Update 288

On April 7, 2007, Kalon Mitchell and Michael Link will give split sermons, titled, “Human Nature” and “Hope, Faith and Love.” The services can be heard at www.cognetservices.org at 12:30 pm Pacific Time (which is 2:30 pm Central Time). Just click on Connect to Live Stream.

Monday, April 9, 2007, is the Last Day of Unleavened Bread. Norbert Link will give the sermon in the morning, titled, “How God Looks at Sin.”  Dave Harris will give the sermon in the afternoon, titled, “Walls.”

The services can be heard at www.cognetservices.org at 9:00 am and 2:00 pm Pacific Time (which is 11:00 am and 4:00 pm Central Time). Just click on Connect to Live Stream.

Observing the Feast of Unleavened Bread–like all of the Holy Days of God–pictures fulfillments both past, present and future. This specific period is a time when we are not to have leavening in our homes or in any of the food we eat. Leavening symbolizes sin in this circumstance (1 Corinthians 5:6-8; Galatians 5:9).

For the Israelites, coming out of slavery and idolatry–their “leavening”–was departure from Egypt. In turn, Egypt was a type of the world and its system that exists under the powerful influence of Satan. John drew a contrast between those called out of the world and those Satan rules: “We know that we are of God, and the WHOLE WORLD lies under the sway of the wicked one” (1 John 5:19).

Sin doesn’t just exist in small doses–it permeates our societies! Sin is a WAY OF LIFE for Satan and those he influences. What is sin? It is lawlessness–it is the breaking of and disobedience to God’s perfect laws (Compare 1 John 3:4). Even our dictionaries define sin as something “shameful, deplorable, or utterly wrong.”

No greater lie has been told by Satan than to convince mankind that they don’t have to obey God! This has been the case throughout history, and it is the circumstance that Jesus warned would overwhelm people just before His return: “‘And because  LAWLESSNESS WILL ABOUND, the love of many will grow cold'” (Matthew 24:12).

Sin destroys love, while obedience causes love to grow!

As we continue to observe this Feast of Unleavened Bread, let’s carry forward the true meaning of removing leavening by getting rid of sin as well! The way to do this is to diligently seek to obey God–to walk in the footsteps of Jesus Christ and to also live our lives without sin!

Two Highly Controversial US Supreme Court Decisions

— Bush Administration Loses on Global Warming…

In one controversial decision, the US Supreme Court disagreed with the Bush Administration on issues related to global warming.

Reuters reported on April 2:

“In a defeat for the Bush administration, the Supreme Court ruled on Monday that a U.S. government agency has the power to regulate greenhouse gas emissions that spur global warming. By a 5-4 vote, the nation’s highest court said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] ‘has offered no reasoned explanation’ for its refusal to regulate carbon dioxide and other emissions from new cars and trucks that contribute to climate change. The ruling in one of the most important environmental cases to reach the Supreme Court marked the first high court decision in a case involving global warming. President George W. Bush has opposed mandatory controls on greenhouse gases as harmful to the U.S. economy, and the administration has called for voluntary programs instead of regulation. The states and environmental groups that brought the lawsuit hailed the ruling…

“Writing for the court majority, Justice John Paul Stevens… said the EPA can avoid regulation only if it determined that the gases do not contribute to climate change or if it provided a reasonable explanation. ‘If the scientific uncertainty is so profound that it precludes EPA from making a reasoned judgment as to whether greenhouse cases contribute to global warming, EPA must say so,’ he said…

“The court’s four most conservative members — Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito, both Bush appointees, and Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas — dissented. They said the environmental groups and the states lacked the legal right to bring the lawsuit in the first place. ‘No matter how important the underlying policy issues at stake, this court has no business substituting its own desired outcome for the reasoned judgment of the responsible agency,’ Scalia wrote.”

— But Wins on “Enemy Combatants”…

In another highly controversial decision, which appears to be inconsistent with prior renderings of the same court, the US Supreme Court sided with the Bush Administration on issues related to the retention of alleged “enemy combatants” without indictment, due process or trial.

AFP reported on April 2:

‘The US Supreme Court Monday decided dozens of Guantanamo Bay prisoners had no right to challenge their detention in federal court, handing the Bush administration a major victory for its ‘war on terror’ legal strategy. Only three of the nine judges on the court said they would be prepared to examine the… petition [which] was filed on behalf of inmates of the Guantanamo camp in Cuba, who have little prospect of facing formal charges, a tribunal or a return to their home countries… Monday’s decision was the latest dramatic legal chapter in a fiery debate over the treatment of Guantanamo inmates that brought the ‘war on terror’ into conflict with civil liberties provisions of the US constitution.”

The Associated Press added on April 2:

“… none of the roughly 385 detainees has yet had a hearing in a civilian court challenging his detention because the administration has moved aggressively to limit the legal rights of prisoners it has labeled as enemy combatants… ‘This is a perfect example of justice delayed is justice denied,’ said Washington lawyer Tom Wilner, who has represented Guantanamo detainees since May 2002. ‘All these people ever wanted was a fair hearing.’… ‘We’re disappointed and for us this is a delay that is unconscionable,’ said Michael Ratner, president of the Center for Constitutional Rights, which has led the fight to gain court access for the detainees…

“In 2004, the justices ruled that the courts can hear the detainees’ cases, saying that prisoners under U.S. control have access to civilian courts, no matter where they are being held…

“In 2006, the justices ruled that President Bush’s plan for military war crimes trials, envisioned for a small number of Guantanamo Bay detainees, is illegal under U.S. and international law… After the justices’ ruling in 2006, CONGRESS… enacted the law which blocked detainees from coming into U.S. courts and established new rules for the military trials.”

Tsunami Devastates Solomon Islands

The Associated Press reported on April 2:

“Tsunamis triggered by an undersea earthquake crashed ashore in the Solomon Islands on Monday, wiping away entire villages and setting off alerts from Australia to Hawaii, officials said. At least 13 people were killed, and the prime minister warned that the toll would likely grow. In the South Pacific nation’s west, where the devastation appeared the most dense, there were reports of people being swept away as waves plowed up to a half-mile inland. The magnitude-8 quake — the strongest to hit the archipelago in more than three decades — was followed by more than two dozen aftershocks, including at least four of magnitude-6 or stronger…

“The magnitude-8 quake struck shortly after 7:39 a.m. six miles beneath the sea floor, about 215 miles northwest of the Solomons capital, Honiara, the U.S. Geological Survey said. Within five minutes, waves 10-16 feet tall roared ashore and went up to half a mile inland, inundating buildings and sending thousands fleeing for higher ground, witnesses said… The Solomon Islands is an impoverished archipelago of more than 200 islands northeast of Australia, with a population of about 552,000 people, that lies on the Pacific Basin’s so-called ‘Ring of Fire,’ an arc of volcanos and fault lines where quakes frequently happen. The last time a quake this strong struck the Solomon Islands was in 1971, when it was struck by a pair of magnitudes 8 and 8.1 temblors.

“Monday’s earthquake occurred when the Australian tectonic plate suddenly dived beneath the Pacific plate, said David Wald of the USGS National Earthquake Information Center in Colorado… In 2004, a magnitude-9 quake sent tsunami waves slamming into the coastlines of a dozen countries around the Indian Ocean’s rim, killing about 230,000 people.”

Europe Angry at USA and Australia

AFP reported on April 2:

“European anger at the United States and Australia, the only two major countries to reject the Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gases, spilled over here on Monday as UN scientists prepared to deliver a damning report on climate change… As the four-day meeting got underway, European Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas spelt out the latest plans for cutting European Union (EU) greenhouse-gas emissions through ever-tighter, legally binding curbs. He compared that with the voluntary approach of the United States, which he bluntly named ‘the number one emitter in the world.’ ‘(The US) approach doesn’t help in reaching international agreement and doesn’t reduce (US) emissions, because they are right now 60 percent above the 1990 level,’ Dimas observed tartly… ‘We expect the US to come closer and NOT TO CONTINUE WITH A NEGATIVE ATTITUDE in international negotiations… it’s absolutely necessary that they move.’…

“The EU championed the Kyoto Protocol after it was abandoned by the United States in March 2001. It sets the only specific global target for reducing carbon emissions… the treaty has been almost crippled by the absence of the United States, which alone accounts for about a quarter of all this pollution. President George W. Bush, in one of his first acts in office, said he would not put the draft to the US Senate for ratification. Bush said US commitments under Kyoto were too costly and the accord was unfair, as only industrialised countries — and not fast-growing large developing ones such as China and India — are bound to make targeted cuts. Australia has followed the United States in refusing to ratify Kyoto… EU leaders last month vowed to unilaterally cut the 27-nation bloc’s emissions by 20 percent by 2020 compared with 1990 and deepen this to 30 percent if other partners follow suit. But, to EUROPEAN FRUSTRATION, that offer has so far found no echo — and the US-Australian pitch for a voluntary approach is seen in some quarters as a spoiling tactic.”

The Iran Crisis–Iran “Pardons” British Sailors

On April 4, The Associated Press reported about an announcement by the Iranian government to release 15 British sailors. The article explained:

“President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad defused a growing confrontation with Britain, announcing the surprise release of 15 captive British sailors Wednesday and then gleefully accepting the crew’s thanks and handshakes… The announcement in Tehran was a breakthrough in a crisis that had escalated over nearly two weeks, raising oil prices and fears of military conflict in the volatile region. The move to release the sailors suggested that Iran’s hard-line leadership decided it had shown its strength but did not want to push the standoff too far… Syria, Iran’s close ally, said it played a role in winning the release… Ahmadinejad… declared that even though Iran had the right to put the Britons on trial, he had ‘pardoned’ them to mark the March 30 birthday of the Prophet Muhammad and the coming Easter holidays… During Ahmadinejad’s news conference, the hardline president said Britain had sent a letter to the Iranian Foreign Ministry pledging that entering Iranian waters ‘will not happen again.’ … the standoff showed that Tehran has ways to push back after the U.S. and Britain beefed up their military presence in the Persian Gulf this year.”

In spite of the announcement of the release, the recent crisis has revealed remarkable frightening and embarrassing developments for Great Britain, Europe, as well as the United States, as the following articles show.

The Iran Crisis–Britain Left Without Real Support

On April 2, Der Spiegel Online discussed the controversy between Iran and Britain in its article, titled, “A Dangerous Game of Power and Propaganda.”

The magazine wrote:

“In the drama surrounding the 15 captured British sailors, Tehran is resorting to propaganda while London is relying on the West for support… British Prime Minister Tony Blair was quick to register his ‘disgust’ with the Iranians’ parading of his country’s sailors on television. He had frozen his government’s relations with Tehran the day before. On Sunday about 200 Iranian students threw firecrackers and bricks into the British embassy compound. On Monday Iranian television showed fresh footage of the naval personnel, saying they had all admitted to entering Iran illegally…

“Ali Larijani, the Iranian national security advisor, criticized London’s alarmism and called it ‘stupid and misplaced’ — as if hostage taking hasn’t already been a hallmark of Tehran’s foreign policy for decades. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad demanded an ‘apology.’ London, for its part, threatened Iran with more than just diplomatic action if it did not promptly release the British hostages. The markets, the most important seismograph when it comes to earthquakes on the international political front, reacted immediately, and the oil price began creeping back up to the $70 level.

“In the past this would have been enough to start a war, with one power provoking and another being forced to take action — if only to avoid losing face. In the last century, the game the Iranians were playing with the British at the mouth of the Shatt al-Arab would have been a classic maneuver designed to produce one outcome: war…

“British Prime Minister Tony Blair OUGHT TO HAVE NO TROUBLE GAINING ALLIES against a country under as much international pressure as Iran and securing the prompt release of the prisoners. BUT THIS ISN’T THE CASE, because the simple question the British face from enemies and, indirectly, from friends is this: Why exactly are you in the Gulf region in the first place? LIKE AN EVIL CURSE, the war George W. Bush and Blair launched against Iraq is heightening tensions throughout the region with each month that passes. Knowing that most countries question the legitimacy of the Western presence, Ahmadinejad can take full advantage of the crisis. That starts with no longer having to pay serious attention to threats from Bush or Blair, leaders generally regarded as too weak to engage in another showdown.

“Under these circumstances, it was to be expected that Blair and Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett believed, in the first days after the kidnapping incident, that bilateral contacts would be the best way to gain the prisoners’ release… But by Tuesday, the fifth day of the hostage crisis, the climate at home in Britain had changed. The London Times clamored over the ‘pusillanimous timidity of British officials and politicians, who have failed disgracefully to confront Iran with the ultimatum this flagrant aggression demands.’… Blair was in a tight spot. He had warned the Iranians against parading their hostages on TV, as they had done in a comparable case in 2004, but his warning merely encouraged the Iranians to do just that…

“By then the time to err on the side of caution had ended, at least for the British. London asked its European friends for their support, asked its Middle Eastern partners to mediate and even appealed to pro-Iranian groups Hezbollah and Hamas for their help. When the British asked the UN Security Council to condemn the kidnappings they were dealt their FIRST PAINFUL DEFEAT in the current crisis. Instead of complying with the British request, the Security Council merely voiced its ‘deep concern’ over the affair. Russia, a veto power, suggested that the two parties to the conflict return to bilateral negotiations. Nevertheless, at a meeting last Friday in Bremen, which had actually been convened to discuss tentative signs of improvement in the Middle East conflict, the EU foreign ministers lent their support to London and asked their chief diplomat Javier Solana to appeal to the Iranian president. However, NO ONE IN BREMEN MENTIONED ANYTHING ABOUT OTHER EU COUNTRIES FOLLOWING IN BRITAIN’S FOOTSTEPS AND PUTTING THEIR RELATIONS WITH IRAN ON ICE until the prisoners are released.”

The Iran Crisis–Prompted by USA?

Britain’s The Independent wrote on April 3, 2007:

“The botched US raid… led to the hostage crisis,” continuing: “How a bid to kidnap Iranian security officials sparked a diplomatic crisis.”

The newspaper pointed out:

“A failed American attempt to abduct two senior Iranian security officers on an OFFICIAL visit to northern Iraq was the starting pistol for a crisis that 10 weeks later led to Iranians seizing 15 British sailors and Marines… The aim of the raid, launched without informing the Kurdish authorities, was to seize two men at the very heart of the Iranian security establishment. Better understanding of the seriousness of the US action in Arbil – and the angry Iranian response to it – should have led Downing Street and the Ministry of Defence to realise that Iran was likely to retaliate against American or British forces such as highly vulnerable Navy search parties in the Gulf… The two men were in Kurdistan on an official visit during which they met the Iraqi President, Jalal Talabani, and later saw Massoud Barzani, the President of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), at his mountain headquarters overlooking Arbil… The attempt by the US to seize the two high-ranking Iranian security officers openly meeting with Iraqi leaders is somewhat as if Iran had tried to kidnap the heads of the CIA and MI6 while they were on an official visit to a country neighbouring Iran, such as Pakistan or Afghanistan…

“US officials in Washington subsequently claimed that the five Iranian officials they did seize, who have not been seen since, were ‘suspected of being closely tied to activities targeting Iraq and coalition forces’. This explanation never made much sense. No member of the US-led coalition has been killed in Arbil and there were no Sunni-Arab insurgents or Shia militiamen there.

“The raid on Arbil took place within hours of President George Bush making an address to the nation on 10 January in which he claimed: ‘Iran is providing material support for attacks on American troops.’ He identified Iran and Syria as America’s main enemies in Iraq though the four-year-old guerrilla war against US-led forces is being conducted by the strongly anti-Iranian Sunni-Arab community…

“The raid in Arbil was a FAR MORE SERIOUS AND AGGRESSIVE ACT. It was not carried out by proxies but by US forces directly. The abortive Arbil raid PROVOKED A DANGEROUS ESCALATION in the confrontation between the US and Iran which ultimately led to the capture of the 15 British sailors and Marines – apparently considered a more vulnerable coalition target than their American comrades.”

Is the USA Losing Another Ally?

The Australian News reported on April 2:

“One of the most enduring strategic relationships in the Middle East is showing signs of serious strain, after a series of public accusations and diplomatic snubs by Saudi Arabia against its erstwhile allies in Washington. The row came to a head last week when King Abdullah, the Saudi monarch, used his opening speech at the Arab League summit to CONDEMN THE OCCUPATION OF IRAQ AS ILLEGAL, and went on to declare that the ARAB WORLD WOULD NOT ALLOW FOREIGN FORCES TO DETERMINE THE FUTURE OF THE REGION… The Bush administration was put out by the comments from a ruler regarded as a close friend by George W. Bush and the President’s father, George Sr.

“… the clash over Iraq follows a spate of recent incidents suggesting the damage to the relationship extends beyond this issue. Prince Bandar bin Sultan, the Saudi national security adviser, flew to Washington last week to offer King Abdullah’s apologies that he would not be able to attend a state dinner in his honour at the White House this month. No reason was offered for the snub, but observers suggest the Saudis may be DISTANCING THEMSELVES FROM WASHINGTON in a bid to improve their standing in the region.”

Why do the USA and Great Britain find themselves–more and more–isolated and alone on the political world scene? You will find the surprising answers in our free booklet, “The Fall and Rise of Britain and America.”

Germany Sends Fighter Jets to Afghanistan

Der Spiegel Online wrote on April 3:

“Germany on Monday increased its contribution to the NATO force in Afghanistan by deploying six Tornado jets. The planes will be used for reconnaissance in southern Afghanistan, where the Taliban insurgency threatens international peacekeepers and Afghan citizens alike… Germany has refused to send Bundeswehr troops into southern Afghanistan — a stance that has at times drawn criticism from its international ISAF partners. A recent TNS poll taken for SPIEGEL showed that 57 percent of Germans believe the country should withdraw its troops from Afghanistan as soon as possible.

“With public support waning, [German Minister of Defense, Franz Josef ] Jung took pains Monday to express the restricted role the Tornados will play. The Tornados, he said, would aid in the fight against the Taliban, but he cautioned that efforts would be taken to ensure that the civilian population was not harmed in operations that benefited from the reconnaissance. And while the Tornados will be equipped with weapons, they will only be used in cases of self-defense.”

As in every war, such a “noble” position is simply impossible to maintain. There WILL be casualties, to be sure, and the big question is, how will the Germans react when that happens?

Crisis in Ukraine

Der Spiegel Online reported on April 3:

“Ukraine has plunged into its most serious political crisis since the 2004 Orange Revolution. A shaky truce between pro-Western and pro-Russian camps has broken after President Yushchenko ordered parliament to be dissolved… Ukraine’s simmering internal power struggle has escalated into a dangerous stand-off after PRO-WESTERN President Viktor Yushchenko signed a decree to dissolve parliament and called new elections, a decision the assembly said was akin to a coup.

“The United States called on both sides to remain calm as PRO-RUSSIAN Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, supported by the parliament, urged Yushchenko to withdraw the decree or risk plunging the country into an uncertain future. Parliament says it will withhold government funding for the election, scheduled for May 27… ‘I have signed a decree today to disband parliament. I have taken this decision in line with the constitution,’ Yushchenko announced on Monday. ‘My actions were prompted by a crucial need to preserve the state, its sovereignty and territorial integrity.’ Parliament said the decree ‘bears all the signs of a step towards a coup d’etat’ and said the chamber would defy it…”

Very Active Hurricane Season Predicted

The Associated Press reported on April 3:

“The 2007 Atlantic hurricane season should be ‘very active,’ with nine hurricanes and a good chance that at least one major hurricane will hit the U.S. coast, a top researcher said Tuesday. Forecaster William Gray said he expects 17 named storms in all this year, five of them major hurricanes with sustained winds of 111 mph or greater. The probability of a major hurricane making landfall on the U.S. coast this year: 74 percent, compared with the average of 52 percent over the past century, he said.

“Last year, Gray’s forecast and government forecasts were higher than what the Atlantic hurricane season produced. There were 10 named Atlantic storms in 2006 and five hurricanes, two of them major, in what was considered a ‘near normal’ season. None of those hurricanes hit the U.S. Atlantic coast — only the 11th time that has occurred since 1945. The National Hurricane Center in Miami originally reported nine storms, but upgraded one storm after a post-season review.

“Gray’s research team at Colorado State University said an UNEXPECTED LATE EL NINO contributed to the calmer season last year. El Nino — a warming in the Pacific Ocean — has far-reaching effects that include changing wind patterns in the eastern Atlantic, which can disrupt the formation of hurricanes there.

“A weak to moderate El Nino occurred in December and January but dissipated rapidly, said Phil Klotzbach, a member of Gray’s team. ‘We do not think that’s going to be an inhibiting factor this year,’ Klotzbach said.

“The team’s forecasts are based on global oceanic and atmospheric conditions. The Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30, averages 9.6 named storms, 5.9 hurricanes and 2.3 intense hurricanes per year. The devastating 2005 season set a record with 28 named storms, 15 of them hurricanes. Four of those hurricanes hit the U.S. coast, the worst among them Katrina, which devastated New Orleans and leveled parts of the Gulf Coast region. Gray has spent more than 40 years in tropical weather research. He heads the Tropical Meteorology Project at Colorado State.”

Strange Beliefs of Orthodox Christianity

The Associated Press reported on April 2 about some rather strange comments by Pope Benedict XVI–leaving the reader wondering whether the pope was speaking “in jest”–or whether he was actually serious. In commenting on the anticipated declaration of sainthood of late Pope John Paul II, the news report stated:

“Pope Benedict XVI said Monday he can already hear the voice of John Paul II among the saints, indicating on the second anniversary of his predecessor’s death that he too was fully in favor of canonization… In the communion of saints, it seems we can hear the living voice of our beloved John Paul II, who from the house of his father, we are sure, continues to accompany the Church,’ Benedict said.”

The article continued pointing out additional rather strange-sounding requirements for becoming a Roman Catholic saint:

“On Monday, the congregation also received documentation concerning the purported miraculous recovery of a French nun, Sister Marie-Simon-Pierre, who says she was cured of Parkinson’s disease after she prayed to John Paul. The Vatican’s complicated saint-making procedures require that a miracle attributed to the candidate’s intercession be confirmed before beatification. A second miracle after beatification is necessary for canonization. The Congregation for the Causes of Saints will appoint medical experts to determine if there are medical explanations for the nun’s recovery. Theologians will then determine if the cure came as a result of prayer to John Paul. If panels of bishops and cardinals agree John Paul led a virtuous life and that the nun was indeed miraculously cured, they will forward the case to Benedict. He will then decide if his predecessor deserves to be beatified.”

All of this sounds rather incredible to a Christian believing in the literal teachings of the Bible. According to Scripture, a converted Christian is called a saint–while still alive (Psalm 16:3; Colossians 1:2). When he dies, he does not ascend to heaven (John 3:13; Acts 2:34), but he sleeps the sleep of death until his resurrection (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; 1 Corinthians 15:51-52; John 5:28-29; Daniel 12:2). For more information, please read our free booklet, “Do We Have an Immortal Soul?”

It is important to understand exactly WHO did resurrect Jesus Christ, and that the Scripture reveals the truth in this matter.

First of all, in the referenced verse in John 2:19, Jesus, as He oftentimes did, taught by means of an allegory and in this example He spoke of His own body as symbolic of the Temple (verse 21). This especially poignant parable was given by Jesus as the Jews were assembling to observe the Passover (Compare verse 13). A few years later, when the Jews did arrest Jesus, false accusations were made by some who thought that Jesus had spoken of the literal Temple in Jerusalem (Compare Matthew 26:60-61 and Mark 14:57-59). Additionally, Jesus was mocked by some even as He was crucified–challenging Him about His statement concerning the “Temple”(Matthew 27:40 and Mark 15:29).

Further proof that Jesus was referring to His own body is borne out in the later teachings of the Church of God. We see that Paul instructed Christians in Corinth about the fact that God dwells in us through His Spirit: “Or do you not know that your body is the TEMPLE of the Holy Spirit [which] is in you, [which] you have from God, and you are not your own?” (1 Corinthians 6:19).

In looking closely at the words of Jesus, we see that the true meaning that He was conveying is more properly understood as “Kill Me and I will rise in three days!” In fact, the word translated “raise” is also defined broadly by “Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible” as “to waken”; to “rouse”; to “rise”; or to “stand.” For a thorough explanation of this Scripture, please review our Q&A on John 2:19, in Update #202.

However, Jesus did not state that He would resurrect Himself! He understood what was written about Himself, and He believed God: “For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption” (Psalm 16:10).

Following the resurrection of Jesus, we find the testimony of Peter who also quotes from Psalm 16, and he clearly states that God the Father raised Jesus from the dead. Speaking of David, Peter further explains: “‘Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. THIS JESUS GOD HAS RAISED UP, of which we are all witnesses” (Acts 2:30-32). Also, note this powerful statement by Peter in verse 36: “‘Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ'” (Compare Acts 3:15; 4:10; 5:30; 13:30; 13:37; 17:30-31).

When Jesus was crucified, He died! He died as all die. He was not conscious or aware, and He certainly did not live in the realm of spirit–something that He relinquished in order to become human flesh (Compare Philippians 2:5-8; John 16:27-28).

Here is what Solomon said of the dead: “…But the dead know nothing” (Ecclesiastes 9:5); also: “Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, And the spirit will return to God who gave it” (Ecclesiastes 12:7). In this context, consider these words from Jesus as He was dying: “And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.'” Having said this, He breathed His last” (Luke 23:46). For more detailed information about the Biblical teaching concerning death, please refer to our booklet, “Do We Have an Immortal Soul?”

Jesus testified that He died: “‘I am He who lives, AND WAS DEAD, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death'” (Revelation 1:18; compare Romans 5:9).

Jesus relied on His Father to save Him! Here is the record of Jesus’ attitude about death: “who in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him WHO WAS ABLE TO SAVE HIM FROM DEATH, and was heard because of His godly fear” (Hebrews 5:7). Jesus was not able to save Himself from death–only His Father could do this!

Jesus willingly died, and He said this of Himself: “‘Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father'” (John 10:17-18). This power–which word should be rendered more accurately as “authority,”– “to take it again”–or better, “receive it again”–was because of His sinless life and the sure promises of God. Yet, it was, as so many Scriptures testify, God the Father who resurrected His Son. Note Galatians 1:1: “Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead…” Also note Acts 2:24 which states of Christ: “‘whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.'”

The penalty of sin is death: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). It is vital to believe that Jesus Christ did not commit sin, and this is the true testimony of the Word of God: “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). John states: “And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin” (1 John 3:5).

Understanding and believing the plain teachings of the Bible about Jesus Christ–about His life and death and His present glorified existence–are crucial for those who claim to follow Jesus! John identified a core aspect of Christianity in this way: “By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world” (1 John 4:2-3).

Acknowledging that Jesus came in the flesh also includes recognizing that Jesus died, and that it was God’s power that restored Him to life (Compare John 17:5; Philippians 2:9-11).

The future of all Christians–that is, our own resurrection to eternal life–will follow the same pattern as established by Jesus Christ! In this fact, it is imperative that we understand and faithfully believe that God the Father raised His Son from death through the power of His Holy Spirit. Think about and deeply consider this statement in Romans 8:11:

“But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit [which] dwells in you.”

Lead Writer: Dave Harris

Norbert Link’s video sermon, “The Life of Gideon,” was posted on Google Video. You can easily find it by going to Google Video and by entering into the search option, “Bible Study Gideon.”