The following accounts of the apostles' travels and deaths are NOT scriptural. The Bible is full of hidden meanings through symbolism and understanding the text from original languages can often bring revelation and new meaning. It is always interesting to read other view points. Let us always remember: The Bible does interpret itself. We must be careful accepting the opinion of authors who cannot validate their writings through the Bible. The Bible contains all the information we need to have a fulfilled life through Jesus.
All that said, we are always curious to go deeper and further as we seek to find truth. The accounts listed below are from various historians and scholars; some Christian, others Hebrew. I have also read other conflicting accounts. I only list this writing as interesting literature and NOT absolute fact.
*My use of actors photos, is merely to encourage the image of their youth.
> Simon, AKA Peter: Simon-Peter, who was appointed by Jesus as cornerstone of the Church, was eventually martyred in Rome during the reign of the emperor Nero. As the story goes, Peter asked to be crucified upside down on an x-shaped cross because he was not worthy to die the same way as Jesus, and the Romans obliged.
> Andrew: The
brother of Peter—went to Greece in 69 AD, where the
Roman proconsul tried to
convince Andrew to forsake Christianity, so that he would not have to
torture and execute him. Andrew was scourged, and then
tied rather than nailed to a cross of olive wood, so that he would suffer for a
longer time before dying. The story goes that he saluted the cross and stated, "I have long desired and expected this happy hour. The cross has been consecrated by the body of Christ." Andrew lived for two days, during which he
preached to passers by.
> James (son of Zebedee, AKA James the Greater): Acts 12:19 says that James was killed with a sword in Jerusalem. A detailed story goes: Because he was a strong leader of the church, James was convicted by Herod Agrippa as a political act to ingratiate himself with the Romans. The Roman officer who guarded the apostle watched amazed as James defended his faith at his trial. Later, the officer walked beside James to the place of execution. Overcome by conviction, he declared his new faith to the judge and knelt beside James to accept beheading as a Christian.
> Philip: became a missionary in Asia. Eventually, he traveled to the Egyptian city of Heliopolis, where he was scourged, thrown into prison and crucified upside down in 54 AD. Some sources record he was stoned.
> Bartholomew: supposedly was a missionary to Asia and preached in several countries, including India, where he translated the Gospel of Matthew for believers. In one account, he was flayed (skinned) to death by a whip and then beheaded.
> Thomas: apparently preached the gospel in Greece and India. On one of his missionary trips to establish the church in India, angry local religious authorities, martyred him by running him through the four members of his body, with a spear. He died and was buried in Calamine India.
> Matthew: Legend says the tax collector turned missionary was martyred in Ethiopia, where he was supposedly stabbed in the back by a swordsman sent by King Hertacus, after he criticized the king's morals.
> James (son of Alphaeus, AKA James the Less): He was stoned, forced over a cliff, fell 100 feet down from the southeast pinnacle of the temple when he refused to deny his faith in Christ. When they discovered he survived, his enemies beat him to death with a club.
* This was the same pinnacle where Satan had taken Jesus during the Temptation.
> Thaddaeus (AKA Lebbaeus, Judas or Jude): According to several stories, he was crucified in Edessa in 72 AD - the name of cities in both Turkey and Greece.
> Simon (the Canaanite, AKA the Zealot): preached in Mauritania on the west coast of Africa and then went to England. I find two separate accounts: one states he was sawed in half, the other that he was crucified in 74 AD.
> Judas Iscariot: According to Matthew 27:3-6, the turncoat apostle felt remorse over his betrayal of Jesus and went to the Temple to recant. The high priests ignored his plea so he threw down the 30 pieces of silver that he had been paid, went off and hanged himself. But Acts 1:15-20 gives a grislier version of his demise. It states Judas used the blood money to purchase a piece of land and then fell headlong from a high place so that "he burst asunder in the midst and all his bowels gushed out." Residents of Jerusalem named the place Aceldama, which means "the field of blood."
* I always wondered, if he had not died, would Jesus have forgiven Judas as he did Peter?
My sincere apologies to this young man for using his image for the traitor. I chose him only for his expression.
> John: was
sentenced to the mines on the prison Island of Patmos. He wrote his
prophetic Book of Revelation on that isle. He was later freed to serve as
Bishop of Edessa in modern Turkey. He died, peacefully, as an old man,
sometime around 100 AD. (I recently read that he was miraculously
delivered from death when boiled in a huge basin of oil, in Rome, THEN
sent to the prison. This was totally new to me.)
Whether true accounts, or not, one thing that has been constant through history is that all but John suffered martyrdom. They all suffered and stood true in their faith. Death is but a moment in time; a doorway to eternal life.
Life is the dream from which we wake to the reality of death.
Amen
Well, it's Monday again and I had coffee in front of my favorite tel-evangelists on TBN.
When the coffee is gone and the programs are over, I have a little talk with my Heavenly Father. This morning, I say "thank you" which is usually reserved for bedtime. (Like counting sheep, only better.) I was raised to pray for others in the morning and thank God at night. This seems to help with too much self indulgence. Although, my Father in heaven is a generous father and I know I can ask for anything anytime.
After four half hour sermons, from four different speakers, I am feeling particularly good about my freedom as a Christian. (This is a pretty good way to start the week.) To be the righteousness of God, as a gift, through the sacrifice of Christ is so much more than we realize; so much more than we deserve. We do not have to work for anything. We just accept by believing of, and in Jesus and His resurrected life. That's it! I don't think about this as much as I should. It makes me very much at peace, with a lot less stress.
Christians are free from worry and fear. We will be saved through the rapture before the worst of the end times. We do not have to please God by working to do right. We do not have to feel guilt - it's been taken away. You can't change it. It's already happened. Whether you believe it or understand it. We are saved from this world now.
When God looks at a believer, He sees His Son, Jesus. In God's eyes we are as pure as our Savior Himself. His shed blood covers over all sin and God can only see Jesus' holiness. Yes, we are holy. We are ambassadors of heaven. We are apostles. We are brothers and sisters with Christ. We can lay all problems at the feet of our savior and he will plead our case for us. We can go directly to God, the Father and commune. And. . . He will answer us.
When a believer dies, he sleeps. He knows nothing. In a twinkling of an eye he wakes to the rapture with all other believers throughout history. This is an amazing thing to understand. Talk about reducing fear.
As Jesus is in heaven, so are we. We, as believers, can heal and be healed, teach and be taught, anoint and be anointed, give and take communion and receive the same standing as Christ Himself. Understand, we achieve this through what He did and the blood He shed - not by anything we could ever do. We are sinners; have been, are and will be until we are changed to that new life. Our sins no longer count against us. Even as we sin today, it is already forgiven - because we believe that is why Jesus died and rose.
Some time ago, I left a Bible study because the leader was teaching that a believer can lose their salvation. I guess, by committing a sin. At first, I thought we might just agree to disagree, as brother and sister in Christ. That does not work. For one thing, both of us stand firm in our belief.
Let me plead my case here: Did Jesus die for nothing? Is he saying that Christ needs to be nailed to that tree again so he can be saved every time he slips? I say, "NO". It is once and for all - like Paul said. Once died for all! It is done! We are saved. We are free! True believers WANT to do what pleases our Father because we know the love involved and the sacrifice from Him and The Son.
Let us be humble and take a few times today to reflect on all this. Let's go through our Monday being happy for the amazing blessings God has freely given to us through His most beloved son, that He is so proud of.
Amen
Asking for a fresh anointing from God every day can be a blessing to you. Anointing for healing, wisdom, provision, free from debt, safety, increased faith and blessings. Anointing to just get through the day. Hallelujah !
What is anointing? I'm so glad you asked. Actually, whether you had asked or not, I was going to tell you anyway.
Anointing is the ritual act of pouring aromatic oil over a person's head or entire body. The term is also used to relate to acts of sprinkling or smearing a person or object with a perfumed oil, milk, butter or other fat. (I favor olive oil and a "cross" mark made with my thumb on the forehead of any person I am anointing.) Sharing these oils is commonly an act of hospitality. They are used to introduce a divine influence to rid persons and things of dangerous spirits and demons believed to cause disease. This has been recorded from early times.
As a verb, synonyms are: consecrate, sanctify, bless, ordain, hallow.
As a noun, this is a sacrament using oil and the recitation of prayer administered [by a priest] to a person who is very ill or dying.
I object with this act being performed only by religious "authority" (such as a priest); that was a necessity before Jesus became our High Priest. It's a matter of the anointing of the spirit. Those believers in Christ Jesus are anointed by God through the spirit and we do not need anyone to act for us; we have the anointing on us. I Jn 2:27 To perform anointing has nothing to do with education or knowledge. As long as we walk according to the inner anointing of the Spirit, we will know God's will and be acquainted with God's work. Thus, we are capable of doing these works just as Jesus disciples were instructed. Mary performed the anointing of Jesus feet. Jn 12:3
The origin of anointing comes from ancient shepherds who would pour oil over the head of sheep to make it too slippery for insects (ie: lice) to get near the ears of their sheep which, untreated, could cause the pests to burrow into the head causing death. Anointing became used for protection, blessing and empowerment.
The N.T. Greek word (chrio) implicates consecration for office or religious service. Another Greek word for anoint (aleipho) signifies God's blessing or call on that person's life. Ex 29:7, 40:9, II Kings 9:6, Eccl 9:8, Jms 5:14
(The oil itself does not have any power; only God. The oil is just a symbol of what God is doing.)
Another meaning of the word is "chosen one". Jesus was anointed by God, with the Holy Spirit for His life mission. Lk 4:18&19, Acts 10:38 All the kings of Israel were anointed to their position.
After Jesus left the earth, He gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit. Now all Christians are anointed. Jn 14:16, I Jn 2:20, II Cor 1:21&22
Jesus anointing has come upon His followers, believers today. I Jn 2:27 When you call upon Jesus' name, the anointing is released on you. When spoken, His name is like ointment. Call on Jesus and watch His anointing release deliverance, provision, healing, protection and make you whole. Ro 10:13 Our anointing is increased by spending time with Him.
Note: Grain offerings were to have olive oil poured onto the fine flour and frankincense added. Oil commonly refers to the Holy Spirit. (I am reminded that, shortly after His birth, Jesus was presented with gold, frankincense and myrrh. Frankincense is an oil used to relieve stress, anxiety and pain. Myrrh is an aromatic resin or gum used as an incense. We all know what gold is; Jesus is more precious than gold./Wisdom is more precious than gold.) The grain offering speaks of Jesus sacrifice and oil speaks of anointing of the Holy Spirit. The grain offering of fine flour (Jesus is the Bread of Life) which had oil poured on it, is Jesus' as man being anointed by the Holy Spirit - which is a sweet fragrance to God, His Father.
For Healing: Acts 10:38, Jms 15:14, Mk 6:13, Lk 10:33&34 Spiritual, physical and emotional healing through anointing.
For revelation: Ex 25:6 Take away the dark and replace it with the light of knowledge through Christ's life.
For provision: I Kgs 17:14 This widow had oil overflowing to sell, share and use.
For financial freedom: II Kgs 4:1-7 Another widow freed of debt with the blessing of oil that paid off all her bills. God's anointing oil.
For deliverance: Ps 23:1-5 David was saved time and again from his enemies.
For faith: Isa 21:5 Our shield of faith must be activated by anointing. We accept anointing through our faith which is increased by the anointing. This cycle starts with just a mustard seed of faith and is enriched by anointing.
For blessings: Ps 133 Verse 3 reveals a blessing of life forever. Today, this blessing is ours.
His promises are true. II Cor 1:20
Have an anointed day through the blessing Jesus bestowed on us through the Holy Spirit.
Amen
Good morning!
It's a bit cloudy where I am today. But, that is keeping the hot summer temperatures down. There is always something good to be found - even on a cloudy day.
Have you ever noticed that no one that Jesus healed doubted his healing? None questioned or hesitated when Jesus said, "take up your bed and walk", "Lazarus, come forth", "go, your faith has made you whole", "get up", "go, and sin no more".
He commanded the storms to stop and they did. He commanded demons to depart - they did. He commanded water to turn to wine - it did. He commanded fish to jump into Peter's net - they did. He prayed five fish into enough to feed 5,000 people with a lot left over. So much more words He spoke and "it was so".
He told the men He called to "follow me" and they did. They just got up and went with Him. There was no question, no hesitation.
I like to think about the commanding presence He had. In Song of Songs, the writer tells us He was like the cedars of Lebanon; stout and straight.
As the King of Kings, Lord of Lords and Son of the Almighty God of the Universe, He was royalty of royalty. I can imagine His regal demeanor. We are told there was nothing unusual about His appearance; he looked like every other 30 year old Hebrew man of the day. After all, He was able to disappear into the crowd when He needed to. Neither His clothes or His looks were different. But, oh the manner in which He spoke!
Why can't we see Him this way? Why do we make Him weak and "pretty" in our eyes? even blonde with blue eyes? (I am sure He had intense eyes. After all, He can see into your very soul.)
Crowds of people flocked to Him - by the hundreds. Many were captivated and became the foundation of the greatest religious movement ever known. Christianity swept the globe and has maintained it's will-not-die presence to this day. Because of the man from heaven that was not doubted by those who experienced Him.
May you ask Him for your healing and may He open your eyes to see Him more and more every day.
Amen
Surely, we can agree that life can be full of bad news.
I have some good news this morning.
(In Greek, the language of the New Testament, Gospel means "Good News".)
Psalm 22 tells of the crucifixion. This surely is good news that Christ took all our suffering, pain and sin on Him so we might live beyond this physical life. This psalm was written 2,000 years before His birth - David was quite a profit, among his many other talents.
Mt 2:17 confirms that Jesus is the son of God Himself. Reference Ps 2:7
Mt 12:50 is good news. Here, we are told that to follow the example of Jesus makes us brothers and sisters to Him; children of God.
Mt 19:2 tells of the massive amount of healings Jesus performed. Good news: He wants us to be healthy.
Mt 19:29 says if we have to sacrifice anything to follow Him, it will be given back to us - multiplied; and . . . we also get eternal life.
Mt 28:18 Jesus assures us He has the right to do anything He wants - just as God Himself has the power. Hey, this is the guy I want for a brother.
Jn 1:34 has John The Baptist testifying that Jesus is chosen by God to be our savior to eternal life.
Jn 1:45 has one apostle telling another that he has found the person written about in the Old Testament by Moses and all the profits.
Ex 3:14 God tells Moses "I Am". Throughout the gospels, Jesus makes the statement "I AM" over and over again. This is why the Pharises were so angry with Him; they new every word of the Old Testament and God, the "I Am". (They call God "Yahweh" and I have done a fascinating study on this name. I will share it some time.)
Jn 15:7 Jesus promises the prayers of a believer will be answered. Now that's good news!
Jn 16:27 Just to love Jesus brings the love of the Almighty God.
Jn 17:6-19 Read this prayer Jesus asked of God for His disciples. WE (believers) are disciples today.
Jn 20:19 & 20 Here is the scene where Jesus shows His disciples (us) proof of His resurrection from death.
Jn 20:29 Jesus blesses those who were not present to know Him or see His nail prints - that is us today. We are blessed by the Son of God. Definitely good news.
Jn 20:30 & 31 Here, we get good news of our faith giving us good health.
Jn 21:23 Jesus is coming back - He Himself, the one with the Father, said so.
Jn 21:25 John's personal statement, as a witness, of what he witnessed walking with Jesus.
If all this good news does not brighten your day, read Psalms 88 and 89. Psalm 88 gives us all the woes of this human life and Psalm 89 tells of the blessings and good news of the days we have to look forward to.
Have a wonderful day !!
Amen
Jesus did not go where He was not welcome or invited.
He was a respecter of persons.
When He found Himself unwanted, He left. He told his apostles to wipe the dirt from their sandals and move on - to where they would be appreciated. Let's learn from this and stop trying to cram Jesus down the throats of those who don't want Him. Don't waste time on those who cannot or will not hear. Work with those who want to hear. Mk 6:4 Mt 11:20
People came to Him. His disciples would go ahead of Him into a town and let people know that he would be teaching at a certain place and time. They came to Him: On the mount, in a boat, in Peter's house (where there was standing room only). Lk 10:1 Mt 5:1 Mt 14:13 Mt 15:30
"Come unto me"
We are given free will - let's allow others to have it. Be a "respecter of persons". No one can accept his Savior unless the Spirit convicts them. God puts it in a man's heart to answer the call to walk with Jesus.
Don't preach to others if your house is not in order. It is a "man" who takes care of his family first. Biblical order: God (spiritual life), family, friends, neighbors, town, country, world. We take baby steps for a reason.
We need to do a little more living by example. We are instructed to go into all the world; let's do it like Jesus did. Be an example of help and love. Put effort into being a good example of Jesus ad God will use you; He will bring people to you. He will put them in your path to help. Like I said earlier, take care of your own back yard first. Lk 6:37
*Be careful not to drive people away. Smile; be pleasant, friendly, courteous, helpful, patient and genuine. You can't help anyone if they go the other way when they see you coming.
Another point: How about we stop preaching to the choir ?! Jesus ate with sinners, healed the poor, forgave the prostitute. He is the savior of the lost. It is too easy to help your Christian brother. The dirty, homeless man on the corner is too easy to condemn but the one who needs the help. Mk 6:34 Lk 14
Let's not rob others of their pain and suffering along with the joy they get from suffering and overcoming. Everyone is coming to their time to make a stand. You can help but you cannot do it for them.
Amen
> Thomas: apparently preached the gospel in Greece and India. On one of his missionary trips to establish the church in India, angry local religious authorities, martyred him by running him through the four members of his body, with a spear. He died and was buried in Calamine India.
> Matthew: Legend says the tax collector turned missionary was martyred in Ethiopia, where he was supposedly stabbed in the back by a swordsman sent by King Hertacus, after he criticized the king's morals.
