In Death All Are Equal

One man dies full of vigor, completely secure and at ease. His body is well nourished, and his bones are rich with marrow. Yet another man dies in the bitterness of his soul, having never tasted prosperity. But together they lie down in the dust, and worms cover them both. (Job 21:23-26 BSB)

All men are equal at death. He might have been a rich man, a powerful dictator, a beggar, a murderer or claim to be a god, a buddha, a prophet or whatever, at death, they are all equal. They do not come back again. Almost nobody came back to prove that he is more equal than others. But there is one exception, only one who came back from death.

Today is Resurrection Sunday. We commemorate a unique event in history - the resurrection of Christ. All men are born of two parents and died. Jesus was uniquely born of a virgin, crucified to death, and then resurrected on the third day. This event serves as evidence of Jesus' divine nature, setting Him apart from others who simply made claims that they are gods or buddhas or some other supermen, without any proof to support them.

Why do we listen to men, born of one man and one woman, fusion of sperm and egg, who after speaking great things, claiming to be somebody great, die and return to dust, like all men before and after him? He who cannot conquer death is like me, and no better than me. Why should I listen to him?

Why not believe in the only one in the world, who was born of a virgin, died and was resurrected, and will be returning again? Believe in Him who had conquered death, proving Himself to be different from all men.

He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. (1 Corinthians 15:4 NLT)

Jesus The Judge of The World

For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed, and he proved to everyone who this is by raising him from the dead." (Acts 17:31 NLT)

Unlike the false gods and false prophets of this world who made claims without proof, God authenticated the future judge of the world by resurrecting Him from the dead. Resurrection proved that Jesus is the Judge.

For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. (John 5:22-23 ESV)

First Fruits Coincides with Easter Sunday in 2023

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: When you have come into the land that I am giving to you and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf bundle of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest. And he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord so that you may be accepted. On the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. (Leviticus 23:9-11 MEV)

Today is easter Sunday. We commemorate a unique event in history - the resurrection of Christ. All men are born of two parents. Some grew up to become founders of new religions and eventually died. Jesus was uniquely born of a virgin, crucified, and then resurrected on the third day. This event serves as evidence of Jesus' divine nature, setting Him apart from others who simply made claims that they are gods or buddhas or some other supermen, without any proof to support them.

This year's easter Sunday coincides with the festival of first fruits. Easter Sunday does not always coincide with the festival of first fruits, as you can see from Calendar of Hebraic Feast and Holy Days 2013-2027. The last coincidence was in 2020.

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. (1 Corinthians 15:20 BSB)

Grace means No Equal Opportunity - 2

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9 BSB)

For you are a holy people belonging to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be his own possession out of all the peoples on the face of the earth. (Deuteronomy 7:6 CSB)

For you are a people holy to the LORD your God, and the LORD has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. (Deuteronomy 14:2 ESV)

When I was still a new Christian, I read from the Bible that God had chosen Israel. Then I thought to myself, "God is so unfair. What about the other nations?" As I grew older, I came to realize that equal opportunities are not always given to everyone for everything in life, not just in matters of salvation. Everything depends on your time and place in history.

For example, when I was young, I used slide rules to perform calculations in school, but my children used calculators. Similarly, while I had to visit a library and manually copy notes from reference books to do my homework, my children simply Google for information. And now, we even have the convenience of ChatGPT to help me rewrite some of these.

Many founders of false religions feared the charges of unfairness and tried to tell us that their gods or buddhas or supermen had given equal opportunity to all to believe. Only the God of the Bible told us the plain truth - salvation is by grace. There is no equal opportunity.

Why did God choose the nation of Israel? Because any man can write a book and claim that it is from God, but only God can create a nation.

Has any other god dared to take a nation for himself out of another nation by means of trials, miraculous signs, wonders, war, a strong hand, a powerful arm, and terrifying acts? Yet that is what the LORD your God did for you in Egypt, right before your eyes. (Deuteronomy 4:34 NLT)

Believe In The Only One Who Was Resurrected

As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside privately and told them what was going to happen to him. "Listen," he said, "we're going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die. Then they will hand him over to the Romans to be mocked, flogged with a whip, and crucified. But on the third day he will be raised from the dead." (Matthew 20:17-19 NLT)

Jesus predicted His death and resurrection (Matthew 20:17-19, Mark 10:32-34, Luke 18:31–33). The prophet Isaiah also predicted the death and resurrection (Isaiah 53:7-10) of the Anointed One.

Unlike many religious leaders and founders of religions who popped into history without warning, the coming of Jesus was predicted in advance in the Old Testament. He came to fulfil the prophecies in the Old Testament (Psalm 40:7-8, Hebrews 10:7).

Unlike other religious leaders who were born of a father and a mother, Jesus was born of a woman, fulfilling the first prophecy (Genesis 3:15) given in the Bible, a prophecy that was given personally by God.

Unlike other religious leaders who preached their religion and then die, Jesus died and arose on the third day.

But how can we know if the resurrection is a true event in history? The existence of Christianity is the proof that resurrection is a true event. Unlike other religions, Christianity is not started by one man's ideas. Christianity is started by a group of people who witnessed an event - the resurrection of Jesus Christ. They were convinced by His resurrection that He is the Lamb of God, offered as the Saviour of the world.

The resurrection of Jesus still has an impact today. Whether you are a Christian or not a Christian, when you rest from work on Sunday, you are actually commemorating the resurrection of Christ. The pioneer generation of Christians shifted the Sabbath from the seventh day of the week to the first day of the week because Jesus was resurrected on the first day of the week.

Then the men asked, "Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? He isn't here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day." (Luke 24:5b-7 NLT)

I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am he. (John 13:19 CSB)

I have told you these things before they happen so that when they do happen, you will believe. (John 14:29 NLT)

I declare the end from the beginning, and from long ago what is not yet done, saying: my plan will take place, and I will do all my will. (Isaiah 46:10 CSB)

If the resurrection is true, what does it mean to you? Because Jesus was resurrected and has eternal life, those who believe in Him will be like Him. We will also be resurrected to eternal life after we die.

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live. (John 11:25 CSB)

Why Was Jesus Resurrected

Jesus was the only religious leader to be resurrected. All the other religious leaders died, even those who claimed to be more than human, a god or a buddha. Jesus also claim divinity and He proved it by His birth and resurrection.

The Good News is about his Son. In his earthly life he was born into King David's family line, and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 1:3-4 NLT)

The resurrection proved that Christ was divine.

Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. (Isaiah 53:10 NIV)

The resurrection fulfilled Old Testament prophecies and proved that the Bible is the true word of God.

From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. (Matthew 16:21 ESV)

And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. (Mark 8:31 ESV)

And he said, "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life." (Luke 9:22 NIV)

I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am he. (John 13:19 CSB)

And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. (John 14:29 ESV)

They told him, "Sir, we remember what that deceiver once said while he was still alive: 'After three days I will rise from the dead.' So we request that you seal the tomb until the third day. This will prevent his disciples from coming and stealing his body and then telling everyone he was raised from the dead! If that happens, we'll be worse off than we were at first." (Matthew 27:63-64 NLT)

The resurrection fulfilled Jesus own claims about His resurrection and proved that He was a true prophet.

We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. (Romans 6:9 ESV)

The resurrection proved that Jesus had triumphed over death.

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. (1 Corinthians 15:20 NIV)

The resurrection was the firstfruits of resurrection.

And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 NLT)

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. (Romans 6:5 ESV)

The resurrection give hope to believers who died in Christ.

"Therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, God now commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has set a day when he is going to judge the world in righteousness by the man he has appointed. He has provided proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead." (Acts 17:30-31 CSB)

The resurrection proved that Jesus is appointed as judge.

How God Proves Himself To Be God

Who is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and set it before me, since I appointed an ancient people. Let them declare what is to come, and what will happen. (Isaiah 44:7 ESV)
Everything I prophesied has come true, and now I will prophesy again. I will tell you the future before it happens." (Isaiah 42:9 NLT)

God proved that He is God by establishing the nation of Israel and foretelling their history in His revelation to His prophets.

Tell us the coming events, then we will know that you are gods. Indeed, do something good or bad, then we will be in awe when we see it. (Isaiah 41:23 CSB)
All the nations gather together, and the peoples assemble. Who among them can declare this, and show us the former things? Let them bring their witnesses to prove them right, and let them hear and say, It is true. (Isaiah 43:9 ESV)

The god, gods, idols and buddhas of other nations cannot do this.

The 14th Dalai Lama Concedes He May Be The Last

Vesak Day is here and let us talk about Buddhism and who can be more Buddhist than the 14th Dalai Lama? The following quote was taken from "Dalai Lama concedes he may be the last - BBC News (17 December 2014)".

QUOTE
In a wide-ranging interview with the BBC's Newsnight programme, during a visit to Rome for the 14th World Summit of Nobel Laureates, the 79-year-old spiritual leader conceded that he may not have a successor.

Whether another Dalai Lama came after him would depend on the circumstances after his death and was "up to the Tibetan people", he said.

He pointed out that the role no longer included political responsibilities; in 2011 the Dalai Lama handed these to an elected leader of the Tibetan government in exile, Lobsang Sangay.

The move was seen by many as a way the Dalai Lama could ensure the Tibetan community would have an elected leader in place outside the control of China.

China has said repeatedly that it will choose the next Dalai Lama.

"The Dalai Lama institution will cease one day. These man-made institutions will cease," the Dalai Lama told the BBC.

"There is no guarantee that some stupid Dalai Lama won't come next, who will disgrace himself or herself. That would be very sad. So, much better that a centuries-old tradition should cease at the time of a quite popular Dalai Lama."
UNQUOTE

Is the 14th Dalai Lama a real incarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama? Is reincarnation true? Can the man who claimed to be an reincarnation of another prove to us that he is a reincarnation while is he still alive?

Can the Dalai Lama stop himself from reincarnating? Does he has the power? Does he have complete control over his own reincarnation? Why is his reincarnation "up to the Tibetan people"? How does the living influence the dead and reincarnation? Can he explain? According to the Kalama Sutta, we should question everything, so I am not being disrespectful.

Monarchies and presidencies are man-made institution because the selection and succession is clearly natural. The Dalai Lama's succession is by reincarnation, which is supernatural. Is Dalai Lama a man-made institution? If the Dalai Lama is a man-made institution, does he mean that the reincarnation thingy is just a hoax to trick the Tibetan people into believing that he is more than human?

"Ma paramparaya" - Buddha in The Kalama Sutta
Translated from Pali:
Do not accept anything just because it is ancient and has been handed down from past generations.

The 14th Dalai Lama And Reincarnation

The Dalai Lama visited Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh on 7th April this year. He gave Buddhist teachings to 50,000 in Tawang on 8th April. After lunch he met with members of the press and was asked directly where the 15th Dalai Lama will be born. This quote from "The Office of His Holiness The Dalai Lama | The 14th Dalai Lama" is his answer.

QUOTE
Interest in his successor led to His Holiness being asked directly where the 15th Dalai Lama will be born. He replied, "Nobody knows. I pray I'll continue to be able to be of service to sentient beings, but I sometimes doubt if I'm even the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama." When another journalist mentioned that the Chinese government has asserted it is their right to make a decision about his successor, His Holiness called it nonsense. He conceded that in the past the Chinese Emperor had taken an interest in the recognition of the Dalai Lama, but that was when the Emperors considered themselves spiritual disciples.
UNQUOTE

Reincarnation cannot be proven. But the least the Dalai Lama could do is to give some objective proof how he knew that he is the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama, which he is supposed to be. Instead, he said, "I sometimes doubt if I'm even the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama."

If 14th Dalai Lama himself, being the living evidence of reincarnation, does not know how to prove that he is the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama, then, who can prove?

For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. (2 Peter 1:16 KJV)

Believe In Him Who Is From Above

And He was saying to them, "You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins." (John 8:23-24 NASB)

Believe the One who is from above, born of a virgin, who died for our sins and was resurrected again. Do not believe in those who were born of a father and a mother, who claimed (without proof) to be somebody, preached things for us to follow without doing anything for us, and then died like anyone of us.

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8 NASB)

The Testimony of Jesus

"How can these things be?" asked Nicodemus.
"Are you a teacher of Israel and don’t know these things?" Jesus replied. "I assure you: We speak what We know and We testify to what We have seen, but you do not accept Our testimony. If I have told you about things that happen on earth and you don't believe, how will you believe if I tell you about things of heaven? No one has ascended into heaven except the One who descended from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in Him will have eternal life. (John 3:9-15 HCSB)

The One who comes from above is above all. The one who is from the earth is earthly and speaks in earthly terms. The One who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies to what He has seen and heard, yet no one accepts His testimony. The one who has accepted His testimony has affirmed that God is true. For God sent Him, and He speaks God’s words, since He gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hands. The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who refuses to believe in the Son will not see life; instead, the wrath of God remains on him. (John 3:31-36 HCSB)

Nobody has been to heaven. But the one from heaven had come down to earth, yet we do not believe Him. We rather believe in those who were from earth, who speak of things of heaven as if they had been there.

After Death

Many religions provide unprovable details on what happened after one died.

Chinese Pure Land Buddhism
Upon death, most people's consciousness will be in a limbo state for an indefinite period of no more than forty-nine days. In this state the consciousness experiences a floating sequence of scenes without the power to choose. Every seven days during this period the consciousness will experience a dying process. This period ends when the consciousness is drawn by its karma and takes rebirth in one of the six realms. According to this view, death may be considered as a gate through which the consciousness departs from one life and begins the journey to a new life. Buddhists believed in  超度 (deliverance or liberation ritual) which help the dead to reborn.

Below is a quote from Welcome to World Jenchen Buddhism on rebirth:
After a person dies, approximately how many days does it take for him to be reborn?
After a person dies, before he is reborn, he becomes a 中阴身. (Chung-ying-shen: It is an intermediate existence between death and rebirth to the next life. When ordinary people die, they are not immediately reborn. Between death and their next birth, there is a short period of one to 49 days, during which the soul is of a dank gaseous form. It is invisible to the ordinary people at large, and is a mind-consciousness without a physical body.) There is a 49-day period for rebirth. Although it is stated to be 49 days, it is not necessary that rebirth takes place only on the 49th day. A person who has great virtuous roots and has performed great virtuous deeds ascends immediately to the heavens as soon as he dies. If he had been a great sinner in his lifetime, he immediately descends to hell. During the 49-day period, the conditions for rebirth are not predetermined for the average person who neither was virtuous nor evil in his lifetime. Such a person will search for the condition for his rebirth within the 49 days. The 49-day period is divided into terms of 7 days. If the condition for rebirth arises during any of these 7-day terms, he can be reborn into one of the 6 realms, depending on his conduct during his lifetime. If all seven 7-day terms expire but he still finds no condition for rebirth, then he naturally enters into the realm of ghosts.

Roman Catholics
Roman Catholics do not believed that Christ's atonement alone is sufficient for the average believers. Thus after death, they would end up in a temporary place called Purgatory, which will purged them of the rest of their sins through suffering. However, they also believed that the saints have more than enough merit for their salvation. These merits are deposited with the Church, which have the authority to release them to those suffering in Purgatory, to meet the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven and cut short their suffering. To do so, the Church also commends alms giving, indulgences, and works of penance undertaken on behalf of the dead.

Bible
We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:8 KJV)

... The rich man also died and was buried. While being tormented in the place of the dead, he looked up and saw Abraham at a distance with Lazarus at his side. (Luke 16:22-23 CEB)

The Bible tells us that the soul of a believer goes immediately to the presence of God and the soul of an unbeliever goes immediately into conscious torment. Does the Bible give a lot of details on what happen after death? Surprisingly, the Bible gives minimal detail about what happen after death. Why?

Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. (John 3:11-13 KJV)

Many people do not believe in what the Bible says about provable things on earth. How will one believe if the Bible tells of unprovable things after death?

No one has gone up to heaven except Jesus who came down from heaven. No one has come back from the dead, except Jesus. Yet many people rather believe in those who do not come from heaven and who never come back from the dead. They claimed that they are somebody and had been beyond death but unlike Jesus, there are no witnesses or documentary proof. These are the people that provide many details and which cannot be proven.

Proof Of The True God

Has any other god dared to take a nation for himself out of another nation by means of trials, miraculous signs, wonders, war, a strong hand, a powerful arm, and terrifying acts? Yet that is what the LORD your God did for you in Egypt, right before your eyes. (Deuteronomy 4:34 NLT)

How do we know our God is true? How do we know the Bible is true? We know, because the Bible cannot be written by humans. Humans write books and claimed that they are from god, gods, buddhas or supermen. But they cannot proof that their books are divine, because any man can write a book. But our Bible is true because our God not only write a book, He also created a nation. This is something that men cannot do. Any man can write a book, but no man can create a nation.

God not only created the nation, He also wrote its history in advance.

When you father children and children's children, and have grown old in the land, if you act corruptly by making a carved image in the form of anything, and by doing what is evil in the sight of the Lord your God, so as to provoke him to anger, I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that you will soon utterly perish from the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess. You will not live long in it, but will be utterly destroyed. And the Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the Lord will drive you. And there you will serve gods of wood and stone, the work of human hands, that neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in tribulation, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, you will return to the Lord your God and obey his voice. For the Lord your God is a merciful God. He will not leave you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers that he swore to them. (Deuteronomy 4:25-31 ESV)

Which so-called sacred books are like the Bible?

The Resurrection of Christ

Today we commemorate a unique event in history - the resurrection of Christ. All men are born. Some grew up to preach and start a religion. Then they died.

Only Jesus was born of a virgin, died on the cross and was resurrected on the third day. The resurrection of Christ is the proof of His divinity. The others just talked, they claimed that they are somebody special, but they have no proof. Sai Baba died on last Easter (24th April 2011). The death of Buddha was recorded in the Mahaparinibbana Sutta. Both of them are still dead. Buddhist claimed that Buddha attained nirvana, but it remains unproved and unprovable. Well, you may argue, religions are faith-based. Christianity is also faith-based. But certain things in Christianity are provable, so that you may believe those that cannot be proved.

Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you--unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed. (1 Corinthians 15:1-11 KJV)

Who is Jesus?

A new Christian should be interested in these three things:

1. Who is this Jesus Christ that saved me?
2. What am I saved from?
3. How should I act thereafter?

We shall start with the first question: Who is Jesus?

Who did Jesus claimed to be?

In the Gospel of John, He made seven "I am" claims; Jesus claimed to be:

1. The Bread of Life (John 6:35)

2. The Light of the World (John 8:12)

3. The Door / Gate (John 10:9)

4. The Good Shepherd (John 10:11)

5. The Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25)

6. The Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6)

7. The True Vine (John 15:5)

While the Bible did not record Jesus saying, "I am the Son of God" in those exact words, He did affirm it whenever He was asked if He was the Son of God (Matthew 16:15-17, Matthew 26:63-64, Luke 22:70, John 10:36-38). He also claimed that He is the Messiah, i.e. Christ, or the Anointed One (John 4:25-26).

He claimed that He is not of this world (John 8:23), born to be a King but His kingdom is not of the world (John 18:36-37).

So the Jesus that saved you is the promised Messiah of Israel, the Son of God.

But many people also claimed to be gods, reincarnations of gods, of buddhas, some also claim to be prophets, all offering different ways of salvation. How do you know that Jesus is the true God, and not one of the many gods, buddhas or prophets?

This is the difference: all these gods, buddhas or prophets who had come, came alone. They just appeared and claimed that they were somebody. But Jesus's coming is predicted. His life is written before He was born. The Old Testament predicted His time of birth (Daniel 9:25) and His place of birth (Micah 5:2). The Jews of His time studied Daniel and were expecting the Messiah to appear soon. The wise men told King Herod of His place of birth by reading Micah (Matthew 2:3-5).

The Old Testament also predicted His death by crucifixion (Psalm 22:16, Isaiah 53:5, Isaiah 53:12), His burial in a rich man's tomb (Isaiah 53:8-9) and His resurrection (Psalm 16:10, Psalm 68:18, Isaiah 26:19, Psalm 30:3). The authors of the Gospels were very careful to show us that Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament predictions.

I have not known of a founder of any religion that had received such authentication. All founders of the other religions authenticate themselves. Nobody predict their birth or death. They came in their own name and, without objective proof, declared themselves to be somebody and you are expected to believe.

This Jesus, who saved you, the Son of God, the Messiah of Israel, came fully authenticated by the Old Testament prophecies. The Old Testament is Jesus's PKI certificates.

Vesak Day

Today is Vesak Day. It celebrates the birth (誕生), enlightenment (成道) and death (涅槃) of the Buddha. Like all famous men, he had birth, something significant, then death.

Vesak Day is the right time to talk about men, especially men who claimed to be more than human, but yet is born of a father and a mother, like every one of us, and die, like every one of us.

Many people like us to believe that they are more than human. The latest such person is Sai Baba. He was born of a father and a mother, like you and me, and he died on Easter Sunday 24th April 2011. His disciples buried him three days later, hoping that he would emulate Jesus Christ, who rose from the dead after three days. He did not and was buried. Someone in future can claim to be his reincarnation, but it cannot be proven objectively or legally.

Death is the leveller. You can be a great conqueror, a very wise man, a fool, a rich man or a beggar. One thing will happen to you. You will die. You can claim to be a god or a buddha, but if you die, to me, you are the same as me, same as all human beings who was born of a father and a mother and died. You failed to conquer the greatest enemy of all – death. I cannot believe you.

Jesus is another man who claimed to be God. What is the difference between Him and all the others?

First, He is not born of a father and a mother. He was born of a virgin.
Next, He died, but after three days He rose from the dead.
Finally, His birth, death, resurrection and second coming was prophesised.

Christianity is not a one man religion, unlike many religions, which have only one founder.

So the life of Jesus can be summed up as following:
Pre-birth prophecies, born of a virgin, death, resurrection, and future coming.

The Heart is Desperately Wicked

If there is righteousness in the heart, there will be beauty in the character.
If there is beauty in the character, there will be harmony in the home.
When there is harmony in the home, there will be order in the nation.
When there is order in the nation, there will be peace in the world.
Sri Sathya Sai Baba, 13 January 1970

The big question is "IF". If there is righteousness in the heart, then truth would be recognized and all the good things will follow. But the Creator of heavens and earth (Psalm 146:6), the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, who is, and who was, and who is to come (Revelation 1:8) had declared this:
"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9 KJV)"

O people, do not believe those who were born of a father and a mother, who died and were buried, who were, but are not and will never come, yet claimed to be more than human. No truth will come from them.

Sai Baba is buried

Sai Baba is buried. I don't think he will coming back in any objectively provable way. Of course someone may claim to be his reincarnation in future but nobody can prove it.

Let us believe the only verifiable resurrection in history, the only person who claims to be God, born of a virgin (a natural impossibility) and resurrected after death (another natural impossibility). After resurrection, He walked around and showed Himself to those who know Him in private and in public.

"Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you--unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed" (1 Corinthians 15:1-11 KJV).

Let us not believe those who are born of a father and a mother, died and was buried, but claimed to be more than human.

Sai Baba died on Easter

Today is Easter. We celebrate the resurrection of the only one who claimed to be God and proved it by rising from the dead.

Satya Sai Baba, who are among the many who claimed to be a god, had also died, like any sinner. His followers believe that he would rise again three days later, like Jesus Christ. We shall wait and see.

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23 KJV)
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23 KJV)

Resurrection - Proof of Christ's Divinity

Romans 1:4
and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord. (New Living Translation)

and patently marked out as the Son of God by the power of that Spirit of holiness which raised him to life again from the dead. He is our Lord, Jesus Christ (Phillips New Testament in Modern English)

who is marked out Son of God in power, according to the Spirit of sanctification, by the rising again from the dead,) Jesus Christ our Lord; (Young's Literal Translation)

按圣善的灵说，因从死里复活，以大能显明是神的儿子。