It is difficult of course to trust the news reports coming from North Korea, which is a despotic state. But it has made me think about the birth and death of a far greater, far more influential, far more powerful leader than Kim Jong-il. I refer of course to our Lord Jesus Christ.
When Jesus was born, Matthew records in his gospel that a star heralded his birth, and that wise men travelled from the east to find the new king as a result of this star. This of course, is absolutely remarkable - to think that a star would show the way to a young boy. However, the star had been prophesied years before Jesus was born, as we read in Numbers 24:17
I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not nigh: There shall come forth a star out of Jacob, And a sceptre shall rise out of Israel, And shall smite through the corners of Moab, And break down all the sons of tumult.
And then, thinking further on natural phenomena, we are told that at the death of our Lord, the sun was darkened for three hours and several earthquakes took place over the three days between Jesus' death and resurrection.
What then are we take make of this? Shall we conclude that the gospel writers fictionalised their accounts, to give Jesus more splendour than He actually deserves? Such a conclusion might be drawn, but only by someone wishing to deny the greatness of Jesus Christ and the historical evidence. The sign which stands above all others, as far as faith in Jesus Christ is concerned, is the sign of His resurrection.
Matt 12:39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given it but the sign of Jonah the prophet: for as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Three questions remain unanswered with respect to Jesus' resurrection, compelling me to believe He is risen from the dead.
i) What happened to Jesus' body?
ii) Whom did the disciples see?
iii) Why did the church begin?
I commend to you Frank Morrison's book 'Who moved the Stone?' (an online version is available here.) In his work, Morrison presents the evidence so clearly that the reader can only conclude that the one who moved the stone was none other than an angel of God. There can be no other credible explanation...
So we return the greatest sign of all. If it be true that Christ is risen, that the Lord Jesus really did rise from the grave, then we see that God has the power to raise the dead, He has the power to reverse and change the forces of nature. And if that be the case (and it is), then it is not hard to believe that God caused a star to shine, and the sun to darken, at Jesus' birth and death respectively.
So I do not conclude that the gospel writers fictionalised their accounts, to give Jesus more splendour than he actually deserved. No, I conclude that Kim Jong-il tried, throughout his life, to be a great man. He tried to be an object of worship. The state media have tried to make him out to be as great as Jesus Christ. But the difference between Jesus Christ and Kim Jong-il can hardly be measured, for the vastness of it is so great. Jesus Christ was God in the flesh - Kim Jong-il was a mere man, just like you and me. Kim Jong-il was a man who forced others to bow down to him, whereas Jesus Christ invites people into His Father's kingdom, and by his life and death makes it possible for us to enter in. Finally, Kim Jon-il is dead, and will soon be forgotten. But Jesus Christ is alive, and in a few days his birth will be remembered yet again, as it will be, no doubt, in 2012, 2013, 2014 and indeed, until He comes again.
I don't believe North Korean state media, it's notoriously unreliable. But I do believe the Bible - because it is, and always will be, completely trustworthy (as I blogged once before). Having looked into the question, I can be surer of no greater historical fact than that Jesus Christ rose from the dead some 1975 years ago (probably in the year A.D. 27). Of that I am certain, and that is why I have no trouble believing a star heralded His birth, and darkness His death.
May I take this opportunity to wish all my readers a very MERRY CHRISTMAS.
And thanks for stopping by today, and throughout the year.
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