A Nazarene Initiates New Systems

Proof of Jesus Series: Article 6

The Firpo Files

(Sentinel, August 2, 2012)

In the fifth edition of the university textbook, Experiencing the World's Religions (2010), author Michael Molloy makes keen observations in connection with two new systems that a historical Jesus of Nazareth initiated.

Judgment Day & Jews: "Many Jews in Jesus' day," discerns Malloy, "thought that they were living in the ‘end times.' They expected a period of turbulence and suffering and a final great battle, when God would destroy all the enemies of pious Jews.

"God, they believed, would then inaugurate a new age of justice and love. Some expected a new Garden of Eden, where the good people who remained after the Judgment would eat year-round from fruit trees and women would no longer suffer in childbirth."

"Many held that the Messiah had been foretold in some of their sacred books--such as Isaiah, Micah, and Daniel--and they expected him to rule the new world." Here are Jesus' words on elements of the above.

"End Times": When his disciples asked, "When will the Jewish religion end as represented by the temple? What will be the sign of your presence in connection with the conclusion of the Jewish secular world order?" (Matthew 24:3, Modern Matthew: Carr's Christian Translation), included in his answer was: 

"This good news about God's kingdom government will be preached earth wide, as a testimony to all ethnic groups, and then the worldwide system of things in its present form will end."--Matthew 24:14.

‘Turbulent Period': Jesus also declared: "For then there will be an apocalyptic ‘Mega Madness' event that has not occurred from the time the world began until now, neither will it ever occur again.

"This incident will be so bad that if it wasn't cut short by God, all human and animal life would die. But because God's chosen ones will be alive at the time, the days of ‘Mega Madness' will be cut short."--Matthew 24:21, 22, CCT.

"New Age": Malloy says that "Some expected a new Garden of Eden." Indeed, while on the execution stake Jesus of Nazareth told the evildoer next to him that they would be together in this new "Garden of Eden."--Luke 23:43, Hebrew New Testament, United Bible Societies.

Though a resurrected Jesus would reign from heaven with a relatively few of his select followers (Luke 12:32; 22:28-30), in spirit, he would be with the resurrected and reformed evildoer as the latter reside in a new system, an earthly paradise (Acts 24:15; compare Matthew 28:19, 20), the "new Garden of Eden" as mentioned in Experiencing the World's Religions.--Genesis 2:8, 15.

The ex-criminal and other repentant resurrected ones will constitute the "meek" who "shall inherit the [paradise] earth." (Matthew 5:5, King James Version; Psalms 37:10, 11)

Just as Malloy states, the Hebrew Bible prophets Isaiah, Micah, and Daniel spoke of a coming Messiah that was to appear during the precise time Jesus of Nazareth was on the scene. 

Exact Isaiah: The prophet Isaiah stated how the Messiah would be treated. (Isaiah 53) Jesus was treated exactly that way.

Meaningful Micah: Prophet Micah indicated where Messiah would be born. (Micah 5:1, 2) Significantly, Jesus was born there.

Dutiful Daniel: The prophet Daniel foretold the time of Messiah's appearance. (Daniel 9:25-27) It was when Jesus was here.

Jesus Christ & Chronology: The birth of Jesus of Nazareth was so eventful that it evoked a new, incomparably ubiquitous system of dating. Molloy writes:

"The influence of Christianity is apparent in the European dating system, which has now generally been adopted worldwide.

"The Roman Empire had dated events from the foundation of Rome (753 B.C.E.), but a new system was devised by a Christian monk, Dionysius Exiguus (Dennis the Little; c. 470-540 C.E.).

"The new system made the birth of Jesus the central event of history. Thus we have ‘B.C.,' meaning ‘before Christ,' and ‘A.D.,' Latin for ‘in the year of the Lord,' anno Domini."

"Also, the new dating system began not with the year zero but with the year one because there is no year zero in Roman numerals."

"Many books (including this one) now use a slightly altered abbreviation: ‘B.C.E.,' meaning ‘before the common era,' and ‘C.E.,' meaning ‘common era.'"

None of this would have any significance and would be meaningless if the historical Jesus of Nazareth never existed.

However, as it is, this "new system made the birth of Jesus the central event of history," and a literal new system of things, a paradise earth, is soon to come. Stay tuned!