In one way, the story of Jesus can sound like a chapter in a book of religious myth, doesn't it?
Whereas, the Son God came to earth from Heaven above, was born as a baby through a virgin, died on a cross for the sins of people, was resurrected to life after death, ascended back to Heaven, and with the promise that He will return for His people. That sounds like a script for a Hollywood movie, such as a super action hero, doesn't it?
Now add the part about all the people who disliked the hero and wanted him dead, then the part about the people who believed in him and became witnesses of his resurrection. On top of this, they told other people the story and they also believed in the man who died on a cross.
Next, the people---now disciples and apostles---went forth throughout the kingdom and established churches of like-minded people. They banded together. Some of them even wrote letters, which were called epistles. Didn't other people do the same for multitudes of gods and goddesses with shrines and temples for their heroes? The title "church" was different, but the application was similar and easily understood. Just as the enemy killed the man on the cross, his followers---called Christians---were also captured and killed.
By the time history arrived in Rome, which was under the control of Constantine the Great, the Emperor, the story gets more interesting.
Constantine was no dummy. He was smart, intelligent, and highly educated. He decided to declare Christianity to be the State Religion of the Roman Empire. To do that, surely Constantine suffered a heat stroke or perhaps a mental breakdown. For what Emperor in his right mind would honor the great and mighty Roman Empire with a religion named for a person of myth?
Well, not long thereafter, a group of religious nuts got together and decided to create a church of fantasy in an effort to hide the story of the myth that happened in Jerusalem and have people to believe that the church of fantasy was now the real truth about the myth: which was no truth at all, for they wanted the myth to disappear from the minds of people and thereby end all the chatter about the man dying for the sins of people.
As history continued to move forward, the church of fantasy had a tough time with heretics---people who refused to believe in the church of fantasy because they continued to share the news about the man in Jerusalem.
Thus, over the course of 2000 years, many people have pretended to be the person of myth who died on a cross in Jerusalem for the sins of people. There have also been some others, called false prophets, who have been actively preaching and teaching about the man of myth.
Even today, there are thousands and thousands of people, operating together in religions and in governments, to create a false messiah about the man of myth from Jerusalem.
Why are intelligent and educated people continuing to exercise strange behaviours about a man of myth? And why are they so secretive about their labor if the man from Jerusalem is merely a myth?
For if Christ is only a myth, as many people suppose, the behaviours of secretive people indicate otherwise---that even they believe that Christ is real! Or else they would not try to duplicate Him with a false messiah, would they?
Their own action is the proof of the truth of their minds, but not with their hearts. For if people have labored for centuries to blot out the myth about the man from Jerusalem, doesn't this mean that the story of Christ is true?
People are refusing to believe in Christ by faith, but they will believe in the false messiah as soon as they see him with their eyes, which is not by faith. Antichrist is a false image, which takes us back to the first commandment of God:
Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bown down thyself to them, nor serve them: (Exodus 20: 3-5)
Christ is more than a myth. He is the Son of God. And He is coming back!
Amen.
Whereas, the Son God came to earth from Heaven above, was born as a baby through a virgin, died on a cross for the sins of people, was resurrected to life after death, ascended back to Heaven, and with the promise that He will return for His people. That sounds like a script for a Hollywood movie, such as a super action hero, doesn't it?
Now add the part about all the people who disliked the hero and wanted him dead, then the part about the people who believed in him and became witnesses of his resurrection. On top of this, they told other people the story and they also believed in the man who died on a cross.
Next, the people---now disciples and apostles---went forth throughout the kingdom and established churches of like-minded people. They banded together. Some of them even wrote letters, which were called epistles. Didn't other people do the same for multitudes of gods and goddesses with shrines and temples for their heroes? The title "church" was different, but the application was similar and easily understood. Just as the enemy killed the man on the cross, his followers---called Christians---were also captured and killed.
By the time history arrived in Rome, which was under the control of Constantine the Great, the Emperor, the story gets more interesting.
Constantine was no dummy. He was smart, intelligent, and highly educated. He decided to declare Christianity to be the State Religion of the Roman Empire. To do that, surely Constantine suffered a heat stroke or perhaps a mental breakdown. For what Emperor in his right mind would honor the great and mighty Roman Empire with a religion named for a person of myth?
Well, not long thereafter, a group of religious nuts got together and decided to create a church of fantasy in an effort to hide the story of the myth that happened in Jerusalem and have people to believe that the church of fantasy was now the real truth about the myth: which was no truth at all, for they wanted the myth to disappear from the minds of people and thereby end all the chatter about the man dying for the sins of people.
As history continued to move forward, the church of fantasy had a tough time with heretics---people who refused to believe in the church of fantasy because they continued to share the news about the man in Jerusalem.
Thus, over the course of 2000 years, many people have pretended to be the person of myth who died on a cross in Jerusalem for the sins of people. There have also been some others, called false prophets, who have been actively preaching and teaching about the man of myth.
Even today, there are thousands and thousands of people, operating together in religions and in governments, to create a false messiah about the man of myth from Jerusalem.
Why are intelligent and educated people continuing to exercise strange behaviours about a man of myth? And why are they so secretive about their labor if the man from Jerusalem is merely a myth?
For if Christ is only a myth, as many people suppose, the behaviours of secretive people indicate otherwise---that even they believe that Christ is real! Or else they would not try to duplicate Him with a false messiah, would they?
Their own action is the proof of the truth of their minds, but not with their hearts. For if people have labored for centuries to blot out the myth about the man from Jerusalem, doesn't this mean that the story of Christ is true?
People are refusing to believe in Christ by faith, but they will believe in the false messiah as soon as they see him with their eyes, which is not by faith. Antichrist is a false image, which takes us back to the first commandment of God:
Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bown down thyself to them, nor serve them: (Exodus 20: 3-5)
Christ is more than a myth. He is the Son of God. And He is coming back!
Amen.
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