MY ANSWER TO THE LIE – Part 2
Sakkie Parsons
In my first writing on this topic, I ended as follows:
Then they also experienced His ascension. They stand and watched how the Father, so to speak, put His arm around His Son and takes Him to heaven
ACTS 1:9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.
Of course! Then nothing could stop them!
Now I go on and share with you about what I see as the biggest but also the worst lie of all time.
Do you remember?
There he stands; in his coward behaving he has cursed a maid's allegation to show that he is not one of his followers and next to him stands one of the other big deserters, maybe the one who ran out of his clothes when he escaped.
As I said:
There they are now, the same people, before the elders and scribes, the leaders of the people.
ACTS 4:18-20
18 So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.
19 But Peter and John answered them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge,
20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard."
Think about this too:
Why did the people who wanted to quiet Jesus' disciples make a great effort to silence them, but did not play their trump card to show that Jesus did not rise up?
Let's say that these ordinary people, of who most have been simple fishermen, were busy with a huge scam –
Why did these scholarly people not play their trump card and spared a lot of effort, which in the end meant nothing. Because here you and I prove that they completely failed in their attempt to crush this Gospel.
Why did they not demonstrate Jesus' crucified and mutilated body in public?
They were after all so thoroughly careful that Jesus' body could not be stolen by His disciples!
MAT 27:62-66
62 Next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate
63 and said, "Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, 'After three days I will rise.'
64 Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, 'He has risen from the dead,' and the last fraud will be worse than the first."
65 Pilate said to them, "You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can."
66 So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard.
The only great lie that was proclaimed at that time was not proclaimed by Jesus 'disciples but by the great scholars of the time, because of the reason that they could not bring forth the risen Jesus' body.
No! And then they had to make use of a lie and false propaganda that made their attempt less worth than what a man could manage to travel around the world in a balloon but when he could not get a balloon, used a soap bubble.
Anyone who knows something about the Romans soldiers and their extreme discipline will be able to tell you how absolutely ridiculous this lie was that they proclaimed.
We read that an angel then came, rolling away the stone before the tomb.
The guards had frightened themselves out of their idol faith, and when they finally got to get themselves to move again, told the elders what had happened at the tomb and now we read:
MAT 28:11-14
11 While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place.
12 And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers
13 and said, "Tell people, 'His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.'
14 And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble."
One could almost laugh at these people's ridiculous pathetic actions.
Because then they proclaimed exactly what they said they wanted to prevent the disciples from coming away with, and as you read, they even paid a big sum of money for the fabricated lie.
This lie that they first wanted to prevent and then used for themselves, of course, reveals itself again today, no wonder for the Word predict this:
MAT 28:15 So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.
Did you see?
MAT 28:15 …. to this day.
This great salvation truth – the only truth – namely the gospel of Jesus Christ, passed over 2,000 years' attacks and tests of satan's followers and passed the attacks and testing each time with flying colours.
One can hardly believe that there are still sober-minded people today, with all this information and facts in front of them and still act so ridiculous, but then I remember that our Lord also said in His Word in this regard:
1COR 1:18-25
18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
19 For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart."
20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?
21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.
22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom,
23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,
24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
Somebody might say now:
What about me? I was not at Jesus' fish barbecue and I was not there to see Thomas feeling the marks in His hand. "
You think our Lord is rating them high and you're right but let me show you a greater great glory and you're part of it if you accepted Jesus Christ as Your God, Saviour and Redeemer.
Because then, Jesus will rate you even higher than them and remember, even John the beloved disciple was one of them there when Jesus said these words:
JOHN 20:27-29
27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe."
28 Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!"
29 Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
HEB 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
That's how you and I can please our Lord Jesus' heart by bringing other people to Him today which He can also rate so high.
How do we do it?
The answer is obvious when I remember that our Lord in His Word tells us:
ROM 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
So, fellow Christian, let us be His witness and proclaim this eternal life-giving great truth to a world that is exposed to so many lies.
Let you and me through our words and especially our actions through our lives be the answer to the question that comes from the Word to us:
ROM 10:14 But how are they to call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?
“Let us walk the walk, of the talk that we talk.
Greetings,