Truth really can be stranger than fiction.
First Page - Now launched! All the stories are true, or based on real events. Unlimited reading for $4.99 / month. No downloads. Read on your phone, tablet or computer.
La verdad puede ser más extraña que la ficción.
First Page - ¡Ya está en marcha! Todas las historias son verídicas, o están basadas en hechos reales. Lectura ilimitada por $4.99 / mes. No hay que descargar nada. Lea en su teléfono, tableta u ordenador.
Manna Minutes Podcast: Eye-opening Bible study in less than five minutes! Access all episodes here.
Manna Minutes en español:
Estudio bíblico que nos hace abrir los ojos en menos de cinco minutos! Acceda a todos los episodios aquí.
Manna Minutes Podcast auf Deutsch:
Augenöffnendes Bibelstudium in weniger als fünf Minuten! Alle Episoden finden Sie hier.
Was There A Curse On Helen's Romantic Life?
The Third Man by Angela Sheffield is based on a true story. Read chapter one now!
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¿Qué tiene que ver conmigo? por Teófila Gottfried
Lo que leemos en la Biblia tiene que ver con todos los seres humanos, sean cristianos o judíos, ateos o agnósticos, budistas, musulmanes o adherentes a alguna de las filosofías o nuevas religiones que surgen en el mundo. ¿Por qué? Ver mayor información sobre este interesante libro.
Scripture of The Day - St. John 14:6
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Escritura del día - San Juan 14,6
Jesús le dijo: Yo soy el camino, y la verdad, y la vida; nadie viene al Padre, sino por mí.
Bibelstelle des Tages - Johannes 14,6
Jesus spricht zu ihm: Ich bin der Weg und die Wahrheit und das Leben; niemand kommt zum Vater, denn durch mich!
Think The Bible Is A Collection Of Fairy Tales? Read This!
Let's be honest, the miracles and many of the stories of the Christian Bible sound like fantasy...as though they're a collection of fairy tales, myths and surreal stories at best. But, there certainly are concrete reasons to believe every story told in God's Word. And what could those reasons be? To answer that question, let's take a look at some phenomena of nature, and other facts that could be considered reminders and "shadows" of the great power of the invisible God who performed the miracles, signs and wonders of which we read in the Bible.
Jonah: Three Days And Three Nights In The Belly Of A Fish. Really?
We read, "Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights." (Jonah 1:17).
How was it possible that Jonah survived the ordeal of being in the belly of that fish for three days and nights? How could he have breathed? Sounds unbelievable? Well, no, because we should remember the passage expressly tells us God PREPARED a fish to swallow Jonah. Obviously, it wasn't an ordinary fish, but rather a special one. One equipped with a life support system necessary to keep Jonah alive.
Now then, with what could we compare the prepared fish in the "normal" world...the one outside of miracles? Do we think about how the Lord prepares the "belly", or in proper terms, the womb of the pregnant woman? God causes a special organ to come into existence. It's called the placenta. Its purpose is to make it possible for the fetus to develop in an environment in which it would be impossible to survive--much less develop--were it not for the placenta. The placenta PREPARES the womb to be the fetus' world for the nine months he needs to develop. Shortly after the baby is born, the placenta is expelled, as there's no longer the need for the womb to be prepared to support life. In no way are we minimizing the importance of the miracle God worked when He prepared the fish to swallow Jonah. It's just that when we stop to think about the role the placenta plays in the pregnant woman, we are reminded of God's power to prepare the type of life support necessary for any form of life. Were it not for the placenta, the fetus would drown. If we keep this in mind, the story of Jonah in the belly of the fish no longer sounds unbelievable at all.
The Sun Stood Still And The Moon Stayed
We read, "Then spake Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon, and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day." (Joshua 10:12-13).
Are we really expected to believe that? That the sun stood still, and the moon stayed? Well, yes. In many--if not all- countries of the world, there are times when you can see the moon during the day. So, we could actually say that the moon stays. But what's really interesting is the phenomenon of the midnight sun, which occurs in countries within the circle of the arctic pole. That would be Norway, Finland, some regions of Russia, and others.
It could be said that in those countries, the sun stands still. And we can call that a "shadow" of what took place in the case of Joshua. The midnight sun lasts anywhere from one day to six months depending on how close you are to the poles. And it's said that right at the poles themselves, there is only one day and only one night during an entire year.
It's just a shadow, because a shadow of a miracle is not a miracle itself. What took place with Joshua was indeed a miracle, because the phenomenon of the midnight sun doesn't occur in the Middle East where Joshua was. Nevertheless, the power of the God who made the sun stand still thousands of years ago in the Middle East constantly reminds us of His power and glory in His creation. We repeat. What happened in the case of Joshua was a genuine miracle, while the midnight sun is a phenomenon of nature. But when all is said and done, the midnight sun is the same sun of which the book of Joshua speaks when we read that it stood still. With that said, it should not be difficult to believe that the same sun that "stands still" on a regular basis at, and near, the poles also miraculously stood still thousands of years ago.
The Pillar Of Fire
If you're familiar with the book of Exodus, you know God worked many signs in Egypt where the children of Israel were slaves. The Lord broke Pharaoh's power, and freed His people. The thing is that the children of Israel had to travel during the day and at night, which is why the Lord guided them along the way. We read, "And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud to lead them the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, to go by day and night." (Exodus 13:21).
We repeat the question: Should we really believe the people were guided by a pillar of a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night? Is it even possible that something so outlandish happened? We again respond with a definite "Yes". It's well known that clouds change shape, and can come down to earth, which we call fog. But what we're focusing on is the pillar of fire we see in Exodus 13:21.
There's another phenomenon known as a "fire tornado" or a "whirl of fire", which can occur when fire--under certain conditions--forms a pillar similar to a tornado. In the video you can see a real pillar of fire in the United Kingdom, one that rose high enough to lead thousands of people along a path.
Granted, many of the miracles in the Christian Bible--at first glance--appear to be fairy tales, myths and made-up stories. But if we learn more about this planet, and stop to think, we have to admit that the "shadows" of the miracles God performed are seen in the nature He created, and that testifies of His existence and power to break the laws of physics of which He is the Author.
We read, "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse." (Romans 1:20).
We understand some people who experienced horrors of no fault of their own fail to see the goodness of God. What no sane person can do is deny the existence of the almighty God. Not understanding God, and denying His existence are two very different things.
Based on true events, The Third Man by Angela Sheffield, brings the Bible up close and personal as the characters face real issues of life: Betrayal, deceit, romance, bitterness, anger against God, hopelessness, will power, perplexity, triumph, unforgiveness, mental illness, and the "Alcohol made me do it" excuse. Read chapter one FREE now.
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