The Case For Christ

Matthew 16: 5-7
As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. “Don't be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’ ”
Through one man over 100 prophecies (located in what is now known as the Old Testament) were fulfilled. Prophecy is what I believe, sets Christianity apart from other religions. Prophecy is what sets Christianity apart from religion. Webster's defines religion as;
1.a. Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe.
1. b. A personal or institutionalized system grounded in such belief and worship.
2.The life or condition of a person in a religious order.
3. A set of beliefs, values, and practices based on the teachings of a spiritual leader.
4. A cause, principle, or activity pursued with zeal or conscientious devotion.
Not once does it necessitate prophetic utterances whether through written or verbal form. God knew that humans are apt to concoct reason as to why the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as well as the Messiah Yeshua, are false. Therefore, since the beginning of time He has instituted a system of prophetic declaration.
Isaiah 7:14- Virgin birth of Jesus
Isaiah 40:3- The Messiah proceeded by a messenger
Micah 5:2- The Messiah born in Bethlehem
Zechariah 12:10- Christ's crucifixion
Ezekiel 20:34- The Jews will return to Israel
Deuteronomy 28:65-67- Israel would constantly be persecuted by many nations
Ezekiel 37:21-22- Israel returned as a Nation (1948)

What's dazzling about the God of the Jew and the Gentile is that He has declared time and time again that He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. This sense of the God Jehovah's pansophical nature is what these prophetic utterances through biblical scripture, reflect. What amazes me the most about them is how God, through mortal men who clearly had err scripted in their very nature, revealed these prophecies through them. In the end, our doubt of the ability of God to use mortal man vanished through the manifestation and fulfillment and the eternal glory of God confirmed. He too can use the donkey to speak to us (Numbers 22:28)! "The angel said to me, 'These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place.' (Rev. 22:6)

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. And I am…persuaded that is. What persuades me are all the complex, yet simple elements of Christian faith that no one, Christian or non-Christian, seem to pay attention to and if so, it's either to prove Christianity to be fabricated or in chance when happened by in a scripture or a Sunday morning sermon. But taking the authenticity to prophecy, the substance of Christ's message, the realism of His deity, the hope of eternity, the option of salvation, the enlivening of discovering identity and the expectation of continued fulfillment of prophetic declaration, instigates my continued faith and forces me to eliminate any other for of reason apart from God.

Yet even in the above definition of religion and my understanding of the similarities it holds with that which I practice, I still cringe every time someone refers to me as religious. Maybe I should attribute it to the category amongst others that it's placed in. Or maybe when someone says it I'm thinking that their perception is a preacher stealing money, a religious homophobe screaming hate on the street, a white woman with big hair and a lot of makeup or a big black woman in a big hat suffering from a bad case of sensationalism. It could be many of reason. However, I could think of a better word that best describes what I practice that I'd much rather people ask: Do you practice truth? Of course it can seem awfully condescending. But if other "religions" were so confident in their practice and belief, then they too would jump on the truth bandwagon. Truth is a fact, an actuality, a standard. Religion on the other hand is like basketball; just another sport. If you happen to like basketball or consider basketball to be your nitch, then you play basketball. Otherwise there is a wide array of other sports such as soccer, badminton, tennis and baseball, that are available for you to play. But, because truth is a standard then there are no other options or tradeoffs or exchanges. So I practice truth and life my lifestyle as a disciple of Christ.

There is a two-fold case that is presented before me. A case on which Christ's stands trial and one in which I stand trial. In Christ's case I had made myself a judge along with the rest of the world against His claims of authenticity. However at the same time in my trial I had been found guilty. Yet, just before my sentencing a man, Christ Jesus, came to implore to the judge my release, while He himself, took my sentence. How could I put this man on trial twice, for two crimes that He did not commit? And I found Christ not-guilty in the trial in which I sat a judge and asked Him to become the Savior and the Lord of my life.

Case Closed