I have more..

Keep Jesus dead..

The Romans had the proof if the tomb was still sealed.
Now imagine a scenario where the disciples stole the body away...their own fabrication not the Jewish clergy...
They would have been hunted down by the clergy and the Romans..because the clergy would not have made the deal with Pilate...because it was the fabrication of the disciples..

Then there is the failed credibility of 4 gospel authors and their families..

This would have been a crash and burn from the outset...
we would have had just another phoney nutcase martyr.

Can you elaborate a bit? Your statements read like you assume I know what you're talking about. I don't. Perhaps I don't know the politics or social structure of that time well enough, but I don't understand the things you are saying; they just read like assertions to me. Describe how and why those things are the case, please? I'm not trying to be a thorn, I just don't really follow you.

If the resurrection story is made up....
we need to assume Jesus is dead and speculate on various scenarios.

1. He is still in the tomb and the Romans had it sealed...so

Spread the resurrection story and the Jewish clergy and Romans say...
"what a joke! we have the body.."

2. The disciples took the body

We should have a couple of dead Roman solders around and a homicide investigation convened..whereas the disciples and their families are in deep excrement.
They are tortured until one confesses..."yeah we killed the guards and took the body and hid it or burned it and said there was a resurrection"

Uh..something is missing here..


The Jewish clergy are ready for the 3rd day and miss supervising the whole thing??
With a great opportunity to make a joke out of the whole thing??

I do know the Roman soldiers would have had their hides taken if they'd allowed anyone to steal that body ... that much I do know.

THURSDAY February 24

Resurrection, Now and Then

Read John 5:24, 25. Jesus seems to be talking about two types of eternal life here. What are they, and how are they tied together?

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The Bible talks about a resurrection that believers can experience even prior to death. The one who believes in Jesus now has passed from death to life. What is a passage from death to life other than a resurrection? In other words, those who believe in Him go through a radical change, not just when they are brought from the grave, but they go through a change now, a born-again experience in which Christ becomes the center and focus of their life. It's such a radical life-changing experience that Jesus Himself links it with something as radical as the dead being raised to life at the end of time.

Read Romans 6:4-6. What is Paul saying here that parallels Christ's words in John 5:24, 25? Why does Paul use the imagery of Christ's resurrection?

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For Paul, the death and resurrection of Jesus weren't just historical events, such as the death of Mary, Queen of Scots, is to us. Instead, they are living symbols of what we, ourselves, as followers of Christ, must experience in our own lives now.

Paul is saying that we, in a sense, must spiritually go through what Christ did: a death, not in a literal sense, but a death to self, a death to sin, a death to living for the flesh. But not only that, the same power that brought Jesus from the grave can bring us into "newness of life," a life where we are no longer under the dominion of sin and of the flesh. This is a crucial, inseparable part of the whole Christian experience.

If someone were to ask you, "Have you gone through what Jesus and Paul both talked about in the above verses?" what would you answer? If your answer were Yes, and you were then asked "What was that experience like?" what would you say? Also, is what Paul talked about a one-time experience, or is it something that must go on continually? Explain your reply.

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FRIDAY February 25

Further Study:

"During these days that Christ spent with His disciples, they gained a new experience. As they heard their beloved Master explaining the Scriptures in the light of all that had happened, their faith in Him was fully established. They reached the place where they could say, 'I know whom I have believed.' 2 Timothy 1:12. They began to realize the nature and extent of their work, to see that they were to proclaim to the world the truths entrusted to them. The events of Christ's life, His death and resurrection, the prophecies pointing to these events, the mysteries of the plan of salvation, the power of Jesus for the remission of sins-to all these things they had been witnesses, and they were to make them known to the world. They were to proclaim the gospel of peace and salvation through repentance and the power of the Saviour."—Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles, p. 27.

"The miracle which Christ was about to perform, in raising Lazarus from the dead, would represent the resurrection of all the righteous dead. By His word and His works He declared Himself the Author of the resurrection. He who Himself was soon to die upon the cross stood with the keys of death, a conqueror of the grave, and asserted His right and power to give eternal life."—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 530.

Discussion Questions:

(1) Why didn't Jesus reveal Himself immediately to Cleopas and his friend as they walked mournfully to their home in Emmaus? Why did He first give them such a detailed study from the Scriptures concerning His death, burial, and resurrection? Luke 24:13-32.

(2) Consider what a difference it made in the lives of the apostles that they served a risen Savior and not just a martyr whose memory they could revere. What difference does it make to you personally that you serve a risen Savior and are not merely honoring a deceased hero of ancient fame?

(3) How do you understand the idea that those who believe in Jesus have eternal life now? What does that mean to you? How would you explain it, for example, at the funeral of a good Christian?

After God addresses the anxiety involving blameshifting..he lets the person live in newness of life..

I am chewing on what Adam did after the fall and during the hiding from God episode..

He blameshifted...
I am tuning into this and getting some insights about God.

I remember a guy blameshifting my way when I was 17..just came to mind as I was meditating on this and getting different perspective on salvation plan..

Jimbob, don't you find it a more meaningful meditation, though, to contemplate when you yourself have blameshifted in the light of these realizations? I know I do. It is far more meaningful for me to relate to the concepts from what I have done than from what I have observed others to have done. The latter tends to lead to what I call "backwards Christianity" -- for example, the syndrome of going around demanding agape from others as opposed to demonstrating it to others. (But maybe that's just me.)

Because of the Holy Spirit and Rom 2:1..that approach never escapes me...
Here, tune into this a second..

I was just thinking of this..this morning..

The issue is tonal inflection and attitude that is associate with words...this is a principle of interpretation..

I brought this up in SS last sabbath..

How would you like to be a director and try to capture the look of Jesus ...with your main character...when Peter betrayed him..??
Everyone knew what challenge that was.


Now...think of the various ways ..we could put tones on Adam's words when he blame shifted...

Think of God talking to him and how Adam would have sounded...
Probably the same challenge to say his lines correctly..

Adam was sinless and had a tremendous relationship with God..
I could see him very sensitive and bawling his eyes out when he was answering God and mentioning about the woman that God made..

Think of the difference between a very sensitve good young lad..and how a hardened delinquent kid responds to crime..

I was taught that EGW mentions that Adam had tremendous grief when the first leaf fell off a tree due to sin.


I can understand how God would feel for Adam and tell him that there was an answer for his terrible guilt and shame for what he was experiencing...that he would absorb the guilt and anguish...just believe and let it be transfered so that he(Adam ) could cope...this was taught with the plan of salvation and the killing of the first lamb or whatever to make the skin coverings.
Remember John 10:10..