What makes Jesus different than other religious leaders?

Jesus is the only religious leader in history that predicted his own death and resurrection and then actually died
and then rose from the dead. There is historical evidence to support that this is not just a story but a fact in history. The
sermon Peter preached in Jerusalem about the resurrection in Acts 2:14-41 took place within a short walk of where Jesus was
buried. 3,000 people accepted the gospel message there. This would be rather hard to explain if the body of Jesus was still in
the tomb. (See Lk.24:18-24, 18:31-34 )

What motive would the disciples have to die martyrs for this gospel message if they did not really see Jesus after he was
raised from the dead? Why did the non believers Paul and James change and profess to have also seen the risen Christ if it
were not so? How does one explain more than 500 eyewitnesses? (1 Cor.15:5-8) It has been proven that the physical
resurrection of Jesus Christ would stand in a court of law based upon historical evidence. (This is explained in more detail in
the next section.) Since these facts are established by critical and historical procedures. It is not logical reasoning for someone
to reject the resurrection simply because they do not accept the inspiration of the Scriptures.

Considering these credentials that Jesus has: (1) Foretold in detail in prophecy before he was born (2) predicting his own
death and physical resurrection (3) Actually bodily rising from the dead just as he said he would. I do not believe that there are
any other religious leaders that deserve our attention more than Jesus Christ.

So who did Jesus claim to be? His enemies understood him claim to be God.

John 10:30-33 "I and the Father are one." The Jews took up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, "I showed you
many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?" The Jews answered Him, "For a good work we do
not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God."

Here is Jesus' response in verse 36-39 do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are
blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'? "If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do them,
though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the
Father." Therefore they were seeking again to seize Him, and He eluded their grasp.

Jesus declared that he and the Father are one. The Jews understood this as a claim to be God. Jesus then calls himself
the Son of God and then reaffirms his statement of "I and the father are one" So the question is did the Jews correctly
understand what he meant. He called himself the Son of God, but did he also claim to be God? I believe the answer is yes he
did claim to be God.

This comes out clear in John 20:28-29
"Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Because you have seen Me, have you
believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed."

Thomas here called Jesus his Lord and God. Jesus being the teacher that he was should have rebuked or at least corrected
Thomas. Certainly Jesus would not let this error or using the Lords name in vain, (as some have interpreted it) go by without
some correction. Jesus' answer to Thomas shows that Thomas was correct to call him his God and Lord.
Jesus not only claimed to be the Son of God and God one with the Father, but he also claimed to be the expected messiah
foretold in the Old Testament.

John 4:25-26 ." The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He
will declare all things to us." Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He."

Jesus often referred to himself as the Son of man. Matt 17:22-23 And while they were gathering together in Galilee, Jesus said
to them, "The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men; and they will kill Him, and He will be raised on the third
day. "And they were deeply grieved.

It is interesting that Jesus would call himself this since he was not a son of man in the way we often think. He was born of the
virgin Mary and by the Holy Spirit. Joseph was not his father. He was the Son of Man in two ways.
(1) As the Messiah being born through the family of David as well as, Jesse, Judah, Jacob, Isaac and Abraham as shown
earlier. This genealogy traces him through man. Both Mary and Joseph's blood line can be traced through these people.
(Mt.1:1-16, Lk.3:23-38). This title "Messiah" is also applied to Jesus because the Messiah that was to come in Old Testament
prophecy was called the Son of Man Dan.7:13-14

(2) Jesus is also seen as the Son of Man referring to his humanity, when God became a man.
Phil 2:5-8 "Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did
not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in
the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of
death, even death on a cross."

John 1:1 & 14 " In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. & in verse 14 And the
Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace
and truth."

So how important is it to accept Jesus' claims of who he is? According to Jesus it is very important,
John 8:24-25, "I said therefore to you, that you shall die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He you shall die in your
sins. "And so they were saying to Him, "Who are You?" Jesus said to them, "What have I been saying to you from the
beginning?"

As we have already seen Jesus claimed to be the Messiah, God one with the Father and the son of God. So he told them
unless they accepted that this is who he was they would die in their sins. So what does it mean to die in your sins? It means to
die and be separated from God. The Bible declares that those who are separated from God spend eternity in a place called
Hell. Fortunately Eternal Life is a free gift. All you have to do to gain eternal life is accept Jesus and make him Lord of your Life.
(Mt.25:31-41, Jn.3:16-18, Rom.3:23, 1 Jn.1:10, James 2:10, Mt.5:22, Eph.2:8-9, Lk.6:44-49)

Who does the Bible declare Jesus to be? The church usually answers this question by referring to the Trinity. The Trinity is a
title of a doctrine that the Bible teaches. Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary defines the Trinity as follows:
"The coexistence of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in the unity of the Godhead (divine nature or essence). The doctrine
of the trinity means that within the being and activity of the one God there are three distinct persons: Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit."

Throughout the Bible we find that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are all called God and all 3 posses the attributes of God. We
also find that there is only one God. There is not 3 Gods in one. All 3 are also seen separate even though they are one God.
Jesus is God the Son the 2nd person in the Trinity. One could write a lot on this subject but for here I only want to focus on
Jesus.

The Bible calls Jesus God.
Isa 9:6
For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be
called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

Acts 20:28
"Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church
of God which He purchased with His own blood.

According to this verse the church was purchased with whose blood?

Col 2:8-9
See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to
the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,

I Jn 5:20
And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding, in order that we might know Him who is true, and
we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.

2 Pet 1:1
Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the
righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:

Rev 1:7-8
Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth
will mourn over Him. Even so. Amen.
"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."
Compare this with Rev 2:8 "And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: The first and the last, who was dead, and has come
to life,

Heb 1:8
But of the Son He says "Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the righteous scepter is the scepter of His kingdom.

Titus 2:13
Looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus;

The Deity of Jesus Christ

Jesus is God?
I thought how absurd!
I was taught different,
every since birth.

Then I was confronted,
with Gods written word.
It cut me deep,
like a two edged sword.

Jesus isn't God?
I thought how absurd!
How can you argue,
with Gods written word?

By Robert E. Kiser