Curses and Christ

The tools of witchcraft

Can true born-again Christians be harassed by demonic spirits? Can they become demon-possessed? And can witches and shamans put curses on them?

The answer is an emphatic no. Then why do some churches and ministers teach the opposite? There are two reasons; (1) many people who profess to be Christians simply don't know the Bible, and (2) some people do it for economic reasons. 

Economic reasons? Yes, economic reasons. They earn big coin by suckering gullible folks into believing that they may be troubled by demons and generational curses. And then they offer--for a fee of course--to chase away the demons and break the curses. Consider it a Christian form of fortune-telling. Or, just call it what it really is--a financial scam.

A woman named Beth who operates a blog called The Other Side of Darkness makes the claim that Christians aren't delivered from demons and curses just because they are born again into eternal life by faith in Jesus Christ. Here's a sample of her teaching: 

Although Jesus bore all of our sin, this did not remove curses that are in place. There are laws in the spiritual realm that need to be upheld. The spiritual laws of Jeremiah 17 state that a man that makes of himself god, will be cursed. That will be upheld by God, just as all the other spiritual laws have been. If you are suffering from the effects of what you believe are a curse, then it is important to understand that it is not your fault. Somewhere in your family line a relative has made a choice to either purposefully or ignorantly bring ill intent into their blood line.

There's simply no evidence in the Bible that even suggests that Christians remain under curses and demonic oppression even after they've been saved in Christ. Yes, everyone who makes himself a god is cursed. However, every curse is broken in Christ. If those curses aren't broken, then Christ's death on the cross was insufficient. However, it was totally sufficient.

What does the Bible say concerning God's protection of His people? It says this:

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. 

He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. 

A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. (Psalm 91:1-8)

 That's pretty easy to understand, isn't it? God protects His people from the forces of spiritual and physical evil. Here's more:

If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.  

You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.  

He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.” (Psalm 91:9-16)

 Certainly, true Christians can rebel against God and bring punishment upon themselves. But that punishment comes because God is trying to warn them to repent and get out of sin. The writer of Hebrews made that point extremely clear when he quoted Proverbs: 

My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son. Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? (Proverbs 3:11-12)

If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! 

They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. (Hebrews 12:5-11)

 I'm sure that Beth means well. She escaped the Mormon Church to become a genuine Christian. That was no small accomplishment because the Mormon Church is a cult that makes it extremely hard for those who attempt to leave.

But there's no excuse for teaching false doctrine. You must know the Bible thoroughly before you embark in ministry. Otherwise, you become the fulfillment of prophecy concerning the last days: "The (Holy) Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons." (1 Timothy 4:1) 

Sadly, many well-meaning people are doing that these days. And to the great harm of the church.

To us a Child is Born

Though Christmas isn't the true birthday of Jesus Christ, it's a day when people across the world ostensibly honor the Son of God and the King of Kings.

I say ostensibly because Christmas has morphed into just another empty holiday for many folks. Gifts are given and received, and a lot of food and alcohol is consumed. But Jesus Christ? He's just the innocent baby in a manger that made the holiday possible.

Actually, the early Catholic Church made Christmas possible in about the 4th century when that church combined a pagan festival called the Saturnalia with the birth of Christ. The Saturnalia was a celebration that paid homage to the Roman god Saturn who was honored from December 17-25 with raucous revelry, feasting, drinking and orgies.

Why did the Catholic Church change the Saturnalia to Christ's birthday? To attract the pagans into the church by allowing them to keep their traditions. The pagans were allowed to keep their annual end of year festival as long as they celebrated it as Christmas instead of the Saturnalia.

Is it wrong for Christians to celebrate Christmas? Not necessarily. But given the pagan roots of the holiday, why would they want to? When was Christ born? We don't know the exact date. Biblical scholars estimate that He was likely born in June or July of 1 B.C. But He wasn't born on December 25.

What's truly important about Christ's birth is that it fulfilled God's word revealed to His ancient prophets concerning the coming of the Jewish Messiah and Savior of the world. In the 8th century B.C., the prophet Isaiah wrote this: "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel (God with us)." (Isaiah 7:14)

The rabbis claim that the Hebrew language contains no word for a virgin. And they're correct. The Hebrew word that Isaiah used was almah which means fair maiden. Therefore, the rabbis claim that the gentiles intentionally misinterpreted that word to make it fit Christ.

However, the rabbis are wrong. In the 3rd century B.C., Egyptian King Ptolemy commissioned several Hebrew scholars to translate the Hebrew Pentateuch (bible) into the Septuagint so the gentiles could study the Hebrew scriptures. The scholars translated the Pentateuch into Greek which was the universal language of the ancient world at that time. And they translated almah into parthenos which is the Greek word for a virgin.

The Hebrew scholars knew the context of almah. And certainly, they had no idea who the Messiah was to be since He hadn't appeared yet. But they did know that Isaiah was referring to a virgin who would give birth to the Messiah. And that Messiah turned out to be Jesus Christ.

Christ's birthplace in Bethlehem was revealed by the prophet Micah in the 8th century B.C. Here's what he wrote: "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old,  from ancient times." (Micah 5:2)

However, far more important than Christ's birth was His life, ministry, death and resurrection. Christ came to reconcile the world back to God by becoming the ultimate sacrifice for sin that God's infinite justice demanded. No good works, adherence to religious traditions or the blood sacrifice of animals would suffice. 

Only the shed blood of a perfect, innocent man could pay the price. And Christ paid that ultimate price when He willingly offered Himself on Calvary's cross for the sins of the world. The prophet Isaiah wrote this: "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed." (Isaiah 53:5)  

How could the prophet have known in the 8th century B.C. that the Messiah would die for the sins of the world? He didn't know that. God revealed it to him. And Isaiah also revealed this: "Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities." (Isaiah 53:10-11)

Those passages reveal the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. They were revealed nearly 800 years before Christ war born. They confirm that God is real; Jesus Christ is His Son and that "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Romans 10:13)

Those passages also reveal that there is only one way to salvation and eternal life, and that's by faith in Jesus Christ's death on the cross for your sins and His resurrection from the dead. There is no other way. No world religion, whether it's Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Shintoism, Universalism etc. can save anyone. Christ said this: "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Heavenly Father except through Me." (John 14:6)

And so, here's another scripture to celebrate Christmas with: "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this." (Isaiah 9:6-7)

Amen.

Divine Revelation or Demonic Hoax?

For centuries, many people have believed that Islam's holy book the Quran, was revealed by God from heaven. In fact, Muslims believe that no one has the right to even question the Quran, and anyone who does is worthy of contempt and even death.

Thankfully, we still have the freedom in the west to critique the Quran because that freedom doesn't exist in many other parts of the world. While many Muslims openly claim they believe that the Quran is divine and unquestionable, many others have their doubts about that book's authenticity.

And for good reason. How so? For starters, the Quran presents two conflicting accounts of God's creation of the physical universe. One account claims that God created the universe in eight literal days, (Sura 41:9-12) while the other account claims that God created the universe in only six literal days. (Sura 7:51)

Then there's the Quran's revelation concerning Muhammad's reception of that book. Suras 53:2-18 and 81:19-24 state that God appeared directly to Muhammad and dictated the Quran to him while Suras 16:102 and 26:192-194 claim that "the Holy Spirit" appeared to Muhammad and revealed the Quran. And Sura 15:8 states that a group of angels appeared to Muhammad and revealed the Quran to him while Sura 2:97 claims that the archangel Gabriel personally appeared to Muhammad and dictated that book to him.

If that's not enough, the Quran contains some serious historical inaccuracies. For example, the Islamic holy book claims that Jesus Christ's physical mother Mary was also the sister of the Hebrew patriarchs Moses and Aaron. (Sura 19:28) That's impossible because Moses and Aaron lived over 1,000 years before Mary gave birth to Christ.

There are other examples. The Quran states that crucifixion was a method of capital punishment utilized by the ancient Egyptians during the time of the Pharoahs. (Sura 7:124) That's erroneous because crucifixion was unknown until it was introduced by the Romans in the 1st century B.C.

The Quran also states that the Jews built the infamous golden calf idol at the suggestion of a Samaritan. (Sura 20:87-95) The Samaritans didn't even exist during the time of the Jews' 40-year journey from Egypt to Canaan which later became Israel.

The Quran also claims that Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.), the king of ancient Macedonia was a Muslim who worshiped Allah and lived to a ripe old age. (Sura 18:89-98) That's false because Alexander died at age 33, and Islam didn't even exist at that time and wouldn't come into existence until the 7th century A.D.

Islam teaches that God revealed the Quran in Arabic. And yet, according to Arthur Jeffrey who wrote the highly informative The Foreign Vocabulary of the Quran, the Islamic holy book contains words from several different languages including Egyptian, Hebrew, Greek, Syriac, Akkadian, Ethiopian and Persian. In fact, Jeffrey counted words from over 100 different languages in the Quran, debunking the claim that it was revealed entirely in Arabic.

With this volume of evidence, how can anyone with a rational and objective mind believe that the Quran is anything but a hoax, and a cruel one at that? Sadly, millions of people are either too afraid or too immersed in Islamic culture to admit that. Surely, in many parts of the world, to question the Quran is to invite persecution and death. Tragically, fear is the motivating factor that keeps these people silent.

What's even worse is the myth that Islam is a multicultural religion unlike Christianity that's considered "the white man's religion." According to the Quran, only whites will be saved on Judgment Day while all blacks will be condemned to hell. (Sura 3:106-107) 

And according to Victor and Deborah Khalil: American blacks have been wooed by Islam, but through misinformation. They are told that Muhammad and Allah are black. In reality, Muslims in the Middle East still regard blacks as slaves. It would be worse than blasphemy for them to believe that either Allah or Muhammad were black. (When Christians Meet Muslims, Christian Herald, July/August 1988, p. 44)

Jesus Christ said this in regards to false teachers who come to murder the souls of innocent people: "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10)

Islam is the thief that steals and kills and destroys. But Christ is the One who has brought us eternal life through His death on Calvary's cross for all sin and His resurrection from the dead. As Christ said: "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:31-32) Indeed.

God as You Conceive Him to Be

The Unitarian-Universalist Logo

Nearly 2,000 years ago, the apostle Paul prophesied that the time would come "when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." (2 Timothy 4:3-4)

Certainly, Paul was speaking of the great apostasy that would plague the church in the end times. Apostasy is nothing new to the church. It's been around for 2,000 years and it's worn many different masks.

However, the apostasy that Paul warned of would have a demonic origin. In his first letter to fellow apostle Timothy, he wrote this: "The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons." (1 Timothy 4:1)

How can we define the "later times"? The later times are the end times, or the last days preceding the return of Jesus Christ. When did they begin? They began in the 19th century when such cults as the Watchtower Society (Jehovah's Witnesses), the Latter Day Saints (Mormon Church) and Christian Science appeared. 

Why did these groups suddenly appear? Because the Christian church lost its faith and became weak and ineffectual in its propagation of the gospel. That started with the European denominations that began to doubt the Bible as the inerrant word of God. Once the Bible was marginalized, aberrant doctrines and dangerous heresies began to creep in. And when that happened, Jesus Christ was no longer considered the Son of God and "the Way and the Truth and the Life" (John 14:6) but rather just another holy man or an ancient Gandhi. 

Not all aberrant movements sprang up in the 19th century. The Unitarian Movement, that began in Europe in the 16th century, denies the Trinity and claims that God is a single being, which is similar to Islam's definition of God. Unitarians also don't believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. 

The Unitarian movement gave birth to the Unitarian-Universalist movement in the 19th century. Unitarian-Universalism is an ecumenical religious worldview that claims all paths lead to God. According to Unitarian-Universalism, animists, Buddhists, Christians, fire-worshipers, pagans, Hindus, Muslims, Jews, Taoists etc. all draw from the same universal truths about God, nature and the universe.

Here's what Unitarian-Universalists believe about God: The word "God" is much abused. Far too often, the word seems to refer to a kind of granddaddy in the sky or a super magician. To avoid confusion, many Unitarian Universalists are more apt to speak of "reverence for life" (in the words of Albert Sweitzer, a Unitarian), of the spirit of love or truth, of the holy, or of the gracious. Many also prefer such language because it is inclusive; it is used with integrity by theist and non-theist members.

For Unitarian-Universalists, God is whoever or whatever you want Him to be. He can be a real being; He can be an energy force, or He can even be a she (goddess). He can be nature itself; He can be the cosmos, or, if you like, He can be an imaginary being.

Though that appeals to many folks, our imaginations don't determine who God is. Then what does? Historical, prophetic evidence declares who God is. Paul wrote this: "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse." (Romans 1:18-20)

The real danger of ecumenical, kumbaya religions such as Unitarian-Universalism is that they can't save your soul. They're all about making you feel good at the expense of truth. In fact, they deny the ultimate truth of mankind's fallen nature and the need for redemption through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Christ said this to a group of unbelieving Jews that mocked and scorned Him: "You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he (Messiah), you will indeed die in your sins." (John 8:23-24)

Unitarian-Universalists denounce those who believe that Jesus Christ is the exclusive path to God and eternal life as ignorant fundamentalists. But who's really ignorant? Those who embrace the historical, prophetic evidence of Christ's life, ministry, death and resurrection? Or, those who put their faith and trust in religious movements that offer hope without any tangible evidence?

What's the evidence for Christ? Over 300 prophecies recorded in the Old Testament that point to Christ as the Messiah and Savior of the world. For example, Christ's virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14), His life, death ministry and resurrection (Isaiah 53), and His birthplace in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2) were all prophesied several centuries before He appeared on earth. 

The apostle Peter, who walked with Christ, wrote this: "We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." (2 Peter 1:19-21)

As a wise man once said: Evidence is the alpha and the omega of truth, but ideology is the wisdom of fools.

A Passover Lamb named Jesus

Most people believe the Passover is a Jewish holiday that's celebrated annually in the early springtime. For many Jews, Passover is merely an historical event they celebrate to remember their ancestors who God miraculously freed from slavery in ancient Egypt.

While the Lord indeed liberated the Jews from the heavy hand of Pharoah who was the tyrannical ruler of Egypt, the Passover was meant to be remembered for much more than just an historical event. It was meant to convey God's free gift of salvation to the world through His Son Jesus Christ.

First of all, what is the Passover? The Passover literally means what it says: To pass-over. The ancient Jews were commanded by God to sacrifice one-year-old male lambs without defect, and to sprinkle some of the blood from the animals above and along the sides of their door-frames. Thus, when the angel of Lord came into Egypt at night during this event, he passed-over the homes that had the blood on the doors.

However, he entered the homes without the blood on the doors and he struck down the firstborn in those households. And so, the ancient Jews who obeyed the Lord by sprinkling the blood of the lambs on their door-frames were spared the death of their firstborn.

Does that sound familiar? It should. That was a foreshadow of the Lamb of God Jesus Christ, who shed His blood on the cross to cleanse us from our sins and bless us with eternal life. As John the Baptist said: "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." (John 1:29)

All those who confess Christ as their Lord and Savior are protected by His blood and they will not suffer the damnation of eternal death in hell when they die.

There's more to the Passover story. The Jews were commanded to eat unleavened bread for seven days after the Passover. This is known as the Feast of Unleavened Bread. What's the significance of the unleavened bread?

The unleavened bread resembles a large cracker that's made without yeast. Yeast makes bread rise and the symbolism here can't be ignored. The unleavened bread symbolizes God's pure law. When man adds to that law, it causes it to expand into something it was never intended to be.

For example, throughout the centuries the rabbis have added 600 of their own laws into God's Law, making it so enormous that no one could possibly remember all those laws, much less keep them. By adding to God's Law, the rabbis violated God's edict not to add or subtract to the law. (Deuteronomy 4:2, Deuteronomy 12:32)

When Christ warned his disciples: "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees", (Matthew 16:6) He was speaking of their manufactured laws and false doctrines that they frequently injected into God's Law to pervert it and expand it well beyond its intended meaning.

Christ blasted Israel's corrupt religious leaders with this: "The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them." (Matthew 23:2-4)

There's certainly more to the Passover story than the paschal lamb and unleavened bread. The Jews were commanded to roast the lamb over fire and to eat it before the dawn of the following day. They also ate bitter herbs and were told to be ready to leave Egypt by dawn.

The roasted lamb represents Christ's body sacrificed on the cross for the sins of the world. That symbolizes those who receive God's Holy Spirit in them as the guarantee of eternal life through their genuine confession of Christ as Lord and Savior. The bitter herbs represent the pain of persecution that everyone who belongs to Christ will experience in this world.

And the Jews were commanded by God not to leave any leftovers for the following day after the Passover. This teaches us that when Christ returns to judge the world and establish His kingdom on earth, there will be no more chances to get right with God. The old order of things will have passed away forever. 

That's why it's important for everyone to accept God's Passover Lamb Jesus Christ right now before He returns. If you die outside of Christ, you will never get another chance. You'll be doomed forever. If you're around when He returns, it'll be too late. 

As the apostle Paul stated: "Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed." (1 Corinthians 5:7)

Resurrection and Renewal

Ellen Katz: 1919-1928

I don't visit cemeteries very often for obvious reasons. They're depressing places and they remind us of our mortality. And, as you can see from the photo above, when headstones have pictures attached to them, they offer a personal dimension.

I've been looking at that headstone since I was a child. The young girl pictured on the stone is buried near a family plot and she's hard to ignore. She was obviously a very beautiful child and she died way too young.

And of course, it's only natural to wonder what happened to her. At that young age, she probably succumbed to a catastrophic disease such as cancer. Or, she may have been killed in an accident. But then again, only God knows what happened to her.

When many folks see the tombstones of young children such as the one above, they're inclined to ask why God allows these things to happen. The loss of a young child turns many parents bitter and resentful toward God. It causes some people to question whether God even exists. And certainly, that's an understandable reaction.

In fact, some folks believe that Charles Darwin took out his revenge against God by writing his atheistic thesis: On the Origin of Species after the death of his young daughter Annie. Darwin's book eliminated God by attempting to explain the existence of physical life from a purely naturalistic perspective.

Whether the death of his daughter motivated the lapsed theologian and amateur scientist to write his book is debatable. But what isn't debatable is the fact that Darwin changed the course of human history with that terrible book.

The rise in crime, violence and moral decadence throughout the western world since Darwin's book was first published in 1859 provides a testimony to what happens when people no longer believe in God and spurn His laws. And it was the apostle Paul who prophesied that the last days on earth preceding the return of Jesus Christ would see terrible times. (2 Timothy 3:1-5)

And so, why indeed does God allow young children to die? Why does he allow pedophiles to rape and brutalize children; Islamic head-hackers to murder them under the banner of "honor killings", and why does he allow them to be born into destitute households where apathetic and irresponsible parents either ignore or persecute them? Why?

Those aren't easy questions to answer. But there's an answer. And that answer naturally upsets some people. What's the answer?

In commandment two of the Ten Commandments, the Lord said this: "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments." (Exodus 20:4-6)

Tragically, the sins of people can have deadly consequences. Sins can bring curses (Deuteronomy 28-29) and those curses can visit children generations after those sins were committed. There's no rational or scientific explanation why curses land on some children and not on others. I found out that the girl pictured above had a sister who lived to a good old age.

Before anyone accuses me of being a pompous, self-righteous jerk, (I've been accused of that) I'll admit that I'm a sinner just like everyone else who's ever lived on this planet. And my sins condemned me and brought me an eternal death sentence.

But I've been saved by God's grace. As the apostle John wrote: "And the blood of Jesus, his (God's) Son, purifies us from all  sin." (1 John 1:7) And Christ Himself said this: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)

Death will claim our sinful mortal bodies at some point, as it has since the dawn of history. It will claim mine, and it will claim yours.

However, there's good news. There's going to be a resurrection. And we're all going to raised up. If you don't believe that, then consider the resurrection of Jesus Christ. "But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep." (1 Corinthians 15:20)

The resurrection of Christ is evidential and irrefutable. When a 19th century Harvard law professor and an atheist named Simon Greenleaf looked at the evidence for the resurrection of Christ, he became a believer. And he said this: "Based upon the evidence for the Resurrection, there isn't a court of law in the world that could deny it."

And the great news is that young children like the one pictured above are going to be resurrected. God loves children and he's going to raise them up and give them immortal bodies that will never die again. In fact, he showed the ancient prophet Ezekiel an incredible vision of just what the resurrection is going to look like. (Ezekiel 37)

And so, don't fret. We'll see these young people again. And it will be a time of incredible joy.