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an affair on golgotha
INTRODUCTION
Since the days when Jesus walked this earth, the followers of the faith have waited patiently for the, Parousia. The Apostles expected it momentarily, and when their master was no longer with them, they 'knew' it was upon them. The kingdom never came. Modern evangelists said that they had misinterpreted Jesus' words and the signs of the time.
Paul was assured that it was imminent, that it would happen in his lifetime; surely it would come before his death. It never came. Modern evangelists said that he had misinterpreted Jesus' words and the signs of the time.
The early church waited for the return of Jesus, and the coming of God's kingdom. Two thousand years later, mankind is still expectant. Just as Israel hopes for its long awaited Messiah, the return of the great king and Israel's vaunted power and glory, the 'church' waits for the Parousia with bated breath. Future evangelists may say that it has misinterpreted Jesus' words and the signs of the time, only now, there is a vast difference in who and what, it is waiting for.
Aware of his possible fate, now becoming more of a probability, Jesus fell silent. In retrospect, all that he had attempted to teach God's children was being reduced to political intrigue. Jesus' ministry was made to appear as nothing more than a revolutionary plot created by a man who had been foolish enough to defy the priesthood, Herod, and Rome. Many say that he had entered the Holy City with the entourage of royalty, and permitted himself to be anointed as king before he was ready to seize the throne. And worse, those closest to him were falling away.
Before we face the gauntlet there are certain facts that must be understood. To go forward in ignorance would be as bad as continuing within the frivolous traditions of man without questioning their authority and purpose. And if they differ from the truth of the 'cornerstone', we must ask, why?
Has man's conceit, man's lies, man's deceitfulness, once again turned God's purpose to his own ends? Jesus had warned his disciples repeatedly, even to the rebuking of Peter, of what would take place. He told them what the end of his ministry would be.
"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…" (Matthew 16:21 RSV)
As much as our modern day theology looks for signs and portents of the second coming of Jesus, the Parousia, so did the Apostles constantly question Jesus. When was the kingdom coming, what would be the events signaling its arrival?
"As he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the Temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, "Tell us, when this will be, and what will be the sign when these things are all to be accomplished." (Matthew 24:3 RSV)
In all of this, Jesus warned us of the great deception that would signal the end of this present age. Whether it will bring his second arrival, we do not know.
"Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled? And Jesus answering them began to say, 'Take heed lest any man deceive you; for many shall come [in my name], saying, I am the Christ; and shall deceive many.'" (Mark 13:4-6 RSV)
In my name, is in brackets since it was omitted in the original Greek text, a practice common in the translations that have come down to us over twenty centuries. However, Jesus' statement is a simple one, having been interpreted as indicating the coming of false Christs and prophets, false Messiahs. But man's deception has stretched itself so far as to mutilate the very scriptures it uses to prove its faith.
The Interpreter's Bible notes that 'in my name' is possibly an edition to the text of Mark 13:6, inserted long after the original text was established. (Volume 7; Page 856) Once again we are left, not with the truth of Jesus' words, not with the inspiration of God, but with the interference of man.
"Many shall come, saying, I am Christ, and shall deceive many."
And in fact, the word Christos does not even appear in the Greek text. Properly read, Jesus says: "Many shall come saying oti ego eimi." (I Am) (See: Mark 13:6, The Interlinear Greek-English New Testament) In other words, the Godhead. Where the translation improperly uses the word, Christ, the verse is properly translated, I Am, the Godhead.
"For many shall come, saying, I am God, and shall deceive many."
To even consider the only other option, that Jesus denies that he is the Christ, would be an incredible stroke against the very doctrines of Christianity.
"And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived; for many shall come saying, I Am; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them." (Luke 21:8 RSV)
(Matthew 24:5)
We have always been led to understand that Jesus was speaking of others who would come as false Messiahs, but no one has suggested that Jesus was speaking of those who would come claiming that he was the, I Am, the Living God.
Jesus speaks to the disciples when they approach him about the future and coming events. Jesus answers them in simple terms, "Many shall come saying…" Christian laymen and women, disciples of teachers, ministers, pastors and evangelists, saying that the Christ is the, I Am; that he, Jesus, the anointed one of God, is God.
Well, many have been deceived, and as Jesus foretold, "…they will fool the very elect, if that be possible." Not only ignorance, but also arrogance is proving to be man's downfall, for if this simple statement is correctly stated, the time of the coming, is now! The kingdom is at hand.
If therefore they shall say unto you, 'Behold, he is in the wilderness; go not forth. Behold, he is in the inner chambers; believe it not.'" (Matthew 24:26-27)
If these people were saying that they were the Christ, why would they say he is here, or he is there? No, Jesus was speaking of himself and of those who would come later attempting to deify him. Jesus would have no part of it, why should we?
Throughout Mark, Jesus is emphatic in telling the disciples not to tell this to anyone. The messianic secret turns out to be a denial of that which the Christian world has desired for God's prophet from the beginning, that of martyrdom, resurrection, and godhood. Jesus himself denies it in these words.
"And he asked them, But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered him, "You are the Christ." And he charged them to tell no one about him." (Mark 8:29-30 RSV)
If Jesus told them to tell no one about him, who told? If Jesus said, 'don't say it', then who put it into writing against his wishes?
If one researches, The Interpreter's Bible, Volume 7: Page 767, they will find that the professional theologians and interpreter's note that the order to be silent is characteristic of Mark and is stated more than once. And it is not so much that Jesus was thought to be Messiah only after the resurrection, but that the statement was a positive repudiation of the title as being inadequate and even misleading.
Jesus insists that believing he is God is a deception and his disciples throughout time should beware of its detrimental effects. There is no dark and sinister mood to Jesus' words, or to the writing of Mark. They are simple and straightforward.
Who do people say that I am? Though art the Christ! Who do you say that I am? Thou art the Christ. Tell this to no one! Why? Because it is not true in the sense in which the original statement translates, the Christ being God. Once more this student underlines the statement that the word, Christos, is not use in these verses, but rather, oti ego eimi, the I am, God. Only ignorance would refuse to accept what is in front of its eye.
In these verses Jesus states it plainly. What more proof do you need? It is for everyone to see into their hearts, and to accept Joshua bar Joseph in the mission and spirit in which God sent him to us. Let him live!
The warning in Mark 13:6, is repeated in Luke, using that writer's available text, and whatever he might have had of oral tradition and the, Q manuscript.
"And he said, take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come saying, I Am; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them." (Luke 21:8 The Interlinear Greek-English New Testament)
It is also echoed in Matthew 24:5.
"For many will come saying, I am the Christ, and they will lead many astray… and many false prophets will arise and lead many astray." (Matthew 24: 5; Matthew 24:11 RSV)
Jesus himself breaks down the two statements as being separate issues. Many will come saying that he is Christ (I Am), and then, many false prophets will arise!
To our present generation, the warning is lethal. The claim that Jesus is God is being made by sect after sect of Christianity. It is no longer demanded solely by the Catholic Church. Jesus' warning, the sign of the end of the age is being fulfilled today. Great change is at hand.
If anyone wishes to debate the schism between historic fact and the editorialized scriptures, let them go to any proficient dissertation concerning the Greek scriptures. The simplest and most acceptable would appear to be, Peake's Commentary on the Bible, The Interpreter's Bible, or The Interlinear Greek-English New Testament. In, The Interpreter's Bible, a full exposition on the 13th Chapter of Mark is in, Volume 7; Page 853, entitled, The Apocalyptic Discourse.
There is also Bruce Metzger's, A Textual Commentary On The Greek New Testament, and scores of other text to be studied for verification.
I will note only the opening text to underline the great importance of the layman understanding where the statements he is taught, actually come from.
According to, The Interpreter's Bible, this chapter is considered to be composite by scholars and includes general apocalyptic material, "…not necessarily to be attributed to Jesus…" along with statements of his that are genuine. (See: Volume 7; Page 853.)
If Jesus did not say it, how dare men use this 'sacred' vehicle to demand that he did when they admit to the contrary? In the same manner, they have used God's Holy Scriptures to advance their own doctrines and traditions throughout history.
There is a great deal of evidence in the Greek scriptures, and in religious history, of the church's attempts to destroy evidence that would question their doctrine and bring tradition to its knees in the sight of truth. The church once labeled many texts being found today 'heretical', but they are rearing their heads in defiance of the church's attempt to slander, if not destroy, them.
If this were not true, The Cathars, the Knights Templar, the Waldenses, and the Gnostics would still be vital, intellectual and spiritual powers in the world today. Instead, they have been martyred by the Church's genocidal attacks.
And so today it seems that many facets of Christianity have turned to proclaiming the great theological movement of the 80's and 90's. Most especially the Catholic and Protestant sects that proclaim Jesus is god stand out as the most prominent examples. The great, 'Christ, I Am', theology has overtaken all other things, and to validate man's tradition even our own secular works have been changed, i.e., the 1954 edition of Webster's Dictionary.
"Sect, any person or persons who worship a man as God."
The 1978 edition of Webster's Dictionary suddenly announces:
"Sect, a dissenting or schismatic religious body."
To prove the newest of upheavals, The Gospel According To John, has been restored and placed at its theological head. It is being used as the basis for the claim that Jesus of Nazareth is God.
We are told that it was authored by John, the disciple. Arguments against its authority are, (1) John would have been of extraordinary old age, (2) as a Galilean Jew of the orthodoxy; the text exhibits a definite, anti-Semitic nature, (3) the Church would be permitting a Gnostic text into their doctrine, which they once attempted to wipe out in its entirety, (4) the church's permissiveness would allow the use, and manipulation, of a five hundred year old text that originally appeared as Plato's, Ode To Wisdom, and (5) the admission of a document purported to be genuine to Jesus' words and actions that appear almost one hundred and seventy years after the fact.
Explicit explanation of the argument are as follows. The Interpreter's Bible: Volume 7; Page 887, notes that in this Gospel, "…where intense hatred of the Jews is frequently given expression…" gives voice to point (2).
The preface of the Gospel, "In the beginning was the word…" (John 1:1) is well known to have originally been an ode to Wisdom created by Greek philosophers five hundred years before an unknown evangelist adapted it for use in the Gospel, which dates approximately one hundred seventy years after the fact.
The Interpreter's Bible, agrees that the word, Logos, is borrowed from the original where it represented divine reason. Philo of Alexandria uses this word more than thirteen hundred times in his expositions of the Old Testament. (See: I.B.: Volume 7; Page 442).
The Gospel's rampant mysticism, and Greek philosophical treatise, have brought us full circle to an age long abandoned by the ancient societies of Greece and the Roman Empire. The coming to earth of the gods, giving up eternal life to be a sacrifice for man, or for lovers, only to be forgiven by Zeus and reinstated to eternal life. Risen, fallen, and risen again, it enjoins the ancient Greek philosophy of Zeno (circa 500 B.C.), concerning the spirit of man, the original trinity, which was later adapted by Christianity to further complicate its adopted doctrine.
A dozen pagan rites, including the most powerful, that of Mythranism, repeat this story over and over again before Christianity ever became a dream in man's mind. And these entangled philosophies are used to substantiate the new theological hope, along with edited scripture, a foreign philosophy, and an ancient expectancy. And if you doubt this statement, the truth of the matter is about to be brought into the light.
Still, the risen Christ has not returned. And who is it, while waiting, instructs those who are the body of believers in such 'doctrines'?
It must be understood, without question, that Christianity today is not the church that Jesus founded, nor is it based on the principles that he taught. What proof do we have? Are Jesus' own words enough?
"He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God." And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you Simon bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." (Matthew 13:15-20 RSV)
There are those pastors in this society who would claim that Jesus was speaking about himself yet here, 'this rock', modifies Peter. Jesus is specific in the powers that will append with this action, and he does not indicate that 'he' will have this authority, but, 'you', Peter!
Jesus did not choose Paul, yet the church today is based on Paul's tenets, not Peter's. The original mission of the church, and its founders, has been subverted to Paul's Hellenistic philosophy and a dictatorial tradition totally foreign to Jesus' teachings. Does the church not obey the ordinances of the one it now calls, God?
It is Paul who announced the martyred 'lamb' and the sacrificial blood of a human sacrifice to atone for our sins, not the Christ, and certainly not Peter. It is Paul who demands that we observe the bloodied sacrament of, Communion, not the Christ, not Peter, James, or John, and certainly not the Jerusalem Church.
The longer we demand that Christianity fit our desires rather than God's, the longer we will continue to add to, and take away from, the word that was original to the first century church. Little enough remains of the primitive Gospels and the tradition that went with them. Truth has been destroyed to fit man's whim. Nothing could be more menacing in an age gone mad because of man's greed and aspirations for power. It would be the greatest mistake possible to forget the Palestinian Christian church and the faith of the Apostles.
Jesus was positive in noting that, "If the blind lead the blind, they will both end up in the ditch." To accept the dictates of men over the word of God is to invite certain disaster.
Warned by Jesus, in the few words we know to be his own, we continue to defy his rite to rule his own destiny. We seem determined to have our own way, refusing to let him be what he actually was, refusing to accept the truth out of our misbegotten arrogance.
One who taught that he was sent by the Father, who came to do his Father's will and not his own, who taught us to pray, "Our Father, which art in heaven…", is made the unwilling godhead that he warned us against. Now, nearing the completion of his ministry, in silent anguish, he has his hearing before the men who hated him. How much worse have they done who say they love him?
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JESUS AND HELL
