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Palm Sunday and the End Times

...dience to the cross and what that accomplished, through parabolic language. It also speaks to the forty year delay between his death and resurrection and the judgement on the nation of Israel. Jesus returned as King, and the Church began to spread the Good News of His Kingdom to the world. This is something we must continue to do until the consummation of the ages and final judgement comes upon the whole world. In the second letter of Peter, the Church then, as well as now, are encouraged in this waiting period before the judgement which will come “like a thief in the night”. the visitation of God for judgement in AD 70 was predicated by signs which Jesus...

7 Ways Jesus Reverses the Curse From Eden

...m endured the cross, disregarding its shame… 3. Jesus dies outside of the gates of the city to make a way for people to enter paradise and have forgiveness of sin; Adam and Eve were forced outside of paradise because of their sin. Genesis 3:23,24…therefore the Lord God sent them forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which they were taken. He drove out the humans, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a sword flaming and turning to guard the way to the tree of life. Hebrews 13:12therefore Jesus also suffered outside the city gate in order to sanctify the people by his own blood. 4. Jesus wears a crown...

Jesus, Mithras and Ancient Roman Cults: Separating Fact from Fiction

...Welcome to the next instalment of my series looking at the ancient mythological gods and how they compare to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Mithras is yet another popular ancient god that people like to compare with Jesus and make wild claims about, proposing that they are the same deities with different names. But is this even remotely true? This article has ended up being a bit longer than anticipated as it’s one of the few ancient religions that was contemporary to the birth of Christianity which was seen as somewhat of a rival belief system, so there’s a lot of interesting things to cover! the Origins Mithras has his roots in ancient Persi...

the Battle for the Trinity: Historical Heresies and Church Defences

...nd die on the cross. Church’s Response: the Church affirmed that Jesus’ incarnation and suffering were real, as this is essential for our salvation. Jesus’ true humanity allows Him to truly represent us and atone for our sins. Patristic Quote: Ignatius of Antioch stressed the reality of Jesus’ incarnation and suffering: “He was truly of the seed of David according to the flesh, and the Son of God according to the will and power of God; truly born of a virgin… He was truly nailed up in the flesh for our sakes” (Letter to the Smyrnaeans, I). the Athanasian Creed Another important aspect of understanding the Trinity is the Athanasian Creed, whic...

From Dust to Redemption: the Meaning of Ash Wednesday

...Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a season of repentance, fasting, and preparation for Easter in the Christian calendar. It is observed by many Western Christian traditions, including the Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Communion, Lutheran churches, and some Methodist and Reformed communities. the day falls 46 days before Easter Sunday and is always on a Wednesday. Origins and Historical Development the practice of Ash Wednesday can be traced back to the early centuries of Christianity, though its formal observance developed over time. the use of ashes as a sign of repentance has deep biblical roots, appearing frequently in the Old Testament. People w...

What was so good about Good Friday?

...I remember when I was growing up, this was a question I would often wonder about and ask. People would say "because Jesus died on the cross!", which was of little help to me as I would then think, why was Jesus dying a good thing?  But this is a question I'm sure many people will have asked themselves when they consider the name of their Bank Holiday, and probably a question they got an unsatisfactory answer to - if they got one at all! Really though, this holiday time should be more well-known and recognised than Christmas. While the birth of Jesus is important, it isn't actually central to the Faith, nor is it really emphasised much in the New Testament...