I was encouraged to write freely because it is an established fact that nowadays nothing is simply accepted without it being proved. A typical example for this made headlines in September 1988 and came out in the mass media. The concern was about the Shroud of Turin. Hundreds of years it was believed to be absolute genuine and was venerated as a relic. Now the whole world became surprised after the independent tests in England, the USA and Switzerland which brought the same result that this piece of linen derives from the time of the dark ages and is by no means the shroud of Christ. In spite of this verified investigation, the respective clergy encourages that this falsification receives further on the veneration of a relic. Even after this had become known people are to remain in the same error.

In October 1988, the deputy Dr. Ian Paisley from Northern Ireland caused a stir in the European parliament at Strasbourg. He did dare to speak up as hardly any Protestant since the time of Reformation. He showed a poster with the text “John Paul II — antichrist” and so caused a tumult and protested against the pope to speak there. The mass media reported about it in most of the daily newspapers with the photo and report on the front page. The day after only a few spoke about it and again life went back to normal. There is something new to be reported daily.

It is sad but true that throughout the past the clergy and the laity have put God and church together. And the people because they were disappointed with their institution turned against Him and wanted to get rid of both. It is a very sad decision indeed which was followed by so many. I will never forget the evening in a kibbutz approximately 15 km west of Jerusalem. As the tour-leader I gathered the group for a small service after the evening meal. Various guests participated including some Jews. This was appreciated. I read a few passages from the Old Testament and showed how they were fulfilled in the New Testament. Suddenly a Jewish woman who had immigrated from Warsaw spoke up with inner emotions, “I have read the New Testament and I could believe that Christ is our Messiah if He would not have been a Catholic, because the Poles who are such Catholics have done much harm to us.” We all were taken by surprise. Then I explained, “The Messiah was not a Catholic, He was the Redeemer who became flesh. And also Mary was not a Catholic.” But she simply could not comprehend this.

The ignorance of people in reference to their religion is unbelievable. Christianity without a living, personal connection to Christ has become a religion and, as some assert it is opium for the people. This exposition should unveil that which is not Biblical and which is being falsely called Christian and expose the religious legends which remain as they are irrespective of how long they have been in practice.

Whenfaith in God and His plan with humanity is concerned, we must consult the book of all books. The expression “I believe nothing and nobody” is applicable only in reference to human beings but not in regards to the Almighty and His Word. He remains for ever the trustworthy. His Word is the fulfilled and confirmed truth and therefore is our absolute which is above every speck of doubt. He is not dead as some claim but He lives and all that live live by Him. His Word today is an ever living reality.

At certain times, there were people who were ordained for a special commission. In the history of mankind, we know of poets, of composers, of kings, of emperors, of politicians and special statesmen right until our time. The same applies for science and all other researches. A whole list of those who invented something could be filled with prominent names without whom our world would look very much different. In the same way, there were special men of God in Old and New Testament times who had a special task to do in connection with the plan of salvation. The same applies for the post apostolic time right up to the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D. Special personalities are spoken off. Also during the dark ages, there were those who played an important role in the church history. Best known are the names of those in connection with the Reformation.

Such men of God who were used for special purposes always had a global ministry overriding all church and religious barriers. It was a commission given for all. This is verified in the passage where our Lord said, “Go ye into all the world”. Those who are truly sent by God proclaim the Word of God in precise harmony with all the prophets and apostles. Whoever comes up with new doctrines or propagates new revelations must stand the test of the Holy Scriptures. If they are not in harmony consequently automatically the person and his teaching are automatically disqualified. God cannot contradict Himself. He also cannot alter His plan. The question with everything that is being done and taught must be, “Is it really true? Is it written like this? What does the Holy Scripture have to say about it?”

We are not interested in the imaginations of man but we wish to hear and to know only what God had to say through those whom He called with an audible voice to serve Him. Thus were the Old Testament prophets. They foretold the course of the church history. The commission of the apostles included the verification of whether those prophecies of old had come to their fulfilment. According to the calling and commission, they had a part to acquaint us with God’s plan of salvation. In the Holy Scriptures, it is all well documented, and so the living Word speaks for itself even today to all those who are willing to hear the voice of the Spirit. There is no need that one should explain to the other. It suffices if all could believe from their heart just as the Scripture says. In this way, everyone is being taught of God through His Word as it is written (Isa. 54:13; Jn. 6:45). Here we don’t exhibit the scroll of doctrine of a church or denomination or a sect, but rather give an exposition of God’s plan as made known to us in His holy Word.

Some who are well acquainted with church history, as I am after studying for over twenty-five years, would know how different historians described the same ages, persons and things. In the themes presented for discussion, nothing is really new, but Bible believing Christians are hurt by the fact that critical research of the New Testament has left the matters with many question marks. Whether some parts of the New Testament, the gospels and the epistles at first were written in Hebrew, Aramaic or in Greek and later were assembled into the canon in the Greek language is not decisive for itself. It is a fact that God has chosen people who were speaking the Hebrew language. Moses and Aaron spoke to Pharaoh, “… the Lord God of the Hebrews has met us …” (Ex. 3:18). Jesus Christ certainly did not speak Greek but rather Aramaic which was commonly spoken by the Hebrews. If it was more of a low dialect as some claim or not is left for the scholars to fight about. For us it is important that our Lord after His resurrection still spoke in the Hebrew tongue as Paul confirms. “… I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?” (Acts 26:14). Also the argument that other letters were in circulation at that time can in no way harm the authenticity of the gospels. Most certainly at the very beginning in the apostles days, there were other letters written. Luke informs us about this in his gospel in the first verse of the first chapter. There were also others who gave their reports. Such letters are called “New Testament apocrypha”. The Lord Himself took care that only those epistles which became part of the canon were written by His will and commission with all that was necessary for us to know.

It is very important for us to respect God’s Word in the right way (I Th. 2:13) and believe that all Scripture is inspired (II Tim. 3:16). Wherever in the New Testament the wording “as the Scripture says …” or “it is written …” was used, the reference goes back to the Old Testament. The New Testament is Holy Scripture as well. Both together make the Bible. In Luke 24:44-45 we read: “And he said unto them, these are the words which I spoke unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures.”

The Lord also said, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life; and they are they which testify of me” (Jn. 5:39). Paul summarises and makes the following point, “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (I Cor. 15:3-4). The apostle Peter writes having Isaiah 40, verse 8, in mind and connects the word of the Old and the New Testament into a common denominator, “… but the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you” (I Pet. 1:22-25). The New Testament is the result and the summary of the foretold Old Testament prophecy.

Dr. Clarence Larkin, an internationally recognised Bible teacher, has written in his book «Dispensational Truth» that one-hundred-and-nine prophecies from the Old Testament were literally and precisely fulfilled at the first coming of Christ. The accomplishment of the prophecy vindicates the divine origin of the Bible.

If we are to check something and put it through the test we must not be prejudiced. Carl Schneider, one renowned theologian, writes, “The forgeries began in New Testament times and have never ceased” (K. Deschner, Der gefälschte Glaube, pg. 20). He is right. But this does not mean to say that we have a forged New Testament, but rather that unauthorised persons had already started then and continue until today presenting forged doctrines with their own interpretations. The original word remains for ever in spite of all deceptions of which we shall speak more. The destructive insinuations about forged Peter’s epistles led to the remark which is absolutely incredible, “The holy book, the Bible is teeming with false documents” (K. Deschner, Der gefälschte Glaube, pg. 20). That is an unbelievable assertion and a vicious lie. The so-called experts are referred to and they have already performed a good job. It is an impudence to accuse the writers of the New Testament being guilty of forgeries and to classify them as deceivers and the Bible-believing as deceived. By such deceptive manoeuvres of the critics the ever beaming truth cannot be darkened.

Of course, the four evangelists were simple men. Their reports at times show variations, but this proves that they did not sit together consulting each other and writing at the same time. Everyone wrote as he was guided, whether he referred to something he personally heard or experienced or whether he was told by others. The confirmed facts are the most important and not the described surroundings.

The Catholic theologian and Bible translator, Dr. Konstantin Rösch, has used the four living creatures lion, ox, man and eagle (Rev. 4:6-8) to show the various characters of the four gospels. Already Ireneus has used these four symbols claiming that this was commonly understood in the early Christian age. The Bible is partly written in symbols and parables. According to that Bible translator, Matthew has the face of a man, Mark the one of a lion, Luke the one of an ox, and John the one of an eagle. In Ezekiel 1, the four living creatures are spoken of to have the appearance and likeness of a man (vs. 5). “And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings”
(vs. 8). Every living creature has four faces but was introduced by one special face only. All the four gospels refer to the same Redeemer, but everyone has a different shape. Although every living creature appears with a different face, in the interior they are all the same. Thus it is with the four gospels. The inside, the actual kernel is the same. But the one shows the Lord more as the Son of man; the other one emphasises His divine authority in the symbol of the lion which is the king among the beasts; the third one is the burden carrier; and the fourth follows the characteristics of an eagle who flies into the highest heights not touching the ground of Bethlehem at all.

If one evangelist records something and the other not, or if one gives more importance to an event than the next one, that is permissible. If one evangelist writes that the Lord fed four-thousand with seven loaves of bread and the other that He fed four-thousand men not counting the women and children then both are right. That means only one went into more details. If one reports that two blind men were healed near Jericho and the other that only one blind man was healed, then both are right again. One evangelist was present when it happened but the other met the one man who was healed and gave his report. One evangelist states that both thieves who were crucified with Christ mocked Him (Mt. 27:44), the other reports that the one at His right-hand side was touched in his heart and cried out: “Jesus, remember me …” (Lk. 23:39-42). Again both are right. At first the two mocked Him then one of them recognised who was crucified next to him and called upon Him.

Also the statement: “Verily I say unto thee, Today thou shalt be with me in paradise” is being misconstrued by the critics. They conclude that Jesus should have gone directly to heaven after His death. But the Scripture says that He went down to the lower regions. They did not comprehend that the place for those who would inherit salvation after the day of the crucifixion was not above but down below. In Luke 16, we are clearly told that the two places were only separated by a gulf and no one could cross that separating line. Those who had put their hope into the coming Redeemer were kept like in a prison. And according to Mt. 27, from verse 51, many saints came up with Christ in His resurrection. From that time onwards, paradise is no more down below but above. Christ ascended and has taken captivity captive and gave gifts unto men (Eph. 4:8-10). Those who waited for their salvation to be realised came up with their Redeemer.

Also in this regard, there is no discrepancy if one evangelist reports about two angels being present at the day of the resurrection who spoke to the women (Lk. 24:4) and the other who reports about one (Mt. 28:2). Once they are mentioned to be in the sepulchre and the other time they were standing outside. Both are true again. Inside they have shown where the Lord’s body was laid and outside they proclaimed that He is risen. That’s the way it actually took place. Even if two were there one was the speaker, and so he was mentioned in particular by the one writer. Thanks be to God for there are not only self-appointed critics, but there have been excellent men of God who could show us the perfect harmony of the Scriptures which must convince everybody. One of those was Dr. C. I. Scofield, an internationally recognised scholar and Bible translator. He has written an excellent preface to the four gospels.

The critics did not at all understand the prophetic character of the New Testament. They accused the apostle Paul that he did err in his eschatological expectations, “For this we say unto you by the Word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not precede them who are asleep” (I Th. 4:15). The apostle Paul had to write in the present tense because the Holy Spirit in Him was dictating the Word of the Lord for the whole course of the time of salvation. The whole New Testament is written in such a way that it can be read throughout the whole time of grace, ever valid and timely. It can be preached and believed from the first to the last generation, when the respective outstanding predictions at the parousia of Christ will be fulfilled. The same Paul wrote speaking of himself, “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith; henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day …” (II Tim. 4:6-8).

At all times, people living on earth were expecting the return of Christ in their days. Those who did not expect will have a very slim chance to participate in the first resurrection as they did not have this living hope within them. Martin Luther believed the end to be near as he counted on the return of Christ. For the antichrist he used the word “end-christ”. He wrote, “This year 1540 the total of years is exactly 5,500. Therefore the end of the world can be expected, because the 6,000 years will not be completed, as the three days of Christ after His death were not completed.” (H. Heinz, Zwischen Zeit und Ewigkeit, pg. 137). Whoever had a living hope expected the return of Christ. So it should be today. There are people now on earth who, based upon the fulfilment of the Bible prophecy, expect His return in this generation.

The blinded critics have reached the summit of their misconstrued assertion that Christ’s prophecy, “Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled” (Mt. 24:34) was not fulfilled. In that statement the Jews are the generation of people He spoke about and it is not a generation as we know it as a span of time. The Jews had to go through very hard times, they were murdered in most cruel ways but they remained as the Lord said right until now. So it is predestinated in God’s eternal plan as Jesus said. Also the statement, “Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come” (Mt. 10:23) was totally misunderstood and exchanged for His return. Did He not come as the Son of man when John saw Him on the isle of Patmos walking in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks? That is the way He will come again when He starts His Kingdom on the earth. He will come with all His majesty. “His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were like a flame of fire; And his feet like fine brass as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice like the sound of many waters” (Rev. 1:14-15). It was actually fulfilled as Jesus said. With God’s Word itself every construed argument of the critics can be brought to nothing. Those who thought to make question marks behind the Word should realise that eventually everything will happen according to the Word of God.

It was not Jesus or the apostles who were mistaken but those critics who were blind and have erred in course of the church history. Right into the present time, they refer to those who were a prey to the same deceptions and their words are found again now. Thereby they actually reveal their ignorance concerning God’s plan of salvation. When it comes to the historical part they see how wrong things developed in Christianity, especially with the universal church. But when it comes to the Word of God and the Kingdom of God, they simply have no revelation and don’t understand. As Bible believing Christians, we cannot remain silent in such a case. People who have no access to the Holy Scriptures and to the therein hidden and revealed plan of God prove this by their question marks. They speak about the greatest falsifying and of contradictions they think they see. They can only do so after they themselves have interpreted the same into the Scriptures.

There is no need for a historical proof of the existence of Jesus Christ. He is the central point of the history of mankind. Whether Josephus and the other historians have written about Him or not, that is not our part of a debate. Prophets and apostles wrote it, because they were directly commissioned to do that. And we believe them and that is sufficient. As far as I am concerned I believe the reports of those who were present when supernatural things happened. From the birth of Jesus Christ until His ascension to heaven, there were true eye and ear witnesses. But as it is today it was in the past. Whenever God does something supernatural on earth the people never report about it, simply because it does not happen in the established churches and religions. The official reporters have no knowledge of it. For those who can believe, everything is sufficiently witnessed in the Scriptures and there is no need for them to listen to any false witnesses who may appear very late on the scene and think that they have got something to say. Nobody needs to listen to them.

If critical church historians write about false and manipulated faith then they cannot possibly refer to the original church or the Book of Acts, which means the church at its very beginning of the New Testament. Manipulated false faiths, doctrines and messages are such, which are not contained in the Holy Scriptures and therefore do not coincide with them but were later invented.

I was encouraged to write freely because it is an established fact that nowadays nothing is simply accepted without it being proved. A typical example for this made headlines in September 1988 and came out in the mass media. The concern was about the Shroud of Turin. Hundreds of years it was believed to be absolute genuine and was venerated as a relic. Now the whole world became surprised after the independent tests in England, the USA and Switzerland which brought the same result that this piece of linen derives from the time of the dark ages and is by no means the shroud of Christ. In spite of this verified investigation, the respective clergy encourages that this falsification receives further on the veneration of a relic. Even after this had become known people are to remain in the same error.

In October 1988, the deputy Dr. Ian Paisley from Northern Ireland caused a stir in the European parliament at Strasbourg. He did dare to speak up as hardly any Protestant since the time of Reformation. He showed a poster with the text “John Paul II — antichrist” and so caused a tumult and protested against the pope to speak there. The mass media reported about it in most of the daily newspapers with the photo and report on the front page. The day after only a few spoke about it and again life went back to normal. There is something new to be reported daily.

It is sad but true that throughout the past the clergy and the laity have put God and church together. And the people because they were disappointed with their institution turned against Him and wanted to get rid of both. It is a very sad decision indeed which was followed by so many. I will never forget the evening in a kibbutz approximately 15 km west of Jerusalem. As the tour-leader I gathered the group for a small service after the evening meal. Various guests participated including some Jews. This was appreciated. I read a few passages from the Old Testament and showed how they were fulfilled in the New Testament. Suddenly a Jewish woman who had immigrated from Warsaw spoke up with inner emotions, “I have read the New Testament and I could believe that Christ is our Messiah if He would not have been a Catholic, because the Poles who are such Catholics have done much harm to us.” We all were taken by surprise. Then I explained, “The Messiah was not a Catholic, He was the Redeemer who became flesh. And also Mary was not a Catholic.” But she simply could not comprehend this.

The ignorance of people in reference to their religion is unbelievable. Christianity without a living, personal connection to Christ has become a religion and, as some assert it is opium for the people. This exposition should unveil that which is not Biblical and which is being falsely called Christian and expose the religious legends which remain as they are irrespective of how long they have been in practice.

When  faith in God and His plan with humanity is concerned, we must consult the book of all books. The expression “I believe nothing and nobody” is applicable only in reference to human beings but not in regards to the Almighty and His Word. He remains for ever the trustworthy. His Word is the fulfilled and confirmed truth and therefore is our absolute which is above every speck of doubt. He is not dead as some claim but He lives and all that live live by Him. His Word today is an ever living reality.

At certain times, there were people who were ordained for a special commission. In the history of mankind, we know of poets, of composers, of kings, of emperors, of politicians and special statesmen right until our time. The same applies for science and all other researches. A whole list of those who invented something could be filled with prominent names without whom our world would look very much different. In the same way, there were special men of God in Old and New Testament times who had a special task to do in connection with the plan of salvation. The same applies for the post apostolic time right up to the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D. Special personalities are spoken off. Also during the dark ages, there were those who played an important role in the church history. Best known are the names of those in connection with the Reformation.

Such men of God who were used for special purposes always had a global ministry overriding all church and religious barriers. It was a commission given for all. This is verified in the passage where our Lord said, “Go ye into all the world”. Those who are truly sent by God proclaim the Word of God in precise harmony with all the prophets and apostles. Whoever comes up with new doctrines or propagates new revelations must stand the test of the Holy Scriptures. If they are not in harmony consequently automatically the person and his teaching are automatically disqualified. God cannot contradict Himself. He also cannot alter His plan. The question with everything that is being done and taught must be, “Is it really true? Is it written like this? What does the Holy Scripture have to say about it?”

We are not interested in the imaginations of man but we wish to hear and to know only what God had to say through those whom He called with an audible voice to serve Him. Thus were the Old Testament prophets. They foretold the course of the church history. The commission of the apostles included the verification of whether those prophecies of old had come to their fulfilment. According to the calling and commission, they had a part to acquaint us with God’s plan of salvation. In the Holy Scriptures, it is all well documented, and so the living Word speaks for itself even today to all those who are willing to hear the voice of the Spirit. There is no need that one should explain to the other. It suffices if all could believe from their heart just as the Scripture says. In this way, everyone is being taught of God through His Word as it is written (Isa. 54:13; Jn. 6:45). Here we don’t exhibit the scroll of doctrine of a church or denomination or a sect, but rather give an exposition of God’s plan as made known to us in His holy Word.

Some who are well acquainted with church history, as I am after studying for over twenty-five years, would know how different historians described the same ages, persons and things. In the themes presented for discussion, nothing is really new, but Bible believing Christians are hurt by the fact that critical research of the New Testament has left the matters with many question marks. Whether some parts of the New Testament, the gospels and the epistles at first were written in Hebrew, Aramaic or in Greek and later were assembled into the canon in the Greek language is not decisive for itself. It is a fact that God has chosen people who were speaking the Hebrew language. Moses and Aaron spoke to Pharaoh, “… the Lord God of the Hebrews has met us …” (Ex. 3:18). Jesus Christ certainly did not speak Greek but rather Aramaic which was commonly spoken by the Hebrews. If it was more of a low dialect as some claim or not is left for the scholars to fight about. For us it is important that our Lord after His resurrection still spoke in the Hebrew tongue as Paul confirms. “… I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?” (Acts 26:14). Also the argument that other letters were in circulation at that time can in no way harm the authenticity of the gospels. Most certainly at the very beginning in the apostles days, there were other letters written. Luke informs us about this in his gospel in the first verse of the first chapter. There were also others who gave their reports. Such letters are called “New Testament apocrypha”. The Lord Himself took care that only those epistles which became part of the canon were written by His will and commission with all that was necessary for us to know.

It is very important for us to respect God’s Word in the right way (I Th. 2:13) and believe that all Scripture is inspired (II Tim. 3:16). Wherever in the New Testament the wording “as the Scripture says …” or “it is written …” was used, the reference goes back to the Old Testament. The New Testament is Holy Scripture as well. Both together make the Bible. In Luke 24:44-45 we read: “And he said unto them, these are the words which I spoke unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures.”

The Lord also said, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life; and they are they which testify of me” (Jn. 5:39). Paul summarises and makes the following point, “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (I Cor. 15:3-4). The apostle Peter writes having Isaiah 40, verse 8, in mind and connects the word of the Old and the New Testament into a common denominator, “… but the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you” (I Pet. 1:22-25). The New Testament is the result and the summary of the foretold Old Testament prophecy.

Dr. Clarence Larkin, an internationally recognised Bible teacher, has written in his book «Dispensational Truth» that one-hundred-and-nine prophecies from the Old Testament were literally and precisely fulfilled at the first coming of Christ. The accomplishment of the prophecy vindicates the divine origin of the Bible.

If we are to check something and put it through the test we must not be prejudiced. Carl Schneider, one renowned theologian, writes, “The forgeries began in New Testament times and have never ceased” (K. Deschner, Der gefälschte Glaube, pg. 20). He is right. But this does not mean to say that we have a forged New Testament, but rather that unauthorised persons had already started then and continue until today presenting forged doctrines with their own interpretations. The original word remains for ever in spite of all deceptions of which we shall speak more. The destructive insinuations about forged Peter’s epistles led to the remark which is absolutely incredible, “The holy book, the Bible is teeming with false documents” (K. Deschner, Der gefälschte Glaube, pg. 20). That is an unbelievable assertion and a vicious lie. The so-called experts are referred to and they have already performed a good job. It is an impudence to accuse the writers of the New Testament being guilty of forgeries and to classify them as deceivers and the Bible-believing as deceived. By such deceptive manoeuvres of the critics the ever beaming truth cannot be darkened.

Of course, the four evangelists were simple men. Their reports at times show variations, but this proves that they did not sit together consulting each other and writing at the same time. Everyone wrote as he was guided, whether he referred to something he personally heard or experienced or whether he was told by others. The confirmed facts are the most important and not the described surroundings.

The Catholic theologian and Bible translator, Dr. Konstantin Rösch, has used the four living creatures lion, ox, man and eagle (Rev. 4:6-8) to show the various characters of the four gospels. Already Ireneus has used these four symbols claiming that this was commonly understood in the early Christian age. The Bible is partly written in symbols and parables. According to that Bible translator, Matthew has the face of a man, Mark the one of a lion, Luke the one of an ox, and John the one of an eagle. In Ezekiel 1, the four living creatures are spoken of to have the appearance and likeness of a man (vs. 5). “And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings”
(vs. 8). Every living creature has four faces but was introduced by one special face only. All the four gospels refer to the same Redeemer, but everyone has a different shape. Although every living creature appears with a different face, in the interior they are all the same. Thus it is with the four gospels. The inside, the actual kernel is the same. But the one shows the Lord more as the Son of man; the other one emphasises His divine authority in the symbol of the lion which is the king among the beasts; the third one is the burden carrier; and the fourth follows the characteristics of an eagle who flies into the highest heights not touching the ground of Bethlehem at all.

If one evangelist records something and the other not, or if one gives more importance to an event than the next one, that is permissible. If one evangelist writes that the Lord fed four-thousand with seven loaves of bread and the other that He fed four-thousand men not counting the women and children then both are right. That means only one went into more details. If one reports that two blind men were healed near Jericho and the other that only one blind man was healed, then both are right again. One evangelist was present when it happened but the other met the one man who was healed and gave his report. One evangelist states that both thieves who were crucified with Christ mocked Him (Mt. 27:44), the other reports that the one at His right-hand side was touched in his heart and cried out: “Jesus, remember me …” (Lk. 23:39-42). Again both are right. At first the two mocked Him then one of them recognised who was crucified next to him and called upon Him.

Also the statement: “Verily I say unto thee, Today thou shalt be with me in paradise” is being misconstrued by the critics. They conclude that Jesus should have gone directly to heaven after His death. But the Scripture says that He went down to the lower regions. They did not comprehend that the place for those who would inherit salvation after the day of the crucifixion was not above but down below. In Luke 16, we are clearly told that the two places were only separated by a gulf and no one could cross that separating line. Those who had put their hope into the coming Redeemer were kept like in a prison. And according to Mt. 27, from verse 51, many saints came up with Christ in His resurrection. From that time onwards, paradise is no more down below but above. Christ ascended and has taken captivity captive and gave gifts unto men (Eph. 4:8-10). Those who waited for their salvation to be realised came up with their Redeemer.

Also in this regard, there is no discrepancy if one evangelist reports about two angels being present at the day of the resurrection who spoke to the women (Lk. 24:4) and the other who reports about one (Mt. 28:2). Once they are mentioned to be in the sepulchre and the other time they were standing outside. Both are true again. Inside they have shown where the Lord’s body was laid and outside they proclaimed that He is risen. That’s the way it actually took place. Even if two were there one was the speaker, and so he was mentioned in particular by the one writer. Thanks be to God for there are not only self-appointed critics, but there have been excellent men of God who could show us the perfect harmony of the Scriptures which must convince everybody. One of those was Dr. C. I. Scofield, an internationally recognised scholar and Bible translator. He has written an excellent preface to the four gospels.

The critics did not at all understand the prophetic character of the New Testament. They accused the apostle Paul that he did err in his eschatological expectations, “For this we say unto you by the Word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not precede them who are asleep” (I Th. 4:15). The apostle Paul had to write in the present tense because the Holy Spirit in Him was dictating the Word of the Lord for the whole course of the time of salvation. The whole New Testament is written in such a way that it can be read throughout the whole time of grace, ever valid and timely. It can be preached and believed from the first to the last generation, when the respective outstanding predictions at the parousia of Christ will be fulfilled. The same Paul wrote speaking of himself, “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith; henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day …” (II Tim. 4:6-8).

At all times, people living on earth were expecting the return of Christ in their days. Those who did not expect will have a very slim chance to participate in the first resurrection as they did not have this living hope within them. Martin Luther believed the end to be near as he counted on the return of Christ. For the antichrist he used the word “end-christ”. He wrote, “This year 1540 the total of years is exactly 5,500. Therefore the end of the world can be expected, because the 6,000 years will not be completed, as the three days of Christ after His death were not completed.” (H. Heinz, Zwischen Zeit und Ewigkeit, pg. 137). Whoever had a living hope expected the return of Christ. So it should be today. There are people now on earth who, based upon the fulfilment of the Bible prophecy, expect His return in this generation.

The blinded critics have reached the summit of their misconstrued assertion that Christ’s prophecy, “Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled” (Mt. 24:34) was not fulfilled. In that statement the Jews are the generation of people He spoke about and it is not a generation as we know it as a span of time. The Jews had to go through very hard times, they were murdered in most cruel ways but they remained as the Lord said right until now. So it is predestinated in God’s eternal plan as Jesus said. Also the statement, “Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come” (Mt. 10:23) was totally misunderstood and exchanged for His return. Did He not come as the Son of man when John saw Him on the isle of Patmos walking in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks? That is the way He will come again when He starts His Kingdom on the earth. He will come with all His majesty. “His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were like a flame of fire; And his feet like fine brass as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice like the sound of many waters” (Rev. 1:14-15). It was actually fulfilled as Jesus said. With God’s Word itself every construed argument of the critics can be brought to nothing. Those who thought to make question marks behind the Word should realise that eventually everything will happen according to the Word of God.

It was not Jesus or the apostles who were mistaken but those critics who were blind and have erred in course of the church history. Right into the present time, they refer to those who were a prey to the same deceptions and their words are found again now. Thereby they actually reveal their ignorance concerning God’s plan of salvation. When it comes to the historical part they see how wrong things developed in Christianity, especially with the universal church. But when it comes to the Word of God and the Kingdom of God, they simply have no revelation and don’t understand. As Bible believing Christians, we cannot remain silent in such a case. People who have no access to the Holy Scriptures and to the therein hidden and revealed plan of God prove this by their question marks. They speak about the greatest falsifying and of contradictions they think they see. They can only do so after they themselves have interpreted the same into the Scriptures.

There is no need for a historical proof of the existence of Jesus Christ. He is the central point of the history of mankind. Whether Josephus and the other historians have written about Him or not, that is not our part of a debate. Prophets and apostles wrote it, because they were directly commissioned to do that. And we believe them and that is sufficient. As far as I am concerned I believe the reports of those who were present when supernatural things happened. From the birth of Jesus Christ until His ascension to heaven, there were true eye and ear witnesses. But as it is today it was in the past. Whenever God does something supernatural on earth the people never report about it, simply because it does not happen in the established churches and religions. The official reporters have no knowledge of it. For those who can believe, everything is sufficiently witnessed in the Scriptures and there is no need for them to listen to any false witnesses who may appear very late on the scene and think that they have got something to say. Nobody needs to listen to them.

If critical church historians write about false and manipulated faith then they cannot possibly refer to the original church or the Book of Acts, which means the church at its very beginning of the New Testament. Manipulated false faiths, doctrines and messages are such, which are not contained in the Holy Scriptures and therefore do not coincide with them but were later invented.