The problem with that theory is that to comply with the Law results in abundant blessings and eternal life ON EARTH, and failure to comply with the Law results in death, a curse.
There is no problem with that theory. It's called normalization of deviance. It's a well established principle.
One of the misconceptions of Judaism that Jesus corrected is that it's not about rule keeping. It is about having a relationship with God. If one's relationship with God is right, all other relationships will be right and there won't even be a need for rules to be kept because everyone is doing the right thing and when they make a mistake they take accountability and rectify it on their own.
That's not my belief. I think that's your belief. My belief is that God is loving. So much so that he chose to be born into this world to testify to the truth and suffer death to reconcile justice with mercy. How can you believe Christians believe God is a capricious petty tyrant when Christians believe that God will not judge them for their mistakes? Your belief makes no sense at all.
It is the Glory of Christianity to have enemies that are hateful, irrational and deceptive because it proves that Christianity is loving, rational and the truth.
lol. Either that or you get what you got which is exactly what you give and deserve.
It is the Glory of Christianity to have enemies that are hateful, irrational and deceptive because it proves that Christianity is loving, rational and the truth.
Was Elijah a man? Yes? Didn't Jesus say that John the baptist was Elijah? A man? How is it irrational to conclude that Jesus, a man, could be reincarnated in the same way Elijah was?
The Transfiguration is a pivotal event where Jesus became radiant with divine glory on a mountain, affirming his identity as the Son of God to Peter, James, and John. It acts as a bridge between Jesus’ earthly ministry and his resurrection glory, serving to reassure disciples before his upcoming passion and death. It occurred on a high mountain, often identified as Mount Tabor. Jesus’ face shone like the sun and his clothing became dazzling white, exceeding any earthly bleaching. Moses and Elijah appeared, representing the Law and the Prophets, conversing with Jesus about his "departure" (death) in Jerusalem. A voice from God stated, "This is my beloved Son... listen to him!". The Transfiguration was a foretaste of the Resurrection, allowing the disciples to see Jesus's future glory before witnessing his humiliation on the cross. It strengthened the "inner circle" of apostles by validating Jesus’s divinity just before his death, preparing them to lead after his passing. The scene directly supports Jesus as the Son of God and fulfillment of the Old Testament Law and Prophets. The transfiguration highlights that human nature meets God through Jesus. The Transfiguration provides a glimpse of future glory prior to his time of suffering.
You mean other than it being foretaste of the Resurrection, allowing the disciples to see Jesus's future glory before witnessing his humiliation on the cross.
If Elijah and Moses were reincarnated as men. What happened to them?
That also is a story about what was seen and heard in a dream as shown by the minor detail that they fell into a deep sleep.
Elijah being "taken up" in a whirlwind is just a euphemism for Elijah being murdered, killed, by a lynch mob. Just like Jesus being "taken up" was a euphemism for him being murdered.
Well, after a well deserved long vacation in paradise, Elijah was reincarnated as John the Baptist, but only if what Jesus said is true, and Moses was reincarnated as Jesus, but only if what Jesus said about being with God when Heaven and Earth were created was true because only Moses was there with God on Mt Sinai when Light was spoken into existence.
The transfiguration wasn't presented as a dream. The Transfiguration of Jesus is presented in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 17, Mark 9, Luke 9) as an historical event—a real, physical occurrence experienced by Peter, James, and John on a mountain. The narrative does not present the scene as a dream. The disciples are described as being awake and terrified, with Jesus interacting with them physically by touching them. It includes mundane details like Peter’s confused suggestion to build tents. The testimony in 2 Peter 1:16–18 ("eyewitnesses of his majesty") confirm it was intended as a real, historical, and physical event. The Transfiguration is presented as a real, objective event in the life of Jesus witnessed by the disciples, confirming Jesus as the fulfillment of the Law and Prophets. .
That's not how the gospels present it.Elijah being "taken up" in a whirlwind is just a euphemism for Elijah being murdered, killed, by a lynch mob. Just like Jesus being "taken up" was a euphemism for him being murdered.
People do not float up into the sky. Even if you really really really believe. Pft. Hello?
Am I telling you something that you didn't already know?
It's interesting that you believe in reincarnation. But John the Baptist was not the reincarnation of the prophet Elijah. He came "in the spirit and power of Elijah" (Luke 1:17) to fulfill the prophecy of the forerunner of the Messiah. Jesus identified John as the promised "Elijah" who was to come, referring to his ministry role rather than a literal re-embodiment.
No, Jesus said that Elijah had already come, not his ministry role. The prophecy is clear that Elijah would be the forerunner of the Messiah. And even though John the baptist denied being Elijah because he was given a new life and a new name, doesn't mean he wasn't Elijah in a former existence.
Jesus did not imply that John the Baptist was a literal reincarnation of the prophet Elijah. Instead, Jesus taught that John was the fulfillment of prophecy, coming "in the spirit and power of Elijah" to prepare the way for the Messiah. Jesus identified John as the "Elijah who is to come" mentioned in Malachi 3:1 & 4:5, but meant this functionally rather than physically. Luke 1:17 clarifies that John would act with the same spiritual power and prophetic ministry as Elijah. Elijah did not die but was taken to heaven, which contradicts the concept of reincarnation requiring a previous death. Later, Elijah appeared in his own identity alongside Moses on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-8), proving he was not inhabiting John's body. John the Baptist himself stated he was not Elijah (John 1:21). Therefore, Christian theology interprets Jesus’ statement in Matthew 11:14 to mean a return of the prophetic role, not the person.
Jesus' claim to be present with God at the creation of heaven and earth was not a claim of being Moses in a former existence. Instead, it was a claim to pre-existence as the divine Word (Logos) and the Son of God, who existed eternally with God before the world began. In the Gospel of John, Jesus explicitly claims to have existed before Abraham ("Before Abraham was, I am") and asks the Father to glorify him with the glory he had "before the world began" (John 17:5). John 1:1–3 states, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... All things were made through him". Jesus is presented not merely as a bystander, but as the active agent through whom God created all things. This claim was understood by his audience as a claim to deity (Yahweh), not a claim to be a previous prophet like Moses.
So what. A euphemism is a well known literary device, a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing.
Thats right. He said it clearly and directly. Elijah has already come....
Jesus existed ~2000 years before I was born. I didn't let him do anything.
