecy is written. This prophecy indicated that at the declaration to rebuild Jerusalem, which was made by King Artaxerxes of the Mede-Persian Empire to his Jewish servant Nehemiah in 444 BC, that there would be 483 years until the Messiah was to be "cut off." This prophecy is actually written as seven and sixty-two weeks, being understood as 69 seven-year periods. This may sound like conjecture until you see the math. Jewish years were 360 days long, being made up of 12 months with 30 days in each. Using this basis, Harold Hoehner comes up with the following calculations: "Multiplying sixty-nine weeks by seven years for each week by 360 days gives a total of 173,880 days. The difference between 444 B.C. and A.D. 33 then is 476 solar years. By multiplying 476 by 365.24219879, or by 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, 45.975 seconds, one comes to 173,855 days. This leaves only 25 days to be accounted for between 444 B.C. and A.D. 33. By adding the 25 days to March 5 (of 444 B.C.), one comes to March 30 (of A.D. 33) which was Nisan 10 in A.D. 33. This is the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. (5)" The terminal event of the sixty-nine weeks is the presentation of Jesus Christ to Israel as the Messiah which was predicted in Zechariah chapter nine in verse nine. This event took place on Monday Nisan 10 (March 30), A.D. 33 and that very week Jesus was crucified or "cut off" as prophesied some 500 years earlier in Daniel chapter nine in verse twenty-six. (6)

Another prophecy to expose, as it is a great example of the incredible accuracy of Biblical prophecies, is the foretelling of the king of Persia named Cyrus. In Isaiah 44:28 and in Isaiah 45:1 the prophet Isaiah names Cyrus as the king who will declare that the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem be rebuilt. What is so amazing about this prophecy is that Jerusalem was a secure city at the time of Isaiah's writing this prophecy, and the Temple was completely intact. It was not until more than 100 years later that the city of Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed by the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C. After the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem, the Persians take the city as well in about 539 B.C., and a few years later a Persian king named Cyrus gave the decree to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. King Cyrus thought that the God of the Jews had blessed him with success and he felt inclined to allow their Temple, which was destroyed by the Babylonians, to be rebuilt in Jerusalem. This was 160 years after Isaiah had written his name. (7)

In the book of Isaiah chapter fifty-three, an amazing description of both the physical and spiritual aspects regarding the Messiah is recorded. When a person reads this description in Isaiah and then reads the historical events of Christ's crucifixion and the soon following start of Christianity, it is awe-inspiring. Such vivid details are expressed in Isaiah's prophecy, and then completely fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Issues such as: his being pierced for our sins (verse five), his physical mutilation (verse five), his not opening his mouth to answer the allegations against him (verse seven), his being killed with wicked men (verse nine and twelve), being buried in a rich man's tomb (verse nine), and a belief in him spreading to many people (verse eleven). Numerous prophecies concerning the Messiah being believed on by the Gentiles were recorded in the Old Testament. How could Moses know that in Abraham the entire world would be blessed, and that the Messiah would come from Abraham's lineage to begin with? This is recorded the first time in Genesis chapter twelve in verse three. Many mentions of the Messiah being rejected by his own people but believed on by the Gentiles are made in the Old Testament, such as found in Isaiah chapter forty-two in verse six, in Isaiah chapter fifty-three in verse eleven, and in Daniel chapter nine in verse twenty-six. King David foretold in Psalm twenty-two in verse six that the Messiah would have his hands and feet pierced, indicating the type of death Christ would suffer, though this was written hundreds of years before Jesus was even born.

Some people have wrongly concluded that the Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah, as there are some three hundred such prophecies, were written after Jesus Christ's life and were made to appear to coincide with his life. This sounds feasible to the unbelieving mind until you realize that the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament, is documented as being translated during 150 to 200 B.C. This Greek translation alone shows that there was at least a 200-year gap between the prophecies being recorded and their being fulfilled in Christ's life. (9) Others have wrongly insinuated that some of these prophecies could be found fulfilled in other men, which is correct to a degree. Though by employing the modern science of probability the likelihood of just eight of these prophecies being fulfilled in one man has been determined as 1 in 1017 (10 to the 17th exponent) or 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000. In order to understand this probability Peter Stoner explains it by way of analogy: Take 1017 silver dollars, which are enough to cover the state of Texas two feet deep, and mark one of the dollars. Then stir the whole bunch up real good, take a blind man and tell him to walk as far as he wants to, then choose a dollar and declare it as the marked one. The probability of this man choosing the marked silver dollar, amongst all the other silver dollars covering the state of Texas two feet deep, is the same as just eight of the Messianic prophecies being fulfilled in one man. (10) Remember, there are hundreds of such prophecies that were fulfilled in Jesus Christ. In this document alone fourteen Messianic prophecies have been listed thus far, with still more be discussed.

Let us now consider Biblical prophecies concerning Israel. In Deuteronomy chapter twenty-eight Moses records various curses that will befall the children of Israel if they turn away from God, which they did on numerous occasions listed throughout the Old Testament. Specific details like being scattered among the nations though retaining the knowledge of their lineage, being an object of horror to the nations, and the foreign people then living among them rising above them. All of the curses listed in Deuteronomy chapter twenty-eight have come to pass upon the Jews. The children of Israel being scattered among the nations is also foretold in Jeremiah chapter twenty-three where the Bible again prophesies concerning the Messiah coming from King David's lineage. Though, these prophecies also indicate that in the "end days" the Jews will be brought together out of every nation on earth, and gathered together in the land of Israel. This prophecy is listed in numerous places, but two specific references are found in Jeremiah chapter thirty-three and in Ezekiel chapter thirty-seven in verses seven, eight, twenty-one, and twenty-two. Ezekiel chapter thirty-seven verse twenty-one states: "I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land." This prophecy was fulfilled in 1917 with the Balfour Act allowing Zionists the right to purchase land in Palestine, which they did en masse. On May thirteenth in the year 1948, the Jewish nation of Israel was declared. Though the Hebrews had been enslaved, tortured, and killed by the millions over the centuries and especially by the Nazis during World War II, they became a nation once again despite the overwhelming odds against them.

In 1973 thousands of Arab army tanks and 1.3 million soldiers of Islamic faith invaded Israel in what became known as the Yom Kippur War. These enemies of Israel invaded during a religious feast when Israel was thought to be at peace; in fact it took many days for the Israeli army to fully mobilize due to the Yom Kippur holiday. Yet with only 300,000 soldiers, this incredibly out manned army defeated its aggressors in a relatively short duration of time. Many people believe that here again was Divine Providence in action as it was also shown in the Six Day War of 1967 when Israel took back Jerusalem and conquered its invaders despite the odds at that time as well.

Jerusalem is prophesied to be a "burdensome stone" for all the nations of the earth in Zechariah chapter twelve in verses two and three. How could the prophet Zechariah know that the city of Jerusalem, in a nation with only one-one thousandth (1/1000th) of the world's population, would become a "heavy stone" for all the nations of the earth in the last century of the second millennium? Skeptics of the Bible had for centuries ridiculed these prophecies concerning Israel as nonsense, because Israel had not been a nation for nearly two thousand years. Yet in the past fifty years a number of prophecies have starting coming to fruition once again, an indication that the "age of the Gentiles" as prophesied by Jesus in Luke chapter twenty-one in verse twenty-four is coming to a close. Jesus prophesied that the "Gentiles" would trample the city of Jerusalem until the close of this age, after which the "end of the age" would come. Though as of the writing of this treatise the "Gentiles" are still trampling Jerusalem due to the Temple Mount situation, where the Dome of the Rock Mosque is located in the old city of Jerusalem. The Bible prophesies that the man who makes peace between the world and the Jews at this time will be the Antichrist, the false Messiah. Though, these yet to be fulfilled "end of the age" prophesies will not be elaborated upon within this document.

Religions

So back to our first thought, it appears as though there is a real human need for believing in God, and many people believe that religions have come about due to this need. All religions share a few common elements, and one of these cross-religion concepts is the need for human redemption. It is obvious that all peoples everywhere have believed that there is such a thing as sin. And though no other sacred writings beside the Bible show this real life attribute being found in their patriarchs, the conclusion is that mankind is in need of redemption. How to go about being redeemed is where the religions deviate, with the Biblical aspect being completely unlike its peers.

Secular Humanism though, is one of the only belief systems that does not believe that humans commit sin. In fact, Humanists say that everything is relative. In other words, there is nothing intrinsically wrong and there is nothing intrinsically right. To the Humanist there are only rights and wrongs based upon what an individual thinks and feels at the moment they think and feel that certain way. This sounds confusing, and it is to a degree. Humanism has become a more hedonistic belief system than anything else, as it promotes anything that feels good to the person at the moment. There are no absolutes of right and wrong within this belief system. As its name indicates, Secular Humanism is a completely man-centered religion.

To the Buddhist all life is suffering and therefore to attain the desired result, being their heavenly estate or the state of bliss they call Nirvana, one must detach from the present suffering by pulling inward through meditation. Dwell on this concept for a moment and try to understand all that is being taught by this belief. Instead of reaching out to God or even reaching out to mankind, Buddhism teaches that a person must pull inward and detach oneself from the present world to achieve enlightenment. Though the Buddhist belief system has its beauty, it is also a man-centered ideology.

To the Muslim humans are constantly making mistakes, which they call vices or sin. To get into God's good favor, though they call God by the name Allah, a person must obey certain rules, which are the pillars of their faith. The word Islam means "obedience," and the word Muslim means "one who obeys." Christians and Jews taught Mohammed, and thus Islam carries with it some of the basic tenants of the Bible - though they believe that infidels have corrupted the Bible over the past few thousand years. They even name some of the Jewish patriarchs and Jesus as among their religion's six great prophets - being Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed. The Five Pillars of their faith are all outward actions that have nothing to do with a heart attitude, as they are all external rules. The Five Pillars of their faith are found in repeating the creed of "there is one God and his prophet is Mohammed," obeying the five calls to pray everyday, fasting from sun up to sun down for thirty days during Ramadan, giving 2.5% of their income to the poor for food and for the furtherance of Islam, and by making a pilgrimage to Mecca once in their lifetime. The so-called Sixth Pillar of Islam is Jihad, which was originally meant as Holy War for the self-defense of their homeland. The Koran also teaches, as included in over one hundred verses, that the killing of people for the furtherance of Islam is acceptable in Allah's eyes. As way of reference, two such verses are found in Surah chapter five in verse fifty-one and in chapter nine in verse five. (21) In any event, Islam believes that you cannot know for sure if you are in Allah's good graces until after you die and He proclaims the sentence upon your soul. They believe as many other religions do, including various denominations of the Christian faith, that your good works must outweigh your bad works in order for God to grant you eternal life with eternal bliss.

Biblical Christianity teaches that you do absolutely nothing; it is all about God and nothing to do with mankind. The redemption of mankind is found solely in the redeeming actions of Jesus Christ, in that He alone bore our sins on the cross and was raised to life for our justification. According to the Bible Jesus Christ became our sin. This is seen in the first Epistle of Peter in chapter two: "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness." In Paul's second letter to the church at Corinth it says in chapter five: "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." The Bible tells us that it is by God's grace and our faith that we can come into the presence of the Holiest God, as it says in Ephesians chapter two: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast."

When Simon Peter first declared that Jesus was the Messiah who would save the world, Jesus turned to him and said "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven," as recorded in Matthew chapter sixteen verse seventeen. So even our faith in Jesus Christ must come from God, though the Bible indicates that all who truly seek God will find God. Jesus said, "Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you." The belief in Jesus Christ's death, burial, and resurrection as the only means by which sinful man can come to God is the epitome of Biblical Christianity. This is shown throughout the New Testament, and foretold throughout the Old Testament. One last indication that we will show here regarding this issue is from the Epistle to the Romans in chapter ten: "But the righteousness that is by faith says: … "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." Confession to God alone and belief in Jesus Christ as God incarnate reconciling the world to Himself are heart actions - not a series of rules and regulations. In the Gospel of John chapter four Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well, "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."

The section above regarding Biblical Christianity makes a differentiation between denominations that call themselves Christian and true Biblical Christianity. Jesus Himself indicated in Matthew chapter seven verses twenty-one through twenty-three that not everyone who claims to be a Christian is truly a Christian. The reason is that many Christian denominations use their traditions as a part of their belief system, even overriding the Bible's authority in regard to many issues of belief. On numerous occasions Jesus rebuked the leaders of His Jewish faith for this very same issue, placing more credence on their traditions than on the Word of God. Cross referencing the portion in Matthew chapter seven with what Jesus tells Nicodemus in John chapter three, you can conclude that the will of the Father is to accept Jesus as the Messiah.

Does the Good Outweigh the Bad

Another concept along these lines, which is taught in the Scriptures, is that even our supposed "good works" are often not pure in that we do them with ulterior motives. As recorded in Matthew chapter six verses one through four, Jesus said, "Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven…do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." This is an issue we are all guilty of quite often, and is shown throughout the Bible. This sin is expressly shown in Isaiah chapter sixty-four verse six: "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away." According to Romans chapter three verses ten and twenty-three, the sin nature is found in everyone, as all of us are guilty and in need of a Savior: "There is no one righteous, not even one … for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." The Bible teaches that we are desperately in need of a Savior, and that God graciously fulfilled this requirement Himself by coming in the person of Jesus Christ.

It was once said, though please excuse my improvisation on this quote; "Religions are man's attempts at reaching out to God under man's own terms, whereas true Christianity is God's attempt at reaching out to mankind under the His Only Terms." God by His very nature is infinite and divine and completely without limits, and for humans to think that they can place this Infinite God under their own finite mind's microscope and clearly dictate all that He encompasses is a major fallacy. God in His love created a way for us to come to Him and He put this knowledge, despite the conduits of His Words reaching us, into the Holy Scriptures. This is a pillar of the Christian faith. As it says in the second letter to Timothy, in chapter three verse sixteen: "All Scripture is God-breathed [inspired] and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, that the [Christian] may be thoroughly equipped..."

The Divinity of Christ

Returning to the central theme of the Bible, which is Jesus Christ the Messiah, the Old Testament and the New Testament both claim that the Messiah would be God in the flesh - God incarnate. The very statements of Jesus, where He is making reference to Old Testament passages, are actually His explicit claims to divinity. For instance, Jesus often referred to Himself as "Son of Man." Certain off-base theologians have wrongly concluded this title as Christ's claim to his own humanity. Viewing Christ's statement contextually we can determine what Jesus intended by this title, as Jesus often quoted from Isaiah and Daniel. In Daniel chapter seven verses thirteen and fourteen come the reference from which Jesus titled Himself as "Son of Man." This portion reads: "In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed."(8) As well, the often-quoted portion of Isaiah chapter nine states: "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." This passage is foretelling of Christ's first and second advents to the earth, and is giving the Messiah the title of "Everlasting Father" which is the Hebrew word for the Most High God, as is the term "Mighty God." As a quick offshoot, in verse one of this chapter the prophet Isaiah also foretells of the unlikely place from whence Jesus will be associated - "Galilee of the Gentiles."

The Apostles, and Jesus Himself, constantly referred to Christ as God in the flesh, as seen in Colossians chapter one: "For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things…by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross." Also again in chapter two of Colossians and in verse nine it says, "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form." Note that this is said after Christ's Ascension into heaven. Christians believe that Jesus Christ is part of the Godhead, though still in bodily form, awaiting His Second Advent to the earth. On a number of occasions Jesus was nearly stoned by the Jewish leaders because he referred to Himself as God. Under Jewish law if a mere man made himself equal to God it was deemed blasphemy and was punishable by stoning. In the Gospel of John chapter eight, Jesus is speaking about how the patriarch Abraham longed to see "his day," and then concludes that Abraham did see it. The Jews start to ridicule Christ by asking how Abraham could have seen "his day." Jesus then replied by referring to himself with the most Holy Name of God, the great "I AM." This is the name that God gave to Himself in the burning bush to Moses as recorded in Exodus chapter three verse fourteen. The Jews immediately picked up stones to kill Jesus for blasphemy, but He escaped.

Jesus claimed that a person's eternal life depended solely upon Himself, as he said in the Gospel of John chapter fourteen in verse six, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Nowadays people are willing to say that Jesus was a good moral teacher though nothing more, yet Jesus did not leave that option open to us. As the distinguished author and Cambridge University Professor C. S. Lewis wrote: "I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: 'I'm willing to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God.' That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic - on a level with a man who says he is a poached egg - or else He would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse." Lewis goes on to say: "You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to. (11)"

As Lewis points out, Jesus did not have any of the apparent dysfunction that a madman would have been cited as displaying. He was not known as a madman to his followers or to his opponents, the Jewish leaders at that time, but he was thought of as a wise man. Further, if he was merely staging a hoax and was an extreme liar, then what reason did he have for such a lie? He lived an austere life and was crucified. Jesus couldn't even afford a proper burial, as a rich benefactor prepared his body and laid Jesus in his own newly hewn tomb. Since Christ's death, for the most part wherever the name of Jesus is proclaimed, people have changed their lives for the better. When a Christian rightly makes his/her standard of living the ideal of Christ's life, then that person becomes a person filled with love for humanity. It goes against reason to think of Jesus as a madman or as a liar. Thus the only other option is what he claimed to be, the Lord.

Resurrection Proof

The Apostles were the ones closest to Jesus and they were the ones primarily responsible for propagating the belief of Christianity. These are the men who also wrote most of the New Testament. The Apostles all died poor with no financial gains, as they lived lives shunned by their Jewish culture. The Jews believed Christianity to be a cult and even took away believer's properties. The Apostles all died a martyr's death, except for John. Ask yourself, would you die for a lie? These were not men hoodwinked after the fact into believing something they had not seen. In modern times we have witnessed certain suicidal men who are raised from childhood to believe their actions will result in eternal bliss. Conversely the Apostles were men who claimed to have seen Jesus risen from the dead, and they all died for their eyewitness testimony to this fact. Here is the list of the Apostles and how they were martyred: Peter - crucified upside down, Andrew - crucified, Matthew - the sword, James son of Alphaeus - crucified, Philip - crucified, Simon - crucified, Thaddaeus - killed by arrows, James brother of Jesus - stoned, Thomas - spear thrust, Bartholomew - crucified, James son of Zebedee - the sword.(12) Many of the early Christians were killed for their faith, and in spite of this life-costing opposition, the faith grew and grew. As recorded in Matthew chapter sixteen verse eighteen, Jesus said in reference to his church, "I will build my church, and the gates of Hell will not overcome it."

In addition to the eyewitness evidence of these martyred Apostles, as well as the internal evidence from within the New Testament itself, there are other outside mentions of the resurrection and of Jesus Christ's life in general. Some excellent resources come from the writings of the earliest Christian leaders, and from an in depth study of what the four Gospels record within the Bible. But to show a purely secular and secondary source of corroborating evidence, let us consider some of the Roman historians from the first century. Specifically, we will look at the documentation that the Roman historian Tacitus and the Jewish historian Josephus gave to us.

In A.D. 115 Tacitus explicitly states that Nero's persecution of Christians as scapegoats was to deviate attention from himself in regard to the great fire of Rome in A.D. 64. He also makes reference to a "superstition" that is believed by scholars to be his making a remark in regard to the Christian belief in Christ's resurrection. "Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hatred for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilate, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judaea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome… Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind. (13)" Crucifixion was the most abhorrent fate that a person could go through, and the fact that a religion has been created in worship of a man who had been crucified was appalling to Tacitus. That a religion like this would grow and multiply so rapidly must have astounded these first century Romans. Though to the early Christians the resurrection was a focal point in that it displayed Christ's victory over sin and death in their belief system. (14)

Flavius Josephus was a commander of the Jewish forces in Galilee in A.D. 66, and after being captured during the Jewish War he was assigned to the Roman Headquarters. His historical statements regarding Jesus have been hotly contested due to some interpolations that were injected into his writings by copyists many centuries later. In recent days however, scholars have come to a consensus that Josephus did in fact mention Jesus and this is extremely important to the historicity of Christ. (15) In 1971 an article was written concerning an Arabic copy that was found of the writings of Josephus. Since this was the language of that area, it is deemed to be a more authentic version. Here is the translation of the Arabic copy: "At this time there was a wise man who was called Jesus. And his conduct was good, and [he] was known to be virtuous. And many people from among the Jews and the other nations became his disciples. Pilate condemned him to be crucified and to die. And those who had become his disciples did not abandon his discipleship. They reported that he had appeared to them three days after his crucifixion and that he was alive; accordingly, he was perhaps the Messiah concerning whom the prophets have recounted wonders. (16)"

An amazing thing to note about the Josephus document is that he makes no mention of the opposite viewpoint regarding the beliefs in Christ as being true. There were no rumors or eyewitnesses coming forth and saying that Jesus had not risen from the dead. There were no Jewish people even contesting the Christian beliefs when Josephus recorded these historical events. This is truly an amazing discovery that validates the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Ironically the only statement shown against the historical fact of Jesus Christ's resurrection comes from the Gospel of Matthew. In the last chapter of Matthew, chapter twenty-eight verses eleven through fifteen, it is recorded that some of the Roman guard that Pilate had stationed in front of the burial place of Jesus went to the Jewish leaders to inform them of what had transpired - that Jesus Christ had vanished from the tomb and the supernatural occurrence of the stone being rolled away. These Jewish rulers bribed the soldiers and the Governor, and had them propagate a lie that the disciples of Jesus had stolen his body from the tomb. The soldiers agreed not only for the money, but because they would have been put to death for failing in their duties - thus the Jewish leaders agreed to bribe the Roman rulers as well to keep these soldiers alive. Yet in the book of Acts it is recorded that the resurrected Christ appeared to many people, including five hundred witnesses at one time. The whole Christian religion was based upon the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, thus this belief was well propagated with this rapidly growing religion. The important thing to note is that no Roman historian, including Josephus and Tacitus, ever wrote anything regarding any nay Sayers recanting this event. Not even one person is ever recorded as attesting that Jesus had not actually been raised from the dead. It is fascinating that no one is ever recorded as refuting this claim; there were no groups of people saying that this was not true. On the contrary, early historians recorded that many people believed that Christ had risen from the dead, and that the eyewitnesses to the resurrection of Jesus had been put to death for their insistence of this claim. If you claimed to be an eyewitness to such an event and it was not true, would you die a slow death for the sake of your false testimony?

Problems with Darwinism

The one element of modern society that causes widespread disbelief in all religions is ironically a theory of science, the Theory of Evolution. Though Darwin himself made statements that have now nullified his own theory, Darwinism is taught as a Law of Science to children in the public school system as well as in most of our universities. Let us expose the statements and beliefs of Darwin, and the succeeding theories that have sprung from his inaccuracies. As well we will display some recent findings that show the Creation Theory as much more feasible to the modern scientific mind. Bare in mind though, this is an extremely large area of thought and is only briefly skimmed herein. Much further research is strongly encouraged.

Dr. Jonathan Wells, who holds doctorates from both Yale and the University of California at Berkeley, recently wrote a book regarding modern scientific thought on the Theory of Evolution. Dr. Wells is but one of a multitude of scientists who disclaim the Theory of Evolution as being truly scientific. In fact, in opposition to the recent PBS program about Evolution, dozens of scientists wrote a proclamation against the program. A professionally developed alternative program called "A Question of Origins" was created by a group of leading scientists, but PBS declined to run this program. Additionally there are two videos created by Nuclear Physicist Dr. Robert Gentry that prove the earth is young in age. PBS would not support these videos being shown, though a leading Nuclear Physicist had created them using scientific facts. PBS did, however, make these videos available for download to their local PBS stations, but none of the local stations have aired these programs due to the national PBS's lack of support for these programs. An apparent scientific bias has become very evident in the actions of PBS.

Darwin's Finch, as it is known, was theorized to have a beak shaped in a manner that fit its diet on the Galapagos Islands. Darwin deemed this natural selection. Most modern scientists associate this terminology with Darwin, though the term was actually coined by creationist Edward Blyth. Blyth was an English chemist who had published a work while Darwin was sailing the Seas on the Beagle, regarding how he theorized God gave the ability for creatures to adapt to their surroundings. Creationists still deem this process "modest properties of preservation." Blyth called his theory natural selection. In the 1970s Biologists Peter and Rosemary Grant carefully studied the finches on the island of Daphne Major in the Galapagos. They discovered that the beaks of the finches had increased in size and changed in shape during a drought. Changes that they documented had enabling the finches to eat the tough and larger seeds that were the result of the weather change. The Grants concluded that the accumulation of such changes would produce a whole new species of finch in about 200 years. This study is still printed in many science textbooks across the United States as proof for the theory of evolution. Upon re-studying these finches after the drought had left the Islands, it was noted that the finches' beaks had returned to their original size and shape. This fact is quite relevant in light of the Grant's theory that these finches were evolving into a new species of finch instead of simply adapting for a specific reason as the facts point out. This highly relevant piece of information has yet to be printed in any of the textbooks. (17)

Dr. Wells evaluated ten major textbooks across the nation and graded them according to their relevant truth in the light of modern scientific knowledge. Over half of the studies listed in these currently used textbooks failed the truth test and received F's from Dr. Wells, whereas a third of them received D's. Following are just a few examples of the false science that Dr. Wells found. An old experiment is cited that shows how various chemicals came together to begin life, yet it makes no mention to the fact that oxygen in the atmosphere would negate this chemical composition from occurring in the first place. Another science textbook currently in widespread circulation cites Darwin's tree of life theory that shows all life forms branching off from one another step by step. The problem is that there is really no evidence supporting Darwin's tree of life theory. In another textbook the arms of humans, and the appendages of cats, whales, and bats all originating from some ancient creature are theorized, yet there is absolutely no supporting evidence for this theory. In one science curriculum the ancient "missing link" bird Archaeopteryx is listed as the link between dinosaurs and birds. The problem with this major evolutionary breakthrough is that this "prehistoric bird" is actually older than its supposed dinosaur grandparents. Finally, another major fallacy that Dr. Wells points out is the theory that you're nothing but a monkey's uncle. Experts in human origins acknowledge that the theories of humans evolving from apes are the most subjective and speculative in all biology. Yet, in the textbooks the bold assertion is made that humans evolved from apes. (17)

By way of parody we will now examine the theory of evolution. The theory of evolution, though it may use fancy unpronounceable words and employ major expanses of time that humans cannot even fathom, goes like this: A group of separate cells, or I should say one living cell, develops over millions of years into a glob of interrelated cells by pure luck. How this first living cell came into existence isn't even possible due to oxygen in the atmosphere, but we won't go there. These multiple cells then decide that it would be more advantageous to become a gilled creature. Thus these cells go through millions of years evolving themselves into various low-level sea dwelling life forms, somehow, to form themselves into a fish-type sea dwelling creature. These fish-type creatures come into view of dry land, and the land catches their fancy. They begin to think, though they have no cognitive abilities, that life on land must be superior to life in the ocean, though they have no knowledge of what life on land would be like. Nevertheless, they decide to become amphibious creatures with the ability to breath water and air, and somehow they enact the correct biological changes to mutate themselves into land fairing creatures. This process happens by the sheer will of these fish-type creatures, in that they really want to move onto the surface of the dry land though they have no knowledge or understanding of what this dry surface is like, because up until this point the surface has meant sure death to these creatures. Yet, these fish-type creatures simply push and push until their front fins become frog-like appendages and their water breathing gills add the additional capacity to breath air, thus gaining the ability to crawl out of the water and live on the dry land. Upon self-creating themselves into these amphibious creatures, some of their offspring climb into the trees for no apparent reason. They get stuck in the trees, as there are no firemen with ladders to get them down. So these tree-stuck offspring push and push until wings pop out replacing their frog-like front appendages, and thus flight is born. Now some of the amphibious land dwelling offspring don't want to go soaring about in the air, so they develop four leg-like limbs and mutate themselves into dogs, cats, cows, monkeys, and humans. Whereas their siblings desire other cold blooded changes and turn themselves into snakes, reptiles, and dinosaurs. Now of course this all happens over the course of millions upon millions upon millions upon millions of years - though what this duration of time has to do with anything no one can say for sure.

Think for a moment. Yes, this parody is obviously poking fun at the theory of evolution, but is the theory of evolution feasible? Doesn't it go beyond the scope of reason, the same way that its proponents say the theory of creationism does? Do you buy the notion that all life forms came from the same ancestor? This means everything: birds, bees, dogs, dads, moms, cats, cows, snakes, flies, lions, tigers, bears, llamas, giraffes, beavers, grasshoppers, monkeys, apes, fish, shrimp, elephants, and EVERY-thing else all came from a glob of cells floating around in the ocean! This theory takes more faith than the theory of creationism as there is actually more proof in the camp of the creationists who say there is an intelligent design to this universe. Yet, Secular Humanists have apparently gained the upper hand and have usurped the authority of both the scientific and the political arenas so that the theory of evolution is now the bias we indoctrinate our children and our own minds with as being true and proven.

How many times have they quoted what Darwin said of his own studies? We might do well to heed the statement of Darwin who was modest about his often-hasty observations. Darwin said, "Hence arises, I have found to my cost, a constant tendency to fill up wide gaps of knowledge, by inaccurate and superficial hypotheses." (17)

Personal Testimony

The final section of this Treatise will go by quickly, though it may be the most important aspect to this entire debate. Why believe in God? The changes that God has made in the lives of countless hundreds of thousands, and even millions upon millions, of people on this planet are well worth noting. As John Bunyan shows in his classic fictional work, Pilgrim's Progress, the burden of sin and guilt that lies upon the shoulders of mankind is unbearable. The problems that have plagued mankind for our entire existence - being drunkenness, sexual infidelity, domestic violence, slavery, bigotry, inequality, thievery, lying, slander, sedition, backbiting, deceiving, profiteering, impure thinking, anger, beatings, violence, greed, corrupt speech, and the like - have all been conquered by only one thing. Belief in God has been mankind's only redemption.

The equality of mankind in God's eyes is displayed in Galatians chapter three verse twenty-eight: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." In Ephesians chapter four verses seventeen through thirty-two the Bible sums it all up so well: "So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the [unbelievers] do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more. You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 'In your anger do not sin': Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."

The Bible is explicit in explaining that we sin because we are sinners. The sin nature has a stronghold on each and every one of us, and whether or not you have been caught committing certain sins does not negate your having committed those sins. Sin has its consequences, both here in the temporal realm, and in the eternal realm. The Scriptures indicate that sin must be paid for, and that its wages are death - physical and spiritual. God in His unfailing love has made a way for us, and this path changes our lives forever.

For those of you who say, "what about the person who has never heard the Gospel, will they suffer God's wrath without ever having had a chance?" The answer is twofold. For one, God indicates in the Scripture that He is a just and holy and loving God, and we must trust in His Providence to deal with this issue as He sees fit. More importantly though is the second answer to your question. The second answer is the fact that you, who are reading this treatise, are without excuse. You are not that person who has never heard. This document you hold in your hands has enough of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in it to save your very soul, if you heed its truth and place your faith in the Bible. Why believe in God? Because your very existence is due to God, and your eternal fate is determined by the choice you are making at this very moment. Don't be like King Agrippa in his excuse to the imprisoned Apostle Paul as recorded in Acts chapter twenty-six: "Then Agrippa said to Paul, 'Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?' " Instead, ask God to help you with your disbelief and be like the man in the Gospel of Mark chapter nine, when he cried out to Jesus, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" Jesus promised each of us in John chapter eight, "If you hold to my teaching… Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free."

"Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you."

C. G. Chase
November 26, 2001

[All Bible references have been taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible Society.]

References:

1) Public Broadcasting Stations (PBS) has created numerous shows regarding religion and philosophy, here are listed a few of these programs: THE WISDOM OF FAITH WITH HUSTON SMITH: A BILL MOYERS SPECIAL (1996), GENESIS: A LIVING CONVERSATION (1996), SEARCHING FOR GOD IN AMERICA (1996)

2) The Case For Christ, (Lee Strobel, Zondervan Publishing House 1998), interview with Bruce Metzger, PhD. Princeton University - pages 62,63

3) The Case For Christ, (Lee Strobel, Zondervan Publishing House 1998), interview with Bruce Metzger, PhD. Princeton University - page 60

4) A Ready Defense, (Josh McDowell, Thomas Nelson, Inc. 1993) - pages 30, 31

5) Chronological Aspects of the Life of Christ, (H.W. Hoehner, Zondervan Publishing House 1977)

6) A Ready Defense, (Josh McDowell, Thomas Nelson, Inc. 1993) - pages 57-59

7) A Ready Defense, (Josh McDowell, Thomas Nelson, Inc. 1993) - pages 56, 57

8) The Case For Christ (Lee Strobel, Zondervan Publishing House 1998), interview with Ben Witherington III, PhD. Divinity School of Duke University - page 137

9) Ready Defense, (Josh McDowell, Thomas Nelson, Inc. 1993) - page 211

10) Science Speaks, (Peter W. Stoner and Robert C. Newman, Moody Press 1976)-pages 106-112

11) Mere Christianity, (C.S. Lewis, The MacMillan Company 1960) - pages 40-41

12) More Than A Carpenter, (Josh McDowell, Tyndale House Publishers 1977) - pages 61-70

13) Annals, 15.44 (Tacitus)

14) The Case For Christ, (Lee Strobel, Zondervan Publishing House 1998), interview with Edwin Yamauchi, PhD. Miami University of Ohio - page 82

15) The Case For Christ, (Lee Strobel, Zondervan Publishing House 1998), interview with Edwin Yamauchi, PhD. Miami University of Ohio - pages 79-81

16) An Arabic Version of the Testimonium Flavianum and Its Implications, (Shlomo Pines, Jerusalem Academic Press 1971) - pages 61-70

17) Icons of Evolution: Science or Myth?, (Dr. Jonathan Wells, 2000)

18) Evidence That Demands a Verdict, (Josh McDowell, Here's Life Publishers 1992) - pages 42 and 43

19) Cambridge History of the Bible, (Stanley Lawrence - Editor, Cambridge University Press 1963) - page 476

20) Ecclesiastical History, (Eusebius, volume II page 159 and VIII page 2 - Loeb. - Editor)

21) Israel, Islam, and Armageddon, (Dave Hunt, The Berean Call 2001) - video