Truth Seekers Ministries Presents…
My Brother, My Friend,
and My Lord…Jesus
My Brother…
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us”
Right now as you read this, there exists in the land of Egypt, a wondrous monument, an Altar of Witness. This monument, is a revelation, of the Creator of the universe. A Revelation of the Word of God, my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. This particular monument existed from millennia before Jesus came to earth to save humankind. Now this letter is not about that divinely inspired monument, the Great Pyramid of Giza. Nor is it about that other megalithic structure across the Mediterranean.., Stonehenge. This letter is not even about the Gospel Message that God has placed in the Stars, which was preserved through all ancient cultures, through the meanings of their zodiac, constellations and star names. If you want to learn about these subjects, read my other letters. This letter concerns the main spiritual objective of those monuments, and the message in the stars, which is to bear witness to the world, Jesus of Nazareth. He was called “The Christ”, or “Messiah”, and He volunteered to be sent into this world, to pay for the “Sin Debt” owed to God, by all the descendants of, back to and including, Adam.
So, as foretold by the prophets of old, and displayed proudly in the stars, and in monuments across the globe for the world to see, finally came time for the fulfillment of the promised redeemer.
In the town of Bethlehem, in the land of Israel, on the Feast of Trumpets, September 29th (by the Great Pyramid’s reckoning), in the year 2 B.C., a baby was born, whose birth changed the world. Jesus, who is from Nazareth, (for that is where He grew up), was that baby boy. His birth divides our history, and, other than His resurrection, is the single greatest event to ever occur on the earth. He was born to a human woman, hence He was born into a body of death, of sin, just like you, just like me, and just like every descendant of Adam. Mary, was the chosen vessel to bring into this world.., the Word of GOD. Jesus’ conception is a miracle that no one can explain, and yet we are asked to take this in faith. The truth, is that we have to consider Jesus, as being much more than a human teacher or religious leader, otherwise the fulfilling of God’s law, and our redemption itself would be null and void. Jesus true father was no earthly human though, for God Himself came upon Mary through the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit brought with Himself, a “seed” that when combined with the earthly egg of Mary, brought forth God, in the form of human flesh and “He” began to grow in the womb of the most blessed woman ever.
“Let us create Adam in our image”, is the statement given by God, that reveals to us His purpose for this whole human existence. God, wants to create beings to “hang out” with, for eternity. Beings, that are “Just like himself”. No one has seen the Father save Moses who only saw His backside. God’s interaction with mankind since the beginning, has been through the appearing of the “Word of God”, or through angels. Jesus said that no man hath seen the father, but the Son declared Him to us, so that as we look at Jesus, we then have the image and nature of the Father. We can know and recognize God, through His Son. So…lets look at this man Jesus, of Nazareth.
Now you may, or may not, have considered whether Jesus’ life, death and resurrection were actual events that happened some 2000 years ago. If you grew up in church, you probably just took it for granted but never really looked at what evidence there was, that’s how I grew up. If you have considered it, and if you are reading this, you are doing so now, I applaud you, for if what makes Christianity true, never really happened, then why do we bother. Most scholars these days, won’t deny that Jesus came and lived in the flesh. There are some diehard atheists and agnostics though, who will talk themselves in circles, and deny any evidence of the historical Jesus. They claim that it is impossible to know God, and even deny scripture itself as anything other than mere fanciful literature. Their folly and willful ignorance is their downfall though. The written and circumstantial evidence that Jesus lived should be enough to prove the argument in favor of his existence as a living human being. Here’s a bit…
Josephus was a first century historian. He was a secular Jewish historian, and not a Christian. In his writings, we read about Jesus, “Now there was about this time, Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man; for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was (the) Christ. And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day; as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians, so named from Him, are not extinct at this day”
Then we have another reference by Josephus regarding James and Jesus, it reads; “And now Caesar, upon hearing the death of Festus, sent Albinus into Judea, as procurator. But the king deprived Joseph of the high priesthood, and bestowed the succession to that dignity on the son of Ananus, who was also himself called Ananus… Festus was now dead, and Albinus was but upon the road; so he assembled the Sanhedrin of judges, and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James, and some others; and when he had formed an accusation against them as breakers of the law, he delivered them to be stoned”
This physical description of Jesus, comes from a copy of a letter from the Roman consul Lentullus to the Roman Emperor Tiberius. In his letter, he describes the condemned man named Jesus of Nazareth as having: “..a noble and lively face, with fair and slightly wavy hair; black and strongly curving eyebrows, intense penetrating blue eyes and an expression of wondrous grace. His nose is rather long. His beard is almost blonde, although not very long. His hair is quite long, and has never seen a pair of scissors…..His neck is slightly inclined, so that he never appears to be bitter or arrogant. His tanned face is the color of ripe corn and well proportioned. It gives the impression of gravity and wisdom, sweetness and good, and is completely lacking in any sign of anger”.
Lentullus, President of Judea, also wrote the following epistle to the Senate concerning describing our Lord Jesus. “There appeared in these our days a man, of the Jewish Nation, of great virtue, named Yeshua [Jesus], who is yet living among us, and of the Gentiles is accepted for a Prophet of truth, but His own disciples call Him the Son of God- He raiseth the dead and cureth all manner of diseases. A man of stature somewhat tall, and comely, with very reverent countenance, such as the beholders may both love and fear, his hair of (the colour of) the chestnut, full ripe, plain to His ears, whence downwards it is more orient and curling and wavering about His shoulders. In the midst of His head is a seam or partition in His hair, after the manner of the Nazarenes. His forehead plain and very delicate; His face without spot or wrinkle, beautified with a lovely red; His nose and mouth so formed as nothing can be reprehended; His beard thickish, in colour like His hair, not very long, but forked; His look innocent and mature; His eyes grey, clear, and quick- In reproving hypocrisy He is terrible; in admonishing, courteous and fair spoken; pleasant in conversation, mixed with gravity. It cannot be remembered that any have seen Him Laugh, but many have seen Him Weep. In proportion of body, most excellent; His hands and arms delicate to behold. In speaking, very temperate, modest, and wise. A man, for His singular beauty, surpassing the children of men”
Here is a transcription of a letter from Pontius Pilate to Tiberius Caesar, describing the physical appearance of Jesus. Copies are in the Congressional Library in Washington, D.C.
TO TIBERIUS CAESAR:
A young man appeared in Galilee preaching with humble unction, a new law in the Name of the God that had sent Him. At first I was apprehensive that His design was to stir up the people against the Romans, but my fears were soon dispelled. Jesus of Nazareth spoke rather as a friend of the Romans than of the Jews. One day I observed in the midst of a group of people a young man who was leaning against a tree, calmly addressing the multitude. I was told it was Jesus. This I could easily have suspected so great was the difference between Him and those who were listening to Him. His golden colored hair and beard gave to his appearance a celestial aspect. He appeared to be about 30 years of age. Never have I seen a sweeter or more serene countenance. What a contrast between Him and His bearers with their black beards and tawny complexions! Unwilling to interrupt Him by my presence, I continued my walk but signified to my secretary to join the group and listen. Later, my secretary reported that never had he seen in the works of all the philosophers anything that compared to the teachings of Jesus. He told me that Jesus was neither seditious nor rebellious, so we extended to Him our protection. He was at liberty to act, to speak, to assemble and to address the people. This unlimited freedom provoked the Jews — not the poor but the rich and powerful.
Later, I wrote to Jesus requesting an interview with Him at the Praetorium. He came. When the Nazarene made His appearance I was having my morning walk and as I faced Him my feet seemed fastened with an iron hand to the marble pavement and I trembled in every limb as a guilty culprit, though he was calm. For some time I stood admiring this extraordinary Man. There was nothing in Him that was repelling, nor in His character, yet I felt awed in His presence. I told Him that there was a magnetic simplicity about Him and His personality that elevated Him far above the philosophers and teachers of His day. Now, Noble Sovereign, these are the facts concerning Jesus of Nazareth and I have taken the time to write you in detail concerning these matters. I say that such a man who could convert water into wine, change death into life, disease into health; calm the stormy seas, is not guilty of any criminal offense and as others have said, we must agree — truly this is the Son of God.
Your most obedient servant, Pontius Pilate
Here is a likeness of Jesus, copied from a portrait that was carved onto an emerald. This was ordered completed by Tiberius Caesar.
Another description of Jesus is found in “The Archko Volume” which contains official court documents from the days of Jesus. In the chapter entitled “Gamaliel’s Interview”, is a statement concerning Jesus’ appearance: I asked him to describe this person to me, so that I might know him if I should meet him. He said: ‘If you ever meet him [Yeshua] you will know him. While he is nothing but a man, there is something about him that distinguishes him from every other man. He is the picture of his mother, only he has not her smooth, round face. His hair is a little more golden than hers, though it is as much from sunburn as anything else. He is tall, and his shoulders are a little drooped; his visage is thin and of a swarthy complexion, though this is from exposure. His eyes are large and a soft blue, and rather dull and heavy….’ This Jew [Nazarite] is convinced that he is the Messiah of the world. …this was the same person that was born of the virgin in Bethlehem some twenty-six years before…”
So when taking the secular writings that are attributed to the existence of Jesus as a real living human being, we can rest assured that there is evidence that He came and lived and died some 2000 years ago. Now looking at newer evidence that so far remains unexplainable, we can turn to the Shroud of Turin, which many believe, including myself, to be the actual burial clothing that Jesus burst through when He was resurrected from the dead. Here is a description of the man in the shroud by Professor Giovanni Judica-Cordiglia, a Shroud of Turin scholar. He took information collected from the Shroud and expressed his conclusions, using his experience as a doctor and university professor of forensic medicine. He writes… “The man who was wrapped in the Shroud was a man of great beauty and uncommon statue. He was about one meter and 80 centimeters (six feet) tall, with a perfectly proportioned physique, lithe and harmonious. He was a ‘standard type’ in the most literal sense of the phrase. Although the cloth has suffered much damage, we can see that his face was a very soft and gentle one, rather long and with a broad, straight forehead. The nose is straight and turned slightly downwards; the cheeks are large and slightly protruding. From all the anthropometric calculations so far made, it seems that Christ was physically in far better shape than the average man. Through a complicated process of elaborating his facial data, I can conclude that his cranial capacity was of 1575cc, which would place him in the megalocephalic (large headed) category, with a cranial-capacity coefficient of 95 which would indicate that the weight of his brain was 1492 grams. This is far greater than average, suggesting a person of extraordinary genius”
The image above, is of a painting, completed by an unknown artist, using the Shroud of Turin as a model. If the hair and beard were of a lighter color, it would match the above descriptions of Jesus. Remember, you can’t tell the color of the hair on the shroud. This image was sent to me, on the back is a website reference… www.operationjesuspictures.com Next to it, are pictures of the shroud, including a negative of the “Face” which shows you in normal contrast the image of the face of the crucified man.
Below is an image of the total Shroud of Turin, and notice the crucifixion marks, the beating marks, and there’s even an indication of a stab wound in the torso. Looking at the head, and his back, this man bore a great beating, and maybe even a “Crown of Thorns” resulting in the blood stained forehead. Bear in mind also, that regardless of the “Scoffers” claims, besides the blood stains, there is no scientific explanation of how exactly the image of this man came to be imbedded into the material. I say that the Power of the Resurrection left it’s imprint in the material that Jesus was wrapped in. Also know this, the edges have been repaired over the centuries many times, which explains the later dates claimed by some scientists doing carbon 14 dating on parts of the edges of the material. Other scientists claim that this man’s life had to be very early, easily in the first few centuries, and that he died as a result of a crucifixion similar than what the Romans dished out. Also bear in mind this, not many criminals would have died from a Roman crucifixion, who also had a stab wound in the chest, and then being wrapped in a fine linen burial cloth. If there was a similar crucifixion, who would have taken off the burial clothes and kept them. It would have deteriorated with the body and the image wouldn’t be as clear as a recent crucifixion. It looks like this man was just wrapped up, then something happened, and then he wasn’t there any longer. This shroud has been both loved and hated by people since it’s appearance in the later 1300’s in Europe. If I were Mary, keeping the burial clothes wouldn’t be unusual, especially if Jesus was raised from the dead. She also went to England and started churches there and would have taken the linens with her. I am not claiming this to be the actual burial cloth of Jesus, no one alive knows for sure if it is or not, but from the descriptions of Jesus that we have, and the unexplainable image embedded within it, the man in this Shroud, could very well be Jesus, the Christ of God, your Christ and mine.
Now that you have been exposed to all of the above evidence, which proves that the historical Jesus of Nazareth, of whom his followers are called Christian, not only existed, but many amazing feats are attributed to him, by even the non-Christian sources, you can be empowered with this knowledge to help in the advancement of the kingdom. Non believers across the world are truly without excuse. They can be shown these secular sources of truth when they try to deny the inspiration behind the writing in the Bible, calling it mere literature. However, don’t worry too much about trying to convince die hard unbelievers of your faith. If they have eyes to see and ears to hear, they will see, understand and believe. Know this, many are called, but only a few are chosen, and only the chosen few will be open to seeing the truths that you spread. While it is true that, “Whosoever will” may come unto God, however it is the Holy Spirit that does the drawing. God determines those that “Will” come, and He doesn’t want everyone. He only wants those that are of that pearl of great price, and that treasure that is hidden in the field.
Now, getting back to my brother Jesus…
I went through the above statements, in order to prove the humanity of Jesus of Nazareth. There is a very good reason for this, for Jesus had to be one of our “Kin”, in order to fulfill God’s requirements. The only way for that to happen is if Jesus came and lived a normal human existence, full of trials, persecutions, and temptations that we all have to go through, including even death itself. The law of the “Kinsman Redeemer”, was that if there was a debt owed, only one close of “Kin” could pay the price. This person had to have the price of redemption, be willing to pay that price, and actually pay the price, before the debt owed to the debtor would be erased. Jesus did just that for your sins and mine. He left his glorious abode in heaven, where he existed with God from the beginning, where He created this universe and everything in it by just speaking a word. He came into this sinful world, full of death and disease, knowing full well that He would be born into a meager life, and that in order to save mankind, and not just Israel, that He would have to suffer and die at the hands of the very people that He came to save.
Yes,.. Jesus is my Brother, and He is your Brother. He is not some being out of reach to the common man. We don’t have to go to hell to bring Him up, or ascend to heaven to bring Him down, he is nigh unto us. Reach out today in faith and grab hold of your brother, Jesus of Nazareth.
My Friend…
Jesus is also my friend, for He came into this world to save me, He called out my name and yours, if you are one of the chosen few, before the worlds were formed. He did this because He truly desires our companionship for eternity. He desires for us to love him with that “Agape” love, for that is how He loves us. He offered himself, giving His own life, to take the punishment of our sins, because he is a true friend. He gave His all for us, in order that in the ages to come, He can show the universe how much He loves us. He gives us eternal life and will bless us for all eternity, because He is a “True Friend”. He is also your true friend because sometimes what He says is as comforting as your mothers arms, and sometimes they burn you to your quick, and condemn you in your innermost self. Only a true friend could be so comforting one moment and then so refining, as in the purifying of Gold, in the next.
Jesus was truly a friend of sinners, but He despised the self-righteous. His first miracle was to make more wine to keep the party going. I assure you too, that it was a secular wedding and He made alcoholic wine, otherwise the people at the party wouldn’t be as receptive as they were. That should be of comfort to us all, I know it is to me, for I am truly a sinner, and if you are honest with yourself, you have to admit that you are one too. Because He is our friend, he can look past our short fallings, and still desire to “come in and sup” with us. We all should strive to be like our Lord Jesus, and I pray that I keep changing into His likeness, which is the direction that all Christians are supposed to be heading, however don’t beat yourself up over the sins you commit today, or the ones you will commit tomorrow, for your friend died for them as well. You will find out though, that as you walk in faith with your new friend, that your old nature will raise it’s ugly head less often, and you will find yourself fulfilling God’s laws, not because you “have to”, or because someone is beating you over the head with the law, but because it will be in “your very nature” to do so. Yes, sin will arise, and we all will fail at times, but don’t let that hinder your faith. Just repent, turn your failures over to God, and press on towards that mark, that higher calling which we have in Christ Jesus, our Friend.
My Lord…
Revelation 19:16—”And He hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, …”
“KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS”
Jesus is my Lord, because I make a conscious effort to submit to His Lordship. That does not make me perfect, by no means. Just ask anyone that knows me. But, it does mean that I recognize that I am not my own, I have been bought with a price. If you are claiming to be a “Christian”, that also means that you were bought and paid for. We are slaves to our Lord. How you submit to that Lordship, is the true test of someone that claims to be Christian. When I find myself going my own way, I repent and resubmit myself back unto my Lord, and then He continues His work on His vessel. Why would someone who doesn’t know Jesus, want to submit to His Lordship? There is one main reason that Jesus Christ of Nazareth is truly Lord over all, in that His Lordship was proven to the world by His resurrection. Jesus came out of that tomb, met with many followers, as much as 500 at one time, and then He ascended into the heavens on clouds of Glory where He now sits at the right hand of the Father.
Besides my own personal experiences with my Lord, there are many reasons why I believe that he came out of that tomb, and I’ll give most of them to you here…
1: Jesus was crucified by the hands of the Romans, and at the instigation of the Jewish leaders. No one could survive a Roman crucifixion, and to make sure He was dead, He was stabbed in the torso with a spear.
2: He was placed in a known and accessible tomb. The Romans put a seal on the entrance, and guarded the entrance. They had heard of Jesus’ claims, and would have kept watch at the tomb to make sure no one stole the body, for that would be the only non-miraculous explanation.
3: The tomb was empty. If it wasn’t, both the Romans and the Jewish leaders had much to lose if Jesus was resurrected, so they would have quelled the story and uprising by coming up with Jesus’ body. The Jewish leaders very livelihood was at stake, and the Romans authority was being usurped, so if it were possible that the women went to the wrong tomb, or if the Romans or Jewish leaders took the body, they would have provided it to show to the world the evidence, which would instantly silence the message and Christianity would not exist.
4: If the disciples stole Jesus’ body, then Christianity was started by a bunch of liars, perpetuating their lie even under tremendous persecution. Their waiting to tell their story only hurt their claims. The story included not only Jesus’ death, and resurrection, but also Jesus’ ascension. So even if by some miracle, Jesus resuscitated and didn’t actually die from the Roman crucifixion (which some people claim), then they were still liars, because their story also included Jesus’ ascension back to heaven.
5: The disciples had to be telling the truth, for it is logically impossible for them to come up with this lie, and for each person that claimed this miracle, to stick to their story. Yet they did this for years, through persecution, torture, and even death, with not one person ever changing their story. There are also intrinsic things written within the Gospels, that indicate the truthfulness of their story. Each disciple was changed, for the better. A lie will change someone, but seldom for the better. Each disciple and every person that saw the resurrected Lord, told their story, separated my even thousands of miles, and most eventually alone, when all they had to do to stop the torture and to save their own lives, was to state that their story was a lie. No one would know, their wasn’t telephones. But you will never find one instance that any disciple ever changed their story. It is feasible that a group of people could unite in a lie, but it is not feasible that they all could do it, separated from each other, and not one person ever changing their story. All the disciples, including Paul (who was taught by the Resurrected Lord for 3 years), died a martyr’s death, alone, save John, who was exiled to the Isle of Patmos. This would not have happened for a lie, but for a miracle, and a Resurrected Lord,.. it could have happened. I feel like I would have endured what they did, if I had witnessed a miraculous event of that magnitude.
6: Yes, these disciples were telling the truth as they experienced it. Jesus was crucified, dead, and buried. He came out of that tomb in a miraculous resurrection, and was seen by all the disciples, he taught them, and even spoke to 500 at one time, and then they all saw Jesus ascend back into heaven on clouds of glory.
You may say, I just don’t believe that. Yeah, he was a great teacher, and I can follow his statutes, but I just can’t believe in a miracle such as the resurrection. Don’t you know that if Jesus’ Resurrection is not true, then your faith is vain? Miracles are prevalent within Jesus teaching, so in claiming that you love His teaching but can’t believe in miracles, you then have to pick and choose what Jesus said that you believe to be true. Either Jesus was a Super-Nut, or he was truly Super-natural. I mean, what’s the point of even being a Christian, if there is no promise of eternal life reunited with God? When God created Adam, He created a being different than any other. He was created a spiritual being, an eternal being. We are all eternal beings, our spirit and soul speak to this truth. I’ve told you before that God created Adam and his descendants to be companions with Himself for eternity. He would certainly create us eternal or what was His point? The question shouldn’t be, Do I live forever?, but; Where will I live,…forever?
Jesus is my brother and yours, because He came into this world, living a human existence. Jesus is my friend and yours, because He so loved us, that He gave His very life for our redemption. And, Jesus is my Lord and yours, whether you realize and accept that, is totally irrelevant. He did raise up from the dead, conquering death, hell, and the grave, and now sits on His throne in heaven. His promise, is that He is coming back to receive His own back to Himself. We will be present at the Judgment Seat of Christ, where we will be purified, all the wood, hay, and stubble, burned away, and the Gold, Silver, and Precious stones remain. We will be formed into the final perfect vessel that we are destined to become, and then Jesus will lead us back to earth to judge this world at Armageddon. Truly, “Every knee will bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord over all”. You will confess Jesus as your Lord, either willingly…. or not.
Many people think that the Great Tribulation which culminates at the battle of Armageddon is the “End of the World”. I’ll tell you this truth, it is not the end. Yes, it will be an extremely hard and trying time on the earth, with many perishing, but a great multitude will turn to Jesus during that time and be saved. Jesus will still use this earth for a thousand years, and all of His followers now, the true church, will be kings and priests for him during this time. Then, Satan will be released for a short season, no one knows how long that “short season” is, it could be a couple of months, or it could be years. After that “Season”, comes the judgment of God at the Great White Throne. No believer will be judged here. God judges this world, every person not, “In Christ”. They will be judged by God’s perfect law, and all will fail at this judgment. I’ve been asked, “Why the judgments” either we are in or out, right? You see, there will be varying degrees of punishment in Hell, as well as varying degrees of rewards in Heaven. Joe Blow, who was an ok guy, but never would believe in Jesus, even when faced with the Great Tribulation, will not be punished as bad as a Hitler would be. They will live eternally, but separation from God is the true Hell. In Heaven, we are rewarded for our faithful walk, how we give unto others, and how we let our light of faith shine to this world. Some will have many rewards, some will have few, and some will make it in, just barely, with their tails still smoking. They will receive no rewards other than eternal life reunited back unto God which is still truly Heavenly, even without the rewards.
After the Great White Throne Judgment, God then destroys this universe, and creates for us a new one to live in for eternity. So don’t worry about this world being destroyed by nuclear war, or some asteroid, or because of the hoopla over the Mayan calendar culminating on December 21, 2012. There will be some kind of celestial bodies that encounter the earth during the tribulation, but even that won’t destroy the world. It may be the end of the world as we know it, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. It is time for God to send us back our Lord, Jesus Christ, so that He can run this world and eliminate the evil from it. I can’t wait, and all followers of Jesus need to be eagerly awaiting that day. In the mean time, lets get down to the work He gave us to do. We have to finish finding all the chosen ones, and preparing the way for our Lord to return. Lets show Jesus that there are still people here standing up for Him, and walking in Faith daily.
Jesus is truly your brother and mine, your friend and mine, and your Lord and mine. His birth, life, death and resurrection was foretold by the prophets of old, witnessed to by at least two earthly ancient monuments, and displayed across the heavens by all ancient cultures. Then, over 2000 years ago now, he came to earth. He lived, died and was resurrected from the dead. I can’t speak for you, but my money goes on… Jesus.
For my YouTube video on this very subject, visit here…
With Love in Christ,
Patrick Robinson, Minister
08-13-2012