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Tag Archives: eyewitness

Special Types of Witnesses

22 Wednesday Jan 2014

Posted by ts4jc in About Me, General Christian issues

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

1st Corinthians 15, Apostle John, Apostle Paul, ascension of Jesus, baptism of Jesus, beloved Son, book of Acts, Christ, Christianity, Christians, empty tomb, evidence, eyewitness, followers, Gospels, hostile witness, Jerusalem, Jesus, Jews, John the Baptist, Josh McDowell, martyr, Messiah, persecution, Peter, resurrection, road to Damascus, Roman Empire, Roman guard, statement against interest, transfiguration

In a future post, I will be describing some of my favorite sports moments. But I am going to include one of them in this post because it fits the topic.  It was actually an accomplishment that I did.  It happened in basketball, which is ironic because it is probably my worst sport.  I am short (about 5’4½”), don’t handle the ball particularly well, and I don’t have a sense of the field of play the way I do in football or soccer.  But there is one very important fact about this event: I didn’t see it happen.

My friends must have been desperate for an extra player when they asked me to join them for a half court pickup game in the Teagle gym.  During the game, one of my teammates was the last person to touch the ball as it was heading out of bounds in the corner to the left of the basket.  I was the closest to the ball and unchallenged for it.

I have the quick reflexes of a hockey goalie, and they kicked in as I closed in on the ball.  At the last possible second before it or I would be out of bounds, I dove and got my hands under the ball.  The only way I could save it was to fling it upwards in the general direction of the court, hoping one of my taller and stronger teammates could get to it first.  Then I hit the floor and skidded, coming to rest out of bounds against the curtain that separated our court from the next one.

As I shook off the impact of hitting the floor and got to my feet, it was strangely quiet.  The first thing I saw was that everyone was standing around.  I assumed the ball went out of bounds again, and they were waiting for me to get back onto the court before the inbounds play.  They stood there with dumbfounded expressions.  One of my teammates told me, “You swished it.”

I accused them of kidding me, but they all insisted it was true.  Even the guys on the other team agreed that it went in.  And the game resumed with us having one more basket than before.

I eventually believed them for three reasons.  First, they didn’t have enough time to get their stories straight.  Second, a group of guys that age are not good enough actors to keep a straight face under those circumstances.  But the most important was that the guys on the other team were hostile witnesses.  And they were making statements against interest.  Confirming that it went in hurt their chances of winning.  So I am firmly convinced it happened, even if I didn’t see it.

Now we will go to a different kind of court, one where witnesses are examined and evidence is weighed.

Here is a summary of the story of Jesus’s resurrection and the empty tomb He left behind.  First, Joseph of Arimathaea persuades Pilate to release His body to him.  He wraps His body in linen cloth and puts it in a new tomb he had recently created by hollowing out a cave into rock.  Nicodemus put certain spices on the linen cloths according to their burial customs.  They are followed to the tomb by some of the women who had been ministering to Jesus and His disciples.

The disciples of Jesus are disheartened, fearful and in hiding.  They are supposed to stay in Jerusalem for the Passover.  But they expect the authorities to find them and arrest them at any time.

Meanwhile, the Jewish authorities remember (far better than His disciples did) that Jesus had said He would rise from the dead.  They go to Pilate and ask him to give them a Roman guard.  A Roman military guard was made up of 4 to 16 men, deployed in a square formation, and were known for their ability to hold off a far larger force.  Pilate grants their request.  The guard goes to the tomb, puts a Roman seal on it and position themselves in front of it.

The day after the Sabbath, some of the women go to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus with more spices.  As they walk there they wonder who will be able to roll the large stone away from the tomb so they can do this work.  When they arrive, they find that the stone has been moved away and they encounter an angel who tells them that Jesus is risen and is not there.  Eventually Peter and John arrive and find that there is no body in the cave, but the linen burial cloths have been left there.

Then Jesus appears to many people during this time.  The Apostle Paul, in his first letter to the church in Corinth, gives an excellent summary of these events.

For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how 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 of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.  After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.  And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. – 1st Corinthians 15:3-8  [Note: Cephas is the Greek name for the Apostle Peter.]

At this point a number of questions might come to mind.  For instance, what revived the spirits of a disheartened group of disciples who had good reason to believe their cause was defeated with the death of their leader?  When He was arrested and crucified, they were still struggling to understand much of His teaching, especially His purpose and objective.  What enabled them to turn a movement in a small area of a conquered region, into a force that swept through the whole world, despite its initial leaders being a small group of men with relatively little education (except for Paul), influence, power or funds?  Furthermore, how do we know that Paul’s statements are true?

If we recall the evidence regarding my amazing basketball shot, some of it applies here as well.  The followers of Christ, in spreading their witness about Jesus, were speaking statements against their own personal interest.  While many Jews became added to the number of followers in the early years after the ascension of Jesus, the Jewish leadership never accepted that Jesus was the Messiah.  They vigorously persecuted their Jewish brothers and sisters who followed Jesus.  Indeed, it was as part of that mission that Paul (at that time called Saul of Tarsus) was heading to Damascus.  Until the vision and message from Christ on that road to Damascus led him to convert, Paul’s actions against the followers of Christ included imprisonment, voting for their death at trials, subjecting them to whatever punishments were allowed under the Law in synagogues throughout the region, even in areas distant from Jerusalem, and forcing some to recant their beliefs.

And while the Romans at first may have seen this situation as an internal dispute between the Jews which did not concern them unless it threatened the peace, that changed as the number of followers continued to grow, especially when non-Jews, even Romans, began to convert in significant numbers.  Teaching and witnessing about a king named Jesus who is the son of the one true God, threatened the religious customs of the Roman Empire and the authority of Caesar.

Thus the persecution of Christ’s followers multiplied greatly.  The book of Acts records the martyrdom of Stephan and the Apostle James.  The historical record shows that all of the Apostles except John (who died of old age in exile) died a martyr’s death.  That record further shows that Christians were routinely sent to death in the Coliseum and that Nero blamed the Christians for the fire he set that burned Rome.  It took three centuries before Christianity was officially accepted by Roman authorities.  Until then, it wasn’t very safe to be found proclaiming the Gospel.

The following is a link to an article by Josh McDowell that gives an extensive list of evidence, facts, proofs, counter-arguments to the claims of skeptics, and evaluations by historians on the validity of the testimony which supports the existence of Jesus and His historical resurrection after His crucifixion.  Historical accounts by Jews and Romans who opposed Christianity (i.e., hostile witnesses) are included in the article with explanation why it is strong evidence.  There is also archeological evidence that shows that Paul’s letter quoted above was circulated at a time when it can be expected that many of the people who saw Christ after His resurrection were indeed alive.  And many other points are made, and made better than I could hope to do.  And yes, at the end of his article, a challenge is made as to what you believe.

http://www.leaderu.com/everystudent/easter/articles/josh2.html

Why is all of this so important?  A little further in 1st Corinthians, Paul explains it: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.  (1st Corinthians 15:14)

Jews and Christians agree that God has promised a Messiah for His people.  The disagreement that divides is over the identity of the Messiah.  Paul, a most learned Pharisee before following Christ, has stated it clearly: if Jesus is not risen from the dead, then He is not the Messiah; He is not the Christ.  He is just another false claimant to the title.  There would be no need to continue to follow His teachings. Instead, all should pray that the Messiah would come soon.

Confronted by such an important spiritual question, I must conclude based on all that has been set forth in this series of posts, that we have reliable eyewitness accounts of people who have seen God.  In times of His choosing, God reveals Himself in physical form to people.  At other times, the effects of God’s presence in the world are evident.

I have left the most important witness for last: God Himself on two occasions.  In three of the four Gospels, Jesus takes only Peter, James and John with Him to a hilltop where His appearance is transfigured and He converses with Moses and Elijah.  At the end of that event, a voice comes out of a cloud and calls Jesus His “beloved Son”.  Also, those same three Gospels testify that when Jesus is baptized, a voice comes out of heaven with that same description of Jesus, and the Holy Spirit also comes upon Jesus at that time.  (In John’s Gospel, it is also mentioned that the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus when He was baptized.  This Gospel quotes John the Baptist bearing witness at this time that Jesus is the Son of God.)

On the first occasion, three people witnessed.  On the second occasion, an untold number of witnesses were there, whoever had come to be baptized at that time.  And many people from all around were coming to be baptized.  They heard a disembodied voice that could not be manufactured with the technology of that time.

Will you follow God?  If so, then understand that to truly follow, it matters little that God is on your side; it is far more important that you endeavor to be on God’s side.  What other way is there to follow?

God bless,

Lois

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Eyewitness News

14 Tuesday Jan 2014

Posted by ts4jc in General Christian issues

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Abraham, Adam and Eve, appearance of God, Bible, Exodus, eyewitness, false witness, Genesis, God, God's glory, Isaac, Israel, Jacob, justice, Mosaic Law, Moses, Old Testament

The concept known as “Eyewitness News” began in the mid-sixties.  The idea spread and resulted in a major transformation of the way viewers received the news.  Fifty years later, nearly every local news program uses a variation of this concept.

One of the features of eyewitness news was to have field reporters on the scene of a local story being covered.  Except in rare situations, they were not the eyewitnesses, but they were able to interview people who saw or heard the action take place.

While eyewitnesses have an important place in the American justice system, eyewitness testimony was of even greater importance when the Mosaic Law was written.  How much forensic science could be done that long ago?  There was no way to collect DNA evidence, no video records from security cameras available.  While there are some records of the Babylonians using fingerprints for signatures and other means of identification as far back as 2000 BC, no methods existed to be able to lift fingerprints from a murder weapon, a stolen object or most other items.

Safeguards were included in the Law to protect the innocent false witnesses.  There are three separate verses that capital punishment cannot be meted out on the basis of only one eyewitness.  Then, in Deuteronomy 19, that protection is extended to cases involving any crime, iniquity or sin.  Furthermore, the law included strong consequences for those who were found to be testifying against someone with false witness, to serve as a meaningful deterrent against falsely accusing someone.

One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.  If a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him that which is wrong; Then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before the LORD, before the priests and the judges, which shall be in those days; And the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother; Then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother: so shalt thou put the evil away from among you. – Deuteronomy 19:15-19

Two other things were important for just verdicts to be made under such a system: the appointment of judges who were wise, discerning and honest; for the character of those giving the testimony to be well-known.  In a clan-based society such as ancient Israel, with small populations and relatively low geographic mobility, both of those tasks would be easier than in modern societies that are large and relatively anonymous.

In the previous two posts, I did not dispute the assertion of God being invisible.  Instead, I looked at various examples of where the effects of the actions of God are documented, reported, and give evidence of his existence and even visibility indirectly.  Today, I am taking it a step further.  We are going to look at reports and eyewitness accounts of direct sightings of God.  Dreams and visions are not being included.  Contacts with God that involve the sense of hearing only are not being included.  The reports of the first three people involved were included in the Bible by oral history.  The rest were directly reported by the eyewitness.

Adam and Eve: This first reference is by logical inference.  In Genesis 3:8, Adam and Eve are experiencing guilt and shame for the first time as a result of eating the forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  They hear the LORD God speaking as He walks in the garden in the cool of the day.  They hide from His presence.  The fact that He can see them is not significant.  The fact that He is physically walking among them is.  In Eden, He can be seen as well as see.  And Adam and Eve attempting to hide from Him in this context suggests that they saw each other regularly until they lose their state of innocence.

Abraham: Here we begin to have more directly expressed references to people who see God.  In three different chapters of Genesis, there are mentions of God appearing to Abraham, the first patriarch.  In Genesis 12:7, his name is still Abram.  This is where God tells him that he has reached the land which the LORD had promised to show to him when Abram left his own country in response to the LORD’s command.

At the beginning of chapter 17, the LORD appears to Abram and renames him Abraham in connection with the covenant that He makes with Abraham.  In verse 22, it also states that when He finished talking with Abraham, God “went up from Abraham”, further signifying that He was physically with Abraham.

The clearest account that the LORD is physically present with Abraham and that Abraham can see Him occurs at the beginning of chapter 18.  Using the same verb (Heb. ra’ah), the same voice (in Hebrew it is the Niphal voice, which indicates passive or reflexive action: with this verb, the active voice means to see or perceive, the passive/reflexive voice means to appear, present oneself, be seen or be visible) as in Genesis 12 & 17, once again it says that the LORD appears to Abraham.  Abraham sees Him and three men (angels) standing with Him.  In response, Abraham commands a servant to fetch water so their feet can be washed.  He invites them to rest and he tells Sarah to make a meal for them.  In verse 13, after they ate, the LORD continues talking with Abraham, asking why Sarah laughed when she heard that she would give birth to a child.

Isaac: In Genesis 26, Isaac’s herdsmen are clashing with the herdsmen of Gerar (part of the land of the Philistines) over water wells.  Finally, they find water, dig a well and are not challenged for it.  That night, the LORD appears (same verb, ra’ah; same Niphal voice) to Isaac and reconfirms the covenant that He made with Abraham.

Jacob: Like his father, Isaac, there is only one recorded instance of Jacob being face to face with God.  But it is one of the better known stories from the Old Testament.  In Genesis 32, Jacob is returning to the land of his birth, but also to a twin brother who threatened to kill him twenty years earlier.  The night before he meets Esau again, Jacob goes off by himself.  In verses 24-30, Jacob suddenly was encountered by another and they engage in wrestling.  Jacob initially believes this entity is a man and they wrestled to a standoff.  But then we see that Jacob’s opponent has held back somewhat, for a touch of a finger threw Jacob’s thigh out of joint and withered the muscle there.  (To this day, Orthodox Jews will not eat this part of the meat.)  The opponent blesses Jacob but will not reveal His name.  Jacob realizes that in this encounter, he has seen God face to face.

In Exodus 6:3, when God is preparing Moses to go before Pharaoh, He confirms two things about this story and the other meetings in general.  He tells Moses that He appeared (again the ra’ah – Niphal combination) to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  Then He tells Moses that He did not reveal His name to them, the name He revealed to Moses in Exodus 3:14). (Gen. 32:24-30; also see Exodus 6:2-3 where the LORD confirms to Moses that He appeared to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob)

Moses: With Moses, we begin the first face to face encounters that are recorded as part of the history that was written down by either the first person or a contemporary scribe.  And the first eyewitness sighting involving Moses included in the Bible was a major one.  In Exodus 24, God summons Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu and seventy of the elders to come to Him.  While only Moses will be permitted to come close to God, the rest see Him from a distance.  In verse 10, a description is given of His appearance.  “And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.”  In the next verse, we are reassured that God did not harm any of those who saw Him and they went on to live their everyday lives.

In Exodus 33, Moses has recently set up the tabernacle outside the camp. God comes down to the tabernacle shrouded in a cloudy pillar.  In verse 11, we are told that the LORD spoke to Moses “face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.”

In Numbers 12, we are told that God speaking to Moses “face to face” is not unusual.  In this chapter, God contrasts how He speaks to Moses with how He speaks to the rest of the prophets.  The occasion is that Moses’ siblings, Miriam and Aaron, begin to speak out against Moses because he did not marry a daughter of Israel.  God calls them and Moses into the tabernacle.  Once again inside the cloudy pillar, He sets Miriam and Aaron straight.  “And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house.  With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?” (Numbers 12:6-8)

Would you think that Moses, having been accorded this great honor and privilege of seeing God face to face, would be satisfied with what he has?  How typical is it of humans that regardless of how much we have, we soon want more?  Going back to Exodus 33, after God has promised Moses that His presence will remain with him as Moses leads the people in the wilderness.  In verse 18, Moses ups the ante.  What follows is an intriguing exchange:

And he [Moses] said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.  And he [the LORD] said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.  And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.  And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.  – Exodus 33:18-23

Wait a minute!  Isn’t there a contradiction here?  In Exodus 33:11, we are told that God spoke to Moses “face to face”.  Nine verses later, we are told that no man can see God’s face and live.  Does this mean the Bible is inaccurate and cannot be trusted?  I will do my best to resolve this apparent contradiction in my next post.

Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD’S side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. – Exodus 32:26

God bless,

Lois

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