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an affair on golgotha
Thus says The Lord
"Stand by the roads, and look,
and ask for the ancient paths,
where the good way is; and walk in it,
and find rest for your souls.
PREFACE
The quest for the truth can be a painful endeavor. The discovery of facts we do not wish to acknowledge may well have to be accepted. But the honest savant, the virtuous student, will embrace the truth whether it favors, or disproves, their argument. And those matters we dare to investigate may be destructive and threatening to others who do not favor such studies.
The Holy Qur'an makes note of the following concerning the examination of certain situations concerning Jesus' death. It is a statement of wisdom, and should be followed in the research of any uncertain situation.
"…test the crucial question by putting together other incidents relating to the affair and you will arrive at the truth." (The Holy Qur'an; Surah 2:73)
And there is much to examine, starting with Jesus' arrest, his 'mock' trial before part of the membership of the Sanhedrin, his meeting with Herod, the public trial conducted by Pontius Pilate, and the crucifixion.
We must scrutinize Jesus' treatment by Pilate and by the Italian Cohort, and the very possible intervention of Roman soldiers during his term on the cross. References to the time of day are extremely important, and the conditions surrounding the area become tantamount to ascertaining the correctness of ancient biblical scribes.
The real possibility of the corruption of Barabbas' name might well indicate a corruption of biblical text, and why? Was it done to preserve a truth, or to preserve a false tradition of men? Was it done with purpose, or is it merely another ecclesiastic error with which the New Testament abounds?
And there are several very important clues given to us by the Bible itself, including the formula for calculating Easter Sunday, and the practices of the Jerusalem Church.
One must accept the fact that we would be fortunate indeed if forty percent of the Gospels are unadulterated text. They have been filled with addendums and additions, edited to the point of totally corrupting the original documents, coupled with clerical mistakes and improper translations throughout.
Deeper research into the herbal solutions and drugs that were used during and after the crucifixion, a period of three to three and a half hours, is demanded. This is not done for the sake of argument but for the sake of unveiling the true nature of that which has become the center of the Christian religion.
And if necessary, we must dispel the unworthy argument of the priesthood whose only defense is the dog-eared contention that, "…these things are considered miracles, and since miracles are beyond the understanding of men, they cannot be questioned."
If this is true, then Jesus' admonition for us to 'ask', 'knock', and 'seek', so that we may 'receive', is a falsehood, and God is an unworthy Father. No God-fearing, honest student will ever accept this dogmatic attitude or its insinuations.
It must be remembered that it was not the Apostles who began the 'mystery' of a human sacrifice whose shed blood was a washing of regeneration for the forgiveness of man's sins. It was not the chosen twelve of Jesus who made him a 'sin-eater', or a 'scapegoat', nor his death the center of Christian doctrine.
If this is all that Jesus has become for the 'faithful', then they have been led down a deceitful path. It is a wide road that leads many to believe that all wrongs, no matter how horrific, will be forgiven if they repent, and no punishment will be suffered; that all things, as long as they are done in Christ's name, are acceptable and proper in God's eye.
And to many congregations today within the various sects of Christianity, Jesus has become the 'one god'. They are ignorant of the Christ's warnings against such a belief and the consequences that it will bring.
Now, at the onset of the Lenten season, at the emergence of the first Easter of the millennium, the moment has come for the truth to be revealed. This we do in defense of the Apostles' faith, and in the light of the true Christ.
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JESUS AND HELL
