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What Caused the Three Hour Darkness at Jesus’ Execution? – An Eclipse?

What Caused the Three Hour Darkness at Jesus’ Execution? – An Eclipse?

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A Total Eclipse of the Sun. Dramatic Solar Eclipse illustration.

“Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour”—Matthew 27:45 ESV

“And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour”—Mark 15:33 ESV

“It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour”—Luke 23:44 ESV 

Starting right in the middle of the day, when the sunlight is the very brightest, from about noontime until about 3 PM, on the day Jesus was executed, a mysterious darkness covered “the whole land” (Greek, “ge”), meaning Jerusalem and the surrounding area of Judea. Three extra-Biblical ancient historians, Thallus, Phlegon, and Africanus, also mentioned this three hour period of darkness in their writings read more

Do the Gospels Contradict About When the Earthquake Occurred & the Stone Moved?

Do the Gospels Contradict About When the Earthquake Occurred & the Stone Moved?

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“I am struck by a certain consistency among otherwise independent witnesses in placing Mary Magdalene both at the cross and at the tomb on the third day. If this is not a historical datum but something that a Christian storyteller made up and then passed along to others, how is it that this specific bit of information has found its way into accounts that otherwise did not make use of one another? . . . all of our early gospels–not just John and Mark (with Matthew and Luke as well) but also the Gospel of Peter, which appears to be independent of all of them–indicate that it was Mary Magdalen who discovered Jesus’ empty tomb. How did all of these independent accounts happen to name exactly the same person in this role? It seems hard to believe that this just happened by way of a fluke of storytelling. It seems much more likely that, at least with the traditions involving the empty tomb, we are dealing with something actually rooted in history”—Peter, Paul, and Mary Magdalene, p 226, by Bart Ehrman  read more

SHOULD WE PRAY FOR ISRAEL?

SHOULD WE PRAY FOR ISRAEL?

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To get the correct Biblical view in answer to this question, we need to understand and view the Old Testament in light of the New Testament, and not the other way around. People often misunderstand and mistinterpret the scriptures by doing this.

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem .  . . For the love of the house of  Yahweh our God I will pray for your well-being”—Psalm 122:6,9 NJB

There is the Old Testament exhortation above to pray for Jerusalem, which represents the ancient nation of Israel. Yahweh is referred to as “the God of Israel,” “the Holy One of Israel” (Psalm 41:13; 59:8; 68:8; 78:41; 106:48).  Today, there are a number of  Christians who strongly believe that the modern nation of Israel, which was established in 1948, should be prayed for. Is this what God wants us to do? We are told to: read more

Can We Be Sure We Have Eyewitness Testimony in the Gospels?

Can We Be Sure We Have Eyewitness Testimony in the Gospels?

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“Even though we might desperately want to know the identities of the authors of the earliest Gospels, we simply don’t have sufficient evidence. The books were written anonymously and evidently not by eyewitnesses”—Bart D. Ehrman

So says the popular agnostic Bible scholar, who has quite a following. While such claims were rare prior to the 1800’s, they have been increasing, and ever more so in recent times..

How do you know you were born? Yes, you’re alive now, and you’ve been told everyone is born. Superman is supposed to be from the planet Krypton. Maybe that’s how you arrived on earth. Such an idea has about as much credibility as Ehrman’s claims. read more

JESUS’ BURIAL BY JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA

JESUS’ BURIAL BY JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA

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Although all four Biblical gospels report that Joseph of Arimathea buried Jesus’ dead body (Matthew 27:57-61; Mark 15:42:47; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:38-42), there are some skeptics and critics, such as the currently prominent agnostic Biblical “scholar” Bart Ehrman, who deny this fact. Experts point out that the more independent witnesses reports of an event are available, the more likely the report is true. Matthew and John were disciples of Jesus at the time of his execution and its aftermath. So was Peter, who used Mark as his writer of the second Biblical gospel. Luke was familiar with “eyewitness reports circulating . . . from the early disciples” and says, “Having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, [he] also decided to write an accurate account” (Luke 1:1-3 NLT). So Luke’s gospel was based on eyewitness accounts. read more

PONTIUS PILATE AUTHENTICATED

PONTIUS PILATE AUTHENTICATED

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“In the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar–when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea”—Luke 3:1 NIV

Pontius Pilate is mentioned in all four the the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and in Acts and 1 Timothy, as the Roman governor before whom Jesus was brought to trial, and who, under pressure, passed the death death sentence upon Jesus (Matthew 27:1-26; Mark 15:1-15; Luke 22:66-23:25; John 18:28-19:16; Acts 4:27; 13:28; 1 Timothy 6:13). Pilate was “governor of Judea” from 26 CE to 36 CE, and is mentioned by the writer Tacitus. read more

THESSALONIAN POLITARCH INSCRIPTION CONFIRMS BIBLE ACCURACY

THESSALONIAN POLITARCH INSCRIPTION CONFIRMS BIBLE ACCURACY

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“But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other believers before the city officials [Greek, politarches], shouting: ‘These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.’ When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials [Greek, politarches] were thrown into turmoil”—Acts 17:6-8 NIV read more

IS ASTROLOGY HARMLESS, or DANGEROUS?

IS ASTROLOGY HARMLESS, or DANGEROUS?

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Astrology is an ancient pseudo-science which has been proven to be false in every way. The positions and movements of stars and planets have been proven to have no effect on the actions and choices of humans on earth. It was commonly practiced in the ancient world, and appears to have its roots in Babylon. There have been many cuneiform tablets discovered from the area of ancient Babylon, Assyria, and Persia, which contain astrological charts and other astrological references.

Astrology creates the impression that life is fatalistic, or pre-determined, and manipulates people to believe in false predictions. The Bible mentions astrology and astrologers in an unfavorable light. read more

IS EASTER A BIBLICAL CELEBRATION?

IS EASTER A BIBLICAL CELEBRATION?

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“‘This do in remembrance of me . . . This cup,’ He said, ‘is the new Covenant ratified by my blood which is to be poured out on your behalf'”—Weymouth New Testament

Jesus commanded one celebration, called “the Lord’s Supper” (1 Corinthians 11:20 NIV).

No, Easter is not a Biblical celebration. It is nowhere mentioned in the Koine’ Greek text that the New Testament was originally written in. The 17th century King James Version mistranslates the Greek word for “Passover” as “Easter” at Acts 12:4, but even the New King James Version accurately translates this Greek word as “Passover” at Acts 12:4. Additionally, it is historically well documented in numerous reference works that many of the customs associated with Easter are drawn from paganism, with Christ’s name and resurrection tacked onto them. Ancient pagans often worshipped earth’s star, the sun, in various ways. Easter is built upon many such customs, as well as pagan early spring fertility rites, with modern-day sunrise services, being one result. Rabbits and eggs were often viewed as symbols of fertility by pagans. Other customs, such as Easter baskets and bonnets, and hot cross buns, had their origins in paganism. We can draw a principle to apply from something Jesus said on a different subject: “the pagan world runs after all such things” (Luke 12:30 NIV). read more

Did Paul Write Hebrews?

Did Paul Write Hebrews?

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“As early as the end of the second century the church of Alexandria in Egypt accepted Hebrews as a letter of Paul, and that became the commonly held view in the East. Pauline authorship was contested in the West in the fourth century, but then accepted. In the sixteenth century, doubts about that position were again raised, and the modern consensus is that the letter was not written by Paul. There is, however, no widespread agreement on any of the other suggested authors, e. g., Barnabus, Apollos, or Priscilla and Aquila. The document itself has no statement about its author”—Introduction to The Letter To The Hebrews, New American Bible (NAB) read more

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