Why do the heathen rage?
Well there’s an interesting question, I suppose. Granted, it’s phrased perhaps a little harshly, or maybe it’s just language we’re not used to. In fact, it’s a quote from the Bible in good old King James English. It actually reads “Why do the nations rage?” (”Heathen” was common parlance for “nations” back then, I guess.)
Still, it’s a pretty weird picture coming out of the scriptures:
Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? Psalms 2:1
I would never really think about things this way. But God does. And He says why it happens:
The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying,
“Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us.” Psalms 2:2-3
If Jesus isn’t God, then is he a liar?
Why would Jesus perpetrate a hoax among the Jews, where it would be the hardest to sell? Why not in Egypt, which was polytheist at the time and would find it much easier to adopt another “god” into a pantheon of gods?
Perhaps he’s crazy?
Consider Jim Jones: he had a lot of people die for him. How do we know Jesus isn’t crazy as well?
The answer is obvious: Jones was wild-crazy, ranting and raving in the most ludicrous and incoherent manner. Not so for the teachings of Jesus. His teachings are considered a great model of emotional health by psychologists and even great secular thinkers up to the modern era–Jesus taught essential factors that build successful relationships. All this from a lunatic?
Making Sense of Jesus Christ
Consider this option:
but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name. John 20:31
Jesus said* to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how canJohn 14:9
You say, ‘Show us the Father’? Jesus could be just precisely that: God the Father Himself, just as He claims.
Filed under: asides by kmcc
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Tags: apologetics
