Dr Paul Allen

We have disproved the notion that Christians stole December 25th from the pagans. We have discovered that decades before the creation of the Sol Invictus festival, Christians were fixing on December 25th for the Nativity.  First, based on the Hebrew tradition of tying birth dates to death deaths.  Second, by connecting the birth of Jesus to the winter solstice. Third there are no records that show either the early Church changing its liturgical calendars to adapt to the pagan festivals or debating or condemning the adaption of pagan festivals for Christ’s nativity. We conceded the so-called “Calculations Theory” does not show that Jesus Christ was actually born on December 25th. However, as we are about to discover, you can make a compelling case that December 25th is Jesus’ real birthday after all. Setting the table for us is Kurt M. Simmons. He writes in the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society: Chronological evidence strongly favors ...

English: A painting created by Leonardo Da Vinci depicting St John the baptist (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 11:7-15  "For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come" (  vv. 13-14 ). Given John the Baptist 's earlier declarations about Jesus , his doubts about the Lord's identity raised in  Matthew 11:1-6  could have led many to question the consistency of his ministry. How could they not doubt his steadfastness and teaching since he has gone from exalting Jesus ( 3:13-17 ;  John 3:22-36 ) to inquiring if He is truly the Christ ? Alternatively, how could they trust in Jesus as the Messiah if the beloved John the Baptist had doubts about Him? Jesus addresses these thoughts with His own questions. When swayed by the wind, the long reeds beside the Jordan River are visual metaphors of those who teach according to the whims of men. Christ's inquiry about the reed intends to ask ...

Jesus meets John the Baptist (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Since our greatest need is to believe in Christ , what a blessing it is that God has sent us witnesses to Him. Such was John the Baptist : "There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light" (John 1:6-7a). The prologue to John is loaded with key terms that introduce the themes of this Gospel . John 1:4-5 reveals three of them: life, light, and darkness. Another of these theme words appears in John 1:7: witness .  This word appears fourteen times in the Gospel of John. John's purpose in writing is to prove that Jesus is the Savior and the Son of God , and to do this he marshals an impressive array of witnesses. Through them, he seeks to multiply witnesses to Jesus—those who come to believe. Witnesses are essential in establishing any claim to fact. When a news station wants to report an amazing event, it interviews eyewitnesses. We accept the reports o...

Saint John the Baptist and the Pharisees (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 3:7 –10 “ But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for the baptism, he said to them, ‘... Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance’” (vv. 7–8). After centuries of silence, the covenant Lord spoke to His people again through John the Baptist . Beginning around 27 A.D., John prepared the way for the Messiah to inaugurate God’s kingdom , calling Israel to repentance because the nation as a whole had not shown contrition for the sins that led to exile from Palestine. In John’s day, the people were not ready for the kingdom to come. John’s call is laid on all of us throughout the Bible. “ Repentance ” is the English translation of the Greek term metanoia, which literally means “change of mind.” Repentance expresses sorrow for the ways in which we have offended God (Ps. 51:4), but it is also much more. Repentance i...

Matthew 4:18–22  “Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him” ( v. 22 ). Jesus ’ ministry begins a new phase when He settles in Capernaum ( Matt. 4:13 ) in Galilee , because it is there that the people begin to take notice of Him. In His day, Galilee is a bustling commercial area bordered by Syria and Phoenicia, offering ample opportunities for Jesus to interact with Jews and Gentiles alike. Travelers on trade routes can spread news of His ministry outside of Galilee. Moreover, the leaders in Jerusalem, as we shall see, strongly oppose Jesus, but in Galilee He can minister more freely and not have to be constantly looking out for those who might kill Him before the appointed time. When Christ begins His ministry He delivers virtually the same message as John the Baptist — “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” ( v. 17 ) — because both the old covenant and the new speak of the same kingdom. John, the final prophet of the old covenant, pr...

Oil painting of a young John Calvin. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 4:12–17 “From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’” ( v. 17 ). Upon hearing of John the Baptist ’s arrest, Jesus returns to minister in Galilee ( Matt. 4:12 ). It is important to note that this is a “new phase” of ministry, for our Savior does not enter Galilee immediately after His baptism. According to John’s gospel , Jesus has already spent time ministering in Jerusalem and Judea after His baptism (1:29–42). In fact, the ministry of our Lord and His forerunner actually overlap (3:22–24), if only for a brief period. When Jesus comes to Galilee, He settles in a small village on the northwest edge of the Sea of Galilee named Capernaum ( Matt. 4:13 ). Matthew tells us this fulfills biblical prophecy, specifically the words of Isaiah 9:1–2 , which the evangelist paraphrases in Matthew 4:15–16 . The original setting of Isaiah’s text helps us understand how C...

Salome With the Head of John the Baptist, by Caravaggio, c. 1607 (National Gallery, London). (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Herod Antipas smiled and nodded with approval. His step-daughter Salome * swayed and twirled in front of him and his birthday-party guests, her graceful figure filling them with longing. Her performance done, Herod and the guests applauded. What a dance! Inflamed by his senses and the mood of the moment, Herod cried, "Ask me what you want--up to half my kingdom--and it is yours!" And he swore a great oath to confirm his promise. As a Tetrarch (ruler of one quarter of a Roman province ) Herod was more than able to provide a handsome gift even by first century standards. Would Salome ask for a jeweled necklace? A dowry? A house? Herod and the guests waited to hear her request. The girl herself hesitated. Uncertain what to ask for, she whispered with her mother. Down in the dungeons of Herod's fortress (named Machaerus ) a man's fate was about to ...

English: Infant Jesus and John the Baptist, Museo del Prado (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) E xodus 12:43–50  When God gave Moses and Aaron the rules for the Passover , some might have sounded unconventional—for example, the clear prohibition against breaking any bones of the lamb that was sacrificed and eaten by each household. Why did God insist on this? This command—that the Passover lamb not have its legs broken—carries symbolic weight. When Jesus , whom John the Baptist proclaimed to be “the Lamb of God , who takes away the sin of the world” ( John 1:29 ), was crucified, not one of his bones was broken. John 19:31–34 tells us that when the soldiers came to Jesus to break his legs to hasten his death, they found that he was already dead, so they pierced his side with a spear but did not break his legs. As John testifies, “These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: ‘Not one of his bones will be broken’” ( John 19:36 ). The Exodus 12:46 rule is also echoe...