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First a person must seek God. He must be longing for something better – for righteousness. James 4:8 (NKJV), “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” A person recognizes his sinful condition and repents. He learns Jesus died for him and he accepts Jesus. Ephesians 1:13 (NKJV), “In Him (Christ) you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also,… believed,…” That person becomes one in the household of faith. (Galatians 6:10) During this present age (before Christ establishes His kingdom on Earth), God may choose to call him with a heavenly calling (Matthew 22:14; Hebrews 3:1) by sacrifice. Romans 12:1 (KJV), “I beseech you therefore, brethren (?believers?), by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”  As Jesus said, “… If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” Matthew 16:24. If a person does give his heart to God, that one should receive water baptism. Acts 22:16 (NKJV), “And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” Salvation from the death sentence pronounced on Adam occurs if God accepts your consecration. At that point He begets a new life in you with the Holy Spirit. This sacrificial life, the denial of self-will to do God’s will, is only possible for new creatures with the transforming help of the Holy Spirit.  John 6:63 (Weymouth), “It is the spirit which gives Life. The flesh confers no benefit whatever. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and are Life.” The faithful receive a heavenly resurrection and reign with Christ. Revelation 17:14, “… he (?Jesus?) is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.” After Armageddon, Jesus will resurrect the rest of the world (John 5:28) and establish His peaceable kingdom. 1 Corinthians 15:22-26 (RSV), 22 “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ (Jesus and His Church) the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ (those who will learn to love righteousness and regain human perfection). 24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”

“For Christ suffered once…” When Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River, He was begotten to a new spirit life with the Holy Spirit. The next 3 1/2 years, until He was crucified, were spent daily sacrificing His will and human life to do only God’s will. Jesus faithfully obeyed and glorified His Father through His obedience unto death. Thus Jesus received a divine resurrection to immortality, honor, and glory. Revelation 5:12 (RSV), “saying with a loud voice, ‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!’” Christ sacrificed His human life and died one time on the cross. As Paul explained in Hebrews 9:24-26 (NKJV) 24 “For Christ has not entered the holy places (the Tabernacle) made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; 25 not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another– 26 He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.” Romans 6:10 (NKJV), “For the death that He died, He died to sin (as the ransom and sin offering) once for all (all time)”. There is never a need for future masses or sacrifices. That would make Jesus’ sacrifice insufficient to cover our sins. But His sacrifice is all sufficient.  1 John 2:2 (RSV), “and he is the expiation (atoning sacrifice) for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” 1 Peter 3:18, “…the just for the unjust…” The just is the perfect man Jesus Christ. Jesus died for the unjust (sinful) Adam. Romans  3:10, 23-24 (RSV), 10 “as it is written: ‘None is righteous (just), no, not one; … 23 since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 they are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus”. 1 Peter 3:18, “… that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit”. The whole purpose of Jesus sacrificing His human life was to provide an opportunity for all mankind to be restored to the perfection that Adam lost. Acts 3:20-21 (NKJV), “whom heaven must receive (or retain) until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.”

Why did Jesus tell his disciples to buy swords? Jesus was a man of peace, who healed the sick and stood up for righteousness at every turn as God’s representative. He carried out his mission perfectly, preaching about God’s kingdom and dying as a ransom for Adam. Does it surprise you to know that on the night he was arrested, he told his disciples to buy swords? Some misunderstand this scripture to mean that Jesus supported violence. Could that be true? Absolutely not! First, let’s look at the account in Luke where Jesus said in the Upper Room: (Luke 22:36, NASB 1995) “…whoever has no sword is to sell his coat and buy one.” Now let’s set the scene: He and his disciples are in the Garden of Gethsemane, and Jesus knows the time has come when he would be betrayed by Judas, taken as a prisoner, and then crucified the next day. But there was something the group who came to arrest him did not know –  that Jesus was able to ask his Father to send him legions of angels for his defense and protection. Therefore, it was necessary for Jesus to show that he willingly allowed himself to be captured. The swords were there to give the impression that Jesus COULD HAVE defended himself, but he did not – he clearly went voluntarily to die for all of humankind. Had there not been weapons present, it would have looked as though he had had no choice but to go with them, and that’s not the lesson we are to take from this account. Another reason we know Jesus did not support violence is because of what happened when Peter, attempting to defend Jesus, (ironically with one of those swords), cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant, named Malchus. In Matthew, we read: “‘Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, ‘for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.’” Then Jesus miraculously healed the servant’s ear – a perfect example of what it means to love your enemies! In his darkest hour, they came to arrest this peaceful man with swords and clubs as though he was a dangerous criminal. He knew the terrible treatment that was to come, yet his thoughts were of the safety of his disciples. He said (John 18:8, NIV),  “… if you are looking for me, then let these men go.” So, why did Jesus tell his disciples to buy swords? Because it was necessary to show that his capture was not made by force, but that he voluntarily allowed himself to be taken and crucified. The swords were intended only for show – a demonstration – and not for a true defense, even though impulsive Peter ended up using one. But kind-hearted Jesus reprimanded him for that action and healed the wound Peter had caused. Jesus never supported violence, but instead was a perfect example to us of peace and love.

The Apostle Paul explains faith in Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV), “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen..” Thayer’s Greek Lexicon defines the Greek word for “substance” as a firm foundation or assurance. So faith gives us the assurance that God will always keep His promises and that the Bible is always true. “Evidence” is “a proof, that by which a thing is proved or tested” as defined again by Thayer’s. So, our faith in God is the assurance and the proof that what God has said, He will do – even though we cannot see how things will work out. How do we increase our faith? By developing a relationship with the God of the Bible. First we need to learn about what the Bible declares are the four attributes of God. Justice is a foundation of God’s character. Psalm 89:14 (ESV), “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.” Love is one of God’s attributes. 1 John 4:16 (NKJV), “And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.” Everything God does is always the most loving and best action. Wisdom is another attribute of God. Psalm 104:24 (NKJV), “O LORD, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all…” All Power belongs to God. Daniel 2:20 (NASB20), “Daniel said, ‘May the name of God be blessed forever and ever, For wisdom and power belong to Him.” Jeremiah 51:15 (NKJV), “He has made the earth by His power; He has established the world by His wisdom, And stretched out the heaven by His understanding.” All of God’s attributes work in harmony together in every aspect of His being, His purposes, His plans, and His promises. As we see evidences of His work in our lives through answered prayer, providences, and the fulfillment of His Bible promises and prophecies, our faith becomes anchored in Him.

The Bible meaning of wisdom is clearly stated in Proverbs 1:2, “To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding”. Wisdom together with understanding appears many times in the Bible. Knowing facts alone doesn’t necessarily mean perceiving understanding (or wisdom). This definition of wisdom (“to perceive the words of understanding”) works with all of the 200+ scripture citations. Here are a few. 1 Kings 4:29, “And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore.” Deuteronomy 4:6, “Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.” 1 Chronicles 22:12, “Only the LORD give thee wisdom and understanding, and give thee charge concerning Israel, that thou mayest keep the law of the LORD thy God.” Job 12:13, “With him is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding.” Psalm 111:10, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endures for ever.” Here is another explanation of wisdom. John 1:3 states, “All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” Therefore, we recognize that Jesus is beautifully pictured as wisdom in Proverbs 8:22-23, 28, 30-31. “The LORD possessed me at the beginning of His way, Before His works of old. 23 I have been established from everlasting, From the beginning, before there was ever an earth. … 28 When He established the clouds above, W en He strengthened the fountains of the deep, … 30 Then I was beside Him as a master craftsman; And I was daily His delight, Rejoicing always before Him, 31 Rejoicing in His inhabited world, And my delight was with the sons of men.” When we become consecrated Christians, Jesus is made our wisdom. 1 Corinthians 1:30 (RSV), “… in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom,…” So we live through Jesus, and we “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” Colossians 3:16 As we are transformed into Christ-likeness, His godly wisdom shines in our lives. “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.” James 3:17 Hence for the Christian, wisdom is not only to know the Lord’s instructions for our lives, but in applying them, we should understand the principles that are their foundation.

Revelation 14:14-15 (NKJV), “…behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle. 15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, ‘…the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.’” Our Lord Jesus has returned as King and Reaper. Certainly we can see the chaos of earthly governments (kingly authority destroying the corrupt systems, Daniel 2:44), the binding and burning of the tares (Matthew 13:30, people leaving the churches), the increase of knowledge and travel (Michael as the returned Lord in Daniel 12:1 and 4). Probably the most powerful sign of our Lord’s return is the re-establishment of the nation of Israel after being ‘dead’ for more than 2000 years.  This never happened to any nation in human history. The fig tree in prophecy refers to the nation of Israel. Luke 21:29, 30, “And He told them a parable: ‘Look at the fig tree and all the trees:  as soon as they put forth leaves, you see for yourselves and know that summer is now near.’”  Since 1874, and especially since the establishment of the nation of Israel in 1948, hundreds of colonized countries have ‘sprung up’ as independent nations.  This multiplication of nations has also not happened before. In Ezekiel 38, the prophet is given a vision of the valley of dry bones that are gathered and gradually restored and finally given the ‘breath of life’.  This can be interpreted to refer to the land and people of ISRAEL .  First, they are gathered together as ‘bones.’ The first Jews to come back to Palestine had no real Jewish vitality. The land was a desolate wilderness. Nobody actually SPOKE Hebrew.  Great sacrifices were made to bring the land back into fertile productivity. Eliazar Ben Yehuda, with the help of his family, brought Hebrew back to life as a modern language.  The ‘bones’ took on human characteristics. The terrible pogroms of Europe, culminating with World War Two and the Holocaust, caused millions of Jews to flee to the British Mandate Palestine. In 1948, the ‘bones’ stood up and Israel was born as a nation among the nations of the world.  The full ‘breath of life’ will finally come into force at the beginning of the Kingdom of Blessing when Israel will recognize Jesus as their Messiah and Savior (Zechariah 12:10) of not just Israel, but of the entire world of mankind. In Zechariah 14:7, we have, perhaps the most beautiful scripture of all to summarize the process of the establishing of God’s worldwide Kingdom of Peace: “For it will be a unique day which is known to the Lord, neither day nor night, but it will come about that at the time of evening there will be light.”

There is nothing to prove that Christ was born December 25th, but the evidence is strong that the time of his birth was about October 1st. It is generally recognized that Jesus was crucified on Friday, April 3, AD 33. The fact that his crucifixion occurred at the close of the 14th day of the Jewish month Nisan, and that this date rarely falls on Friday, but did so in the year A.D. 33 substantiates that date. (For the 10 years Pontius Pilate was governor, under whom Jesus died, there was only a single year in which Nisan 14 fell on a Friday.) Our Lord was about 30 years of age when he began his ministry (Luke 3:23), and it is clear that his ministry was only for three-and-a-half years. This generally conceded fact is proved by Daniel’s prophecy (Daniel 9:25-27) concerning Christ being cut off in the middle of the seventieth week of Israel’s favor. The “seventy weeks” (a day for a year–490 days, or 490 years–Ezekiel 4:6) dating from 454 B.C. terminated AD 36. In the “midst” of that last week of seven years, the “seventieth week,” Christ was “cut off” –crucified– April 3, A.D. 33. As the Lord Jesus was thirty-three and a half years old when he died, we have only to measure back that length of time to the date of his death to ascertain the date of his birth, which would be about October 3d, BC 2.

What was life like in Bible times? The Bible is like a historical “time capsule” giving us insight into daily life! How did people get around with no airplanes, cars, or trains? They walked of course, and there were animals and other things to ride. Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey a few days before his death. (see Matthew 21:1–11, Mark 11:1–11, Luke 19:28–44, John 12:14) Jacob’s wives and children rode camels. (see Genesis 31:17) Joseph rode a chariot when he went to visit his father, Jacob. (see Genesis 46:29) Joseph gave his brothers carts (sometimes translated as ‘wagons’) to bring their children, wives and father to Egypt. (see Genesis 45:21) In Moses’ time, Pharaoh’s army (see Exodus 14:9, 23) rode horses and chariots. So, if you like animals, you would’ve had fun taking care of them and riding them! What kind of music did they have? Miriam, Moses’ sister, played the tambourine. (see Exodus 15:20) David played the harp  (see 1 Samuel 16:23) and wrote many songs praising and honoring God. When David’s son, Solomon, became king, they played  “ram’s horns” (or “trumpets”) at the celebration. The account also mentions “pipes” (or “flutes.”). (see 1 Kings 1:35-40) So, if you’ve got musical talent, you would have enjoyed writing songs to praise God, and playing various instruments! Without video games or the internet, what did people do for fun? The Apostle Paul compares a Christian devoting their lives to God and following Jesus as “running a race,” so that was obviously an activity people knew. (see 1 Corinthians 9:24) Paul also mentions boxing in the same context. (see 1 Corinthians 9:26) Paul further talks about athletes training and competing as a metaphor for the challenges associated with living a godly life, so his audience clearly understood this sports reference. (see 1 Corinthians 9:25) Swimming is mentioned in the Bible, so it’s reasonable to imagine people swam for enjoyment or even competition. (see Acts 27:43, Ezekiel 47:5, Isaiah 25:11) We know people attended weddings, and even Jesus was a guest! (see John 2:1-12) There were parties in Bible times, too – a banquet was given in honor of Esther becoming queen (see Esther 2:18) People danced to praise God. (see Psalm 149:3) So, maybe you would have been invited to exciting parties with food and dancing. If you like competitions and physical activities, you could have joined in! With no instant messages, how did people communicate with far-off friends? They wrote letters! The Apostle Paul is credited with writing several books of the Bible, and some of these books are actually letters to the early churches. Paul was a very good writer, offering valuable advice and encouragement, like, “Be thankful In all circumstances,…” (1 Thessalonians 5:18, NLT) and “Let us not become weary in doing good,…” (Galatians 6:9, NIV) So, if you like writing, you could have sent letters to faraway friends and family, perhaps telling them everything you were thankful for! So, what was life like in Bible times? Many activities are familiar to us today. Let’s make the most of what we have in our OWN time period, learning about and praising God!

The birth of Jesus was celebrated in the Bible. First an angel came to shepherds and announced the blessed birth of our Savior. Then a whole choir of angels rejoiced in song and sang to the shepherds. Luke 2:8-11, 13-14 (NKJV), 8 “Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10 Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. … 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 14 ‘Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!’” But there are no records of Jesus, the apostles, or the early church commemorating Jesus’s birth. Did Jesus establish any holy days of remembrance for his followers? Yes, Jesus did instruct true Christians to remember his sacrificial death. Luke 22:19-20 (CSB), 19 “And he took bread, gave thanks, broke it, gave it to them, and said, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’  20 In the same way he also took the cup after supper and said, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.’” Is remembering Jesus’s birth wrong? No. We may rejoice as did the heavenly choir of angels by singing Christmas carols. We may give gifts of love to each other just as the wise men gave gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And truly, anytime people want to thankfully rejoice in Jesus – whether it be over his birth, loving teachings, miracles, his invitation to follow him, or his death on the cross – we can certainly rejoice with them.

When God created Adam, the scriptures clearly teach the meaning of soul, spirit, and body. Genesis 2:7 (KJV), “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Please note: Adam did not receive a soul, he became a soul. Thus,  Body + Breath of Life = Living Soul. We may illustrate this with a light bulb. The bulb is like the body. The electricity is like the breath of life. The shining light is like the living soul. Without the bulb or the electricity, the shining light does not exist. Similarly, without a body and without a breath of life, the soul does not exist. So, a soul does not enter a fetus. The fetus becomes a soul. What does the Bible teach about the fetus and aborted or premature births? We need to reason on the subject because the Bible is not specific. In the Law Covenant, it reads, “Now if people struggle with each other and strike a pregnant woman so that she gives birth prematurely, but there is no injury, the guilty person shall certainly be fined as the woman’s husband may demand of him, and he shall pay as the judges decide. But if there is any further injury, then you shall appoint as a penalty life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.” – Exodus 21:22-25 (NASB20) These scriptures speak about an injury, but are not specific respecting who is injured. It might apply to an injury to the woman or to the child. If it does apply to the child and the child dies, then strict justice means “a life for a life.” There are also some additional indirect scriptures in Job 3:11, 13, 15-16 (NASB20), 11 “Why did I (Job) not die at birth, Come out of the womb and pass away?…13 “For now I would have lain down and been quiet; I would have slept then, I would have been at rest,…15-16 “Or with rulers who had gold, Who were filling their houses with silver. Or like a miscarriage which is hidden, I would not exist, As infants that never saw light.” In these verses, Job is wishing he had never been born. Then he could be in the grave with all the dead, including those miscarried, and those who were stillborn. Since Job believed he would be resurrected (See Job 19:25-26) with all of mankind, his desire to have died as an unborn human being seems to indicate that those fetuses will also be resurrected. Consequently, it seems reasonable that at some point, while in the womb, a fetus becomes a soul. However, we are not dogmatic about when this occurs.