Christian History

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." Genesis 1:1-2

Our Christian History lesson begins with creation. A time when life was merely an idea brought about into existence by the will of God. As He created each separate element of our planet He was merging into reality a self sustaining physical world.

In the midst of this beautiful planet, God also created mankind. And the first man that He produced was named Adam. Then, as a companion, God produced a female named Eve. Together, Adam and Eve dwelled in the beautiful garden of Eden. All seemed perfect until Satan made his first move. As a serpent, Satan first tempted Eve with a piece of fruit that God forbid her and Adam to eat of. Satan just made an offer that both Eve and Adam could not refuse. This was the first, original sin.

After sin entered into the world everything seemed to fall apart.

“And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imaginationof the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” - Genesis 6:5

It became so bad that God made a heavy decision. He decided to destroy the surface of the planet with a devastating flood. He would wipe clean the slate. Every human on the planet would be destroyed, except for a faithful man named Noah and his family. God decided to protect Noah and his family and eventually they would repopulate the world.

“And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.” - Genesis 7:1

And then it was over. The earth was changed forever. It will never appear as it did before the great flood occurred. New things were in store for the little blue planet and God was going to bring about a new age of faithful men and women. Unfortunately, Satan still crept around most corners.

Next, in this new age of the planet earth, a man named Abraham begins to unfold a new path of events. He bares two children, Ishmael and Isaac. To Ishmael (Ishmael was the son of Abraham not promised to him by God), the Lord has given a great nation. Today we know that nation to be the Arab people. To Isaac (Isaac was Abraham’s promised son by God), the Lord has brought into existence the nation of Israel and they are God’s chosen people. Today, we know Israel to be the Jewish people of our world.

Eventually the heart of God’s people, Israel, made their way to Egypt where they found a new home. That was until the people of Egypt turned on them.

“Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph. (Joseph was a man of God and also the old king of Egypt) And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we: Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land. Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses. But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel. And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour:” - Exodus 1:8-13

Israel needed a hero to save her from the affliction of Egypt and her new Pharaoh. Then a Hebrew was born who would do just that. This Hebrew child was named Moses and he grew to become one of the first and one of the greatest evangelistic tools ever given to us by God. God would use Moses to free Israel from bondage and bring it out of Egypt unto its own land.

“And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt: But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt.” -Exodus 13:17-18

The Lord cherished his people Israel. I believe He loved them above all other people on the planet. He would see them through a lot adversity. But, Israel was a very stubborn people and took for granted much of what the Lord gave them. Finally on this struggling spiritual journey the Lord gave His people something that they and the rest of the world would value for eternity, the ten commandments.

#1 You shall have no other gods besides me.

#2 You shall not worship any idol.

#3 You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.

#4 Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.

#5 Honor your father and your mother.

#6 You shall not murder.

#7 You shall not commit adultery.

#8 You shall not steal.

#9 You shall not give false testimony.

#10 You shall not covet anything that is your neighbor’s.

(Paraphrased from Exodus 20:3-17)

Moses and many other prophets spoke of a Messiah that would eventually come and save the world. The following verses from the bible are the prophecies and fulfillments of those prophecies.

Prophecy: “The Lord would raise up a prophet in Israel to whom they should pay attention.” -Deuteronomy 18:15

Fulfillment: “The apostles saw Jesus as this prophet: the Christ.” -Acts 3:18-23

Prophecy: “An important ruler would come from the little town of Bethlehem, one whose origins were ‘from the days of old, from everlasting’” -Micah 5:2

Fulfillment: “Jesus was born in Bethlehem.” -Luke 2:4-7

Prophecy: “A virgin would bear a son, whose name would mean ‘God with us.’ This would be a sign from the Lord.” -Isaiah 7:14

Fulfillment: “Mary, a virgin, was told by an angel that she would conceive a child, by the power of the Holy Spirit, whose name was to be Jesus (“Savior”).” -Luke 1:26-35; Matthew 1:18-25.

Prophecy: “The Lord would send a special messenger to prepare the way for his own coming.” -Malachi 3:1

Fulfillment: “John the Baptist came to preach and prepare the way for one greater than himself.” -Luke 4:16-20

Prophecy: “The Lord God would anoint a liberator, one who would preach good news to the poor, the brokenhearted, the captive, and the mourning.”
-Isaiah 61:1-3

Fulfillment: “Jesus began his ministry by explaining that he was the person referred to in Isaiah’s prophecy.” -Luke 4:16-20

Prophecy: “The special Servant of the Lord would suffer and be rejected.”
-Isaiah 53:3

Fulfillment: “Jesus was rejected and put to death for being who he was and saying what he said.” -Luke 23:13-25; John 1:10-11

Prophecy: “The coming righteous King and Redeemer would come to his people riding on a young donkey.” -Zechariah 9:9

Fulfillment: “The last week of his life on earth, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey.” -Mark 11:1-11

Prophecy: “The special Servant of the Lord would remain silent when cruelly treated.” -Isaiah 53:7

Fulfillment: “Jesus refused to answer the false charges made to Pilate against him.” -Mark 15:3-5

Prophecy: “The special Servant of the Lord would suffer on behalf of others.” -Isaiah 53:5

Fulfillment: “The heart of the gospel is the good news that Christ died for our sins.” -Romans 5:6-8

Prophecy: “The Messiah would be mocked and insulted because his God was not delivering him in his time of anguish.” -Psalm 22:7-8

Fulfillment: “Bystanders sneered at Jesus on the cross because God had not saved him from death by crucifixion.” -Luke 23:35

Prophecy: “The Messiah would be given gall and vinegar.” -Psalm 69:21

Fulfillment: “After carrying his cross to Golgotha, Jesus was given wine vinegar mixed with gall (bad tasting) for his thirst.” -Matthew 27:34

Prophecy: “The Messiah’s clothing would be divided up by lot.” -Psalm 22:18

Fulfillment: “After crucifying him, the Roman soldiers divided up Jesus’ clothes by casting lots.” -Matthew 27:35

Prophecy: “God would redeem his Holy One (The Messiah) from the grave; his body would not decay.” -Psalm 16:10; 49:15

Fulfillment: “God raised Jesus from the dead. Without the resurrection, the hopes of Christianity would be only wishful thinking.” -Mark 16:6-7; I Corinthians 15:16-19

Jesus Christ was given to us by God. He was brought to us via the Holy Spirit of God through a virgin woman. This man was the Son of God given to all of us so that we may live eternally.

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.” -Matthew 1:18

“Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” -Matthew 1:23

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” -John 3:16

Jesus changed the world and not since the flood has so great an event occurred as the birth of the Messiah. Just think about it, the creator of our universe sacrificed his Son so that mankind could have a chance to redeem itself and live forever. Can you imagine how difficult it had to be walking in Christ shoes? He could do anything! He could call on all the angels of Heaven to come to his aid, He could make people understand His messages with a snap of His finger and He could even stop the world completely and start all over again if He wanted to. But Jesus loved us so much that He chose to play the ultimate game. A game that had been played from the beginning, the sacrificial game. I guess I shouldn’t call it a game but rather a formula. This formula says that one must give to get. We all understand this don’t we? We sacrifice our time everyday to work, we sacrifice our money to eat and we give of our own health to live within an industrial society. All must give, even the Lord our God. Even though the Lord doesn’t have to, He chooses to follow the same formula as mankind has followed since the beginning of creation. God brought His Son into the world through a virgin woman, Jesus lived a life of teaching and He died for all of our sins so that we may live forever. It’s so simple to understand and yet so many people choose to deny it.

Jesus Christ not only died for this world, but he did something even greater than that, He rose again!

“For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day.” -Mark 9:31

Jesus Christ is alive and sits at the right hand side of God in Heaven. He paid the ultimate price and became man to save man. After Jesus saved the world He again went to Heaven to rule over it. Next to the creation of the universe and the end of our world, the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus is the most significant point in all of history.

After Jesus Christ had risen and had spent time with His disciples He brought down to earth a helper, the Holy Spirit (aka Holy Ghost).

“And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” -Acts 2:1-4

“But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” -Acts 2:14-21

God sent to all Born Again Christians a spirit that would help to guide and witness to the glory of God. We are not alone in this struggle for survival. The world can be a very dark and bewildering place and it’s nice to know that we have the Holy Spirit here with us.

Since the Holy Spirit was brought down to us by God, Born Again Christians have made it their mission to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ to the entire world. We want all people to know the good news that the Holy Bible speaks of. We understand that all people will not believe that the bible is truth and that’s ok. As long as all people give the bible a chance.

Through the many ages of man, following the resurrection of Christ, the Christian World has taken many hits. Born Again Christians aren’t perfect and we never claimed to be. We’re survivors, meaning we hold onto our faith and have accepted the grace of God in our sinful lives. Many men and women through the years have claimed to be devout Christians and were not. Many men and women who are devout Christians have made mistakes and have appeared to be frauds. No one is perfect, we are all sinful and fall short of the glory of God.

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” -Romans 3:23

Please, don’t judge Born Again Christians by what they do, judge yourself by what you don’t do. Be true to you and make proper decisions based on Christian morals. This world is becoming so gray when it comes to right and wrong. What we need to do is support what is truly good and righteous and attempt to put a stop to those things that are evil and self edifying.

Please, learn more about history and how true Christianity has survived through it all. Our spiritual faith survived the Roman Empire, and the tragic crusades, it even spread its borders to America and right through the Civil War. It clawed its way across the wastelands of World War I and it even held its head up and survived World War II.

Christianity has even survived through out all the conflicts in the middle east. The heart of our spiritual world, Israel, has even survived. This brings me to my next important topic, I call it Jewish Survivors.

To understand history and to even begin to imagine the future is to understand the struggles of the Jewish people and her homeland, Israel. On May 14, 1948, the state of Israel was proclaimed at Tel Aviv. Finally, through many ages of determination and tragedy the Jews finally had their own homeland. A government was formed at Tel Aviv, with Chaim Weizmann as president and David Ben-Gurion as prime minister. But, with a new home came many new struggles. On Oct. 6, 1973, on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur, Egypt and Syria made an attack on Israeli positions in the Sinai and the Golan Heights. Other Arab states sent contingents of soldiers to help in the attack on Israel. Egypt succeeded in sending troops in force across the Suez Canal to the east bank before being stopped by Israeli troops. Toward the end of the fighting, the Israelis managed to send their own troops across the Suez Canal to the west bank, encircling Egypt’s Third Army on the east bank and clearing a path to Cairo. They also drove the Syrians even further back toward Damascus. A cease-fire called for by the UN Security Council on October 22 and 23 went into effect shortly thereafter. In Dec., 1973, the 1st Arab-Israeli peace conference started in Geneva, Switzerland, under UN auspices. An agreement to disengage Israeli and Egyptian forces was reached in Jan., 1974, largely because of the “shuttle diplomacy” mediation of U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. Egypt started peace initiatives with Israel in 1977, when Egyptian President Sadat visited Jerusalem. A year later, with help from U.S. President Jimmy Carter, the terms of peace between Egypt and Israel were negotiated at Camp David, Md. A formal treaty, signed on Mar. 26, 1979, in Washington, D.C., granted full recognition of Israel by Egypt, opened trade relations between the two countries, returned the Sinai to Egyptian control (completed in 1982), and also limited Egyptian military buildup in the Sinai. Though treaties have been signed and peace negotiations still continue we still ask the question, “Will Israel and the rest of the middle east ever truly have peace?” Regardless, the Jews will survive because they are God’s chosen people. Someday their eyes shall be opened and they too will become Christian Survivors. I love the Jewish people and I respect their hardships and their obedience to God. They need only believe that Jesus Christ was the Messiah. (Much of the information in this paragraph was acquired from “Ecyclopedia.com”)

You’re probably wondering why I gave such detail in explaining the birth of the Jewish state and her trials. It’s important to understand the impact that Israel has on Christianity and the future of God’s people. As a Born Again Christian we should always keep track of what is happening with Israel. I believe Israel is the heart of our spiritual faith. Why else would such a small country surrounded by many millions of people who want to destroy her still survive? Because Israel is under God’s protection and is therefore the most important land in all history.

SEPTEMBER 11nth, 2001

I was sitting at my desk at work sorting through my various paperwork when I heard the most startling report, “A plane has just hit one of the twin trade towers in New York.” Needless to say, my entire office including myself, was glued to the television in our conference room. We watched as two planes (under control of terrorists) destroyed two of the largest landmarks in New York. We also watched as another plane (also under the control of terrorists) went down in Pennsylvania. And finally, another plane hit the Pentagon. Thousands died in this atrocious act of terrorism.

The following article is from “September11news.com”

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Our research on September 11 in history uncovered many anomalies and perhaps a significant prophetic sign.

The most startling discovery was a book written in 1981, 20 years prior to the 2001 attacks, called “The Birth of Christ Recalculated”. The author, Dr. Ernest L. Martin, claims to have calculated the exact date of Jesus Christ’s birth based on the celestial charts for that era. The date of Christ’s birth, based on the famous Star of Bethlehem, is calculated to be September 11, 3 B.C.. Dr. Martin’s findings have been accepted by many scholars, theologians, historians, and astronomers. We also note that Jesus Christ has 11 letters. The crosses found standing in the ruins of the WTC, and the dominance of the number 11 in the 9-11 events, make this combination even more mysterious.

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