haar

If jesus had not risen from the dead, no one would have placed his faith on him after his death. But he was risen to the glory of God. His resurrection was a seal of god stamping his comfirmation that Jesus was indeed the Messiah.

The Thessalonians were shaken, terrified and confused that they have missed the rapture because some mischiievious fellows spread the false report that the coming of the Lord had already taken place. Paul however assured them that the rapture had not yet taken place. That before the rapture, the lawless one would appear first to confuse and mislead people to lure them away from the Lord. Then the Lord will come to gather his people to heaven and the wicked ones to eternal damnation.

The proof of the undisturbed grave cloth is to me the most compelling as it debunks all the theories/ arguments put up by Christian scholars who have tried to redicule the core of our faith. It could not be explained away by all the different arguments put against the resurrection event because the schoalars could not find any good reason to counter it. The post resurrection appearance to many witnesses is also staggering and is proof the my Lord Jesus is risen indeed.

The disciples were in a terrifying fearful state of mind and in hiding at the arrest and crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ. They could not then have risked their lives to steal the body of Christ or even do anything that will put them at risk. The sudden boost in their faith was their conviction of the ressrection brought about after they visited the empty tomb, jesus appearance to them etc.

The disciples, Roman soldiers and others did not have any good motive to steal the body of Christ. The one I love is the argument presented by Dr. Pastor Ralph about Jesus's enemies who could have stolen the body. It is true if they had stolen the body, they would have simply reproduce it when the disciples started proclaiming the message of the resurrection. But they could not because they did not have it!!

Liberal Christians Scholars explain away the bodily resurrection of Christ because it cannot be proved scientically or historcally. But resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ is not a mere natural thing but a divine preordained spiritual event.

Christ's resurrection is his bodily exit from the grave alive while ascension is leaving the earth and lifted to heaven where he is seated on the right hand of God. The two fit together as they are the harmonious coming back to life after death, leaving the grave and ascending into heaven after fourty days. That Christ would rise from dead was not enough until he returned to his father in heaven where he came from. Thus ascesion was the necessary end of the resurrection.

Christ glory can be described as his illuminated dazzling splendour. To the unbelievers, the dazzling splemour will be like the welding arc that blinds the eye and thus turns them away. Heanven defintely involves sharing in the glory of the Lord because the bible says we will be like him. Thus I hope to share in that glory even right from here on earth like Moses' face used to shine when stayed in the presence of God. Since Christ and his glory will not be in hell thus it is correct to describe hell as "outer darkness". The Bible further said in heaven there wont be sun and moon to provide the lights of the day and night because the glory of God will illuminate every where (except hell ofcourse).

Unbelievers will be punished with everlasting destruction, deprived of the presence and glory of God. The punishment in hell is eternal and is confirmed in 1Thes 1:9 when it talks of "everlasting" destruction. I do not have any challenge about the fact that God's judgement to the wicket who reject him will be everlasting.

God will not be just if he did not punish sin. Retribution is God's righteous justice metted to sinners and I think this will take place on the day of judmentment

Persecution, tribulation, trials and suufering help us to grow in our faith in God's ability to overcome up coming trials; make our love for fellow suffering believers to increase and we develop further ability to persevere in all pressures. Without these trials we will not be able to deveolp that perseveraing muscles in times of the trials.

There some differences in the story of the Lord's resurrection but they are minor. Some of them are as regards number of women wh went to the tomb, the number of angels that appeared to the women, the purpose for the women's visit to the tomb, the burrial cloth etc.

Jesus' enemies heeded his prophessy of his ressrection more than his disciples because: a) They ( Pharisess) believed in resurrection and had a the back of their mind that it was possible for him to rise. They had not accepted him as the Christ and would not take chances should he prove them wrong. They thus took physical measures to stop the unstoable dynamic power of the Spirit of God that would raise him from the dead His disciples (from their actions before and after his death} did not seem to have believed that he would rise from the dead.

Jesus is the giver of life and will influense the resurrection of the by his divine power.

According to scripture, both the righteous and the unrighteous will all ressurect but the righteous will rise to receive reward while the unrighteous will be condemned.

Job believed that he would see his redeemer face to face in his physical bodily state thus differing the Jews before him who believed that one went into a dark place called sheol. Progessive revelation is a term used by theologeans to refer to God's continuous illunination of a truth thus making the subject clearer

I will tell the true christian who is not sure of his salvation that Christ has saved him and he is positionally saved and should not doubt this. He should however make sure he does not engage in willful sin but to trust God who will give him the power to overcome any temptation that may come his way.

Many people and some churches today believe that prophecies are no longer in existence and thus do accept/ believe any that might be genuine from God. Paul instructed for orderlines where people prophesy in turns. He also instructed for the congregation to examine every prophesy to comfirm if it really comes from God and is in line with the Word of God.

To rejoice continuosly is to turn to God in whatever situation in appreciation and thanksgiving for what he has done before and what he can do in the bad situation you may find yourself in. Praying continuously is to focus on God all the time in good and bad situations particularly giving him thanks for what he has done and what he will do in the challenging situation. We should not thatnk God for any evil or evil attack because God did not cause the eveil. We can on thank God in that situation because he has the power to give us victory over satan's attack. He alloud it to happen so that he will be glorified when he has given us victory and we have boosted our faith by the victory.

When people in a congregation seek revenge and refuse to forgive one another, the result will be unhealthy congrgation. It als show that those who seek vengeance and fail ti forgive are not mature Christians. God has said said we should forgive as vengeance is His. When we do not obey this, it makes him un happy with us. The congregation that is unhealthy can be healthy again if members learn to be patient with one another especially with the weaker one, help oneanother and forgive oneanother.

When people in a congregation seek revenge and refuse to forgive one another, the result will be unhealthy congrgation. It als show that those who seek vengeance and fail ti forgive are not mature Christians. God has said said we should forgive as vengeance is His. When we do not obey this, it makes him un happy with us. The congregation that is unhealthy can be healthy again if members learn to be patient with one another especially with the weaker one, help oneanother and forgive oneanother.

When people do not show respect for one another there will be disharmoney in the church, no unity and this can slow down the growth of a church. If this spreads, it may lead to braking up of the Church. Getting rid of the leader does not solve the problem. It is just that some members feel they should be the ones in authority and therefore want to bring down the leader so as to have influence in the congregation.

The belief that Christ will soon come or come without notcice should cause us to be alert and sobber. That means we should be prepared at all times living by the Word of God and abiding in him. By being sobber and or self controlled means that we should be morally balanced/ wholesome and be watchful so that we should not be taken unawares when Christ comes.

The warning we should expect prior to Christ return is that we should all be fully ready for his coming because we do not know when we would come and his come comes with judgment. His coming is compared to that of a thief because there will be no prior notice just a thief takes his victims by surprise.

When Christ returns, he will come in the clouds with all those who slept in the Lord and are now with him in heaven and every eye will see them. Christ will also be accomapnied by the Arch angel.