The Universe has not always existed. Scientists agree that it had a beginning, and they call it the Big Bang theory.

The book of Genesis states that God created the heavens and the earth, (and it may very well have been a Big Bang!)

A short list of scientists who believed in the existence of God include:  Galileo Galilei; Blaise Pascal; Isaac Newton; Louis Pasteur; Robert Boyle; Albert Einstein; Ernest Haeckel; Thomas Huxley; and Charles Darwin, (yes, Charles Darwin!).

 

Most modern era scientists who believe in God are generally not forthcoming about their belief, for fear of being disenfranchised by their peers.  One exception is Dr. Francis Collins, Director of the Human Genome Project.¹

On December 26, 1941, just three weeks after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Sir Winston Churchill came to the United States to address a special Joint Session of Congress in the Senate Chamber.  He spoke of how Great Britain and the United States would be victorious allies in the war with Germany, Japan and Italy.  He concluded his speech with this statement:

 

“… I will say that he must indeed have a blind soul who cannot see that some great purpose and design is being worked out here below, of which we have the honor to be the faithful servants.” ²

 

The great purpose that Churchill was referring to is God’s Plan for mankind, and we are faithful servants if we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.   Some of you may be thinking, “It’s hard to believe that Sir Winston Churchill was a Christian!  He drank whiskey; and he smoked cigars; and he cussed.”

 

God does not ask us to be perfect;  He only asks us to accept His Son as our Lord and Savior, and to accept the Blood of Jesus Christ as payment-in-full for our sins.

There are hundreds of religions in addition to Christianity, such as:  Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Judaism and Baha'i, to name just a few of the larger ones.  Billions of people are followers of these religions.  Is there any way that we can know - for sure - that Jesus Christ is the Son of God?

Yes there is, by answering this question:

 

The Question:  “Where are the founders of all of the world’s religions”, including, but  not limited to Jesus Christ, Muhammad, Siddhartha Gautama, Shri Guru Nanak Dev, Abraham, and Baha’u’llah?

 

The Answer: They are all still in their graves, with one exception:

                             - Jesus Christ -

 

More than 500-eyewitnesses³ saw Jesus Christ during the 40-days following His resurrection from the grave.  After 40-days, there were at least twelve eyewitnesses as Jesus ascended into the Heavens⁴ from the Mount of Olives, close to the village of Bethany, about 2-miles east of Jerusalem.

 

The Resurrection proved Jesus Christ to be the Son of God.

Photo courtesy of NASA and the Hubble Space Telescope

The Crab Nebula is a constantly expanding, supernova remnant, and pulsar wind nebula in the constellation of Taurus.

Sir Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for two terms: 1940-1945; 1951-1955

The concept of offering the Blood of an unblemished lamb, (and other animals, as well), for the atonement of sins was taught to the ancient Israelites in the Book of Leviticus.  “For the life of the flesh is in the Blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the Blood that makes atonement for the soul.” - Lev 17:11

 

When Blood is shed, a life is shed, and in this liturgical act of worship, the Israelites acknowledged that were it not for the Grace of God, it would be the worshipper who would have to die, rather than the animal.

 

Jesus healed the sick, but this was not His purpose for coming to this Earth; He came as the unblemished Lamb of God to shed His Blood as atonement for our sins, that we may have a relationship with Him, and that we may have life everlasting.  “For this cause I have come...” - John 18:37

His Blood was first shed at the whipping pillar, but this was not His life’s Blood.  Torture went hand-in-hand with the decadence of the late Roman Empire.  The Roman legionnaire used a short whip, (flagrum; cat o’ nine tails), consisting of several heavy leather thongs, (perhaps nine), with lead balls and other objects embedded in the ends of the thongs.

 

Roman law called for 40-lashes, less one.  The flagrum tore through muscle and tissue until His back was an unrecognizable mass of shredded, bleeding flesh.

 

The purpose of scourging was to torture and to render the prisoner close to death — but not to kill him — because the Romans did not want miss the spectacle of the crucifixion.

With a crown of thorns placed on His head—causing more blood to run down His face—He was led off to Golgotha, where he was nailed to one of three wooden crosses, along with two convicted robbers, one on either side of Him.  This is where He shed His life’s Blood for us.  Throughout the bible, Blood is the vehicle for redemption.  We cannot understand Jesus unless we are able to understand Blood, ! ^{(see footnote)}

 

After approximately seven hours of hanging on the cross, Jesus said “it is finished”, and at the moment Jesus died, the veil of the temple, (the curtain between the Holy of Holies and the congregation), was torn in two from top to bottom, representing that from then on there would be no separation between God and his people.  There would be no more need for Blood sacrifices, since the ultimate sacrifice had been made.

So where are you, right now?  Is your life turned upside-down?  Do you feel hopeless; no direction; no focus; no answers.  Does it seem like there is no way out of this dilemma?

 

Jesus is the answer.  Really!

Sounds too simple, doesn’t it?  It isn’t!

 

Sir Winston Churchill correctly noted that there is a purpose being worked out down here below!  We have a hard time accepting that concept, because we think it’s all about us.

It isn’t.  It’s all about Jesus Christ.  Once we make that connection, Jesus will turn our lives around!

 

So, what do you do next?  The Bible says if we confess our sins⁵, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  Ask Jesus for forgiveness and help⁶, and then talk to a  local pastor about baptism.  (Jesus asked John the Baptist to baptize Him in the Jordan River!)

Footnotes

 

1. Dr. Francis Collins      http://articles.cnn.com/2007-04-03/us/collins.commentary

2. Churchill quote           http://www.winstonchurchill.org

3. 500 Eyewitnesses      1st Corinthians 15:6

4. Ascension of Jesus    Luke 24:50-51

5. Confess our sins        1st John 1:9

6. Ask God for help        Matthew 7:11

 

V Note about blood:       Spirit Beings are not flesh and blood—they are Spirit.  Jesus had been a Spirit Being forever.  When God the Father sent Jesus to this Earth, He had to be miraculously transformed from a Spirit Being to a Human Being, so He would have life-giving Blood to shed for our sins!  When God resurrected His Son, Jesus  was once again a Spirit Being: King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Is Jesus the Son of God?

In order to answer the question, “Is Jesus the Son of God”, we must first believe that God truly does exist!

 

 

We are not asked to accept and believe every dot and tittle in the Bible, but to believe the One whom the Bible reveals. 

 

³⁹ “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life;

and these are they which testify of Me.

⁴⁰ But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.”  (John 5:39-40)

 

 

 

 

It’s all about Jesus and the Blood that He shed for our sins!

 

 

 

 

 

Revised May 2011 —  Ross A. Swanson, Redding, CA