Bible and Vedas

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO VEDAS

Our ancestors born in our indian soil have cried to God as :

"Asatomaa Sadgamayaa Samatomaa Jyotirgamayaa Mrithyormaa Amrithangamayaa " - Bhrihadaranya Upanishad

Meaning : O GOD! lead me from deceit to truth, from darkness to light and from death to life.

Realising the agony of man's soul, our ancestors taught us to pray as:
"Paapoham, paapa karmaham, papaathmaa, paapa sambhavaa, thraahimaam Kripayaa Devaa ! saranaagatha vathsalaha, anyadhaa saranam naasthihi, thwameva saranam mamahaa "
Meaning : O compassionate GOD! have mercy on me for I am born in sin and live in sin. I have no refuge except you for my redemption.

The Vedas, dated nearly 3000 years back, declare that man can not save himself from spiritual death and God will incarnate Himself to save us. Man, being fully aware of his soul's pathetic (sinful) state, is trying to please GOD through various oaths, gifts etc. In our country Brahmins perform yajnas and commoners offer sacrifices intending to please GOD and get salvation from eternal death.

The importance of yajna as a shadow of real sacrifice is depicted in the following lines of RigVeda
: "Yajna sarvam prathishtitham Yajnovai sukarmaanauhaa " (1:3:13)
Meaning : Yajna provides means to salvation as this yajna resembles a boat taking us into heaven.

"Yajnovaa avathi thasya chaayaa kriyathe (Athmada) (Baladaa) Yasya chaayaamritham yasya mrithyuhu " (10:121:2)
Meaning : Yajna is a shadow of future sacrifice only and salvation will come only through this.

"Prajaa pathirdevebhya aathmaanaam Yajnam krithwa praayaschit " - Bangala patra - 410
Meaning : Prajaa pathi(Saviour) sacrifices Himself as an atonement for sins of men.

"Thasya prajaa pathirardhameva Marthyamaasi dhardhamamritham " - Satpath Brahman
Meaning : Saviour is partly immortal and partly mortal being i.e., He possesses both divine and human natures.

Thaandya Mahaa Braahman also declares :
"Eesa putranchamaam vigdhi Kumaari garbha sambhavam Mlechha dharmasya pravaktharam "
Meaning : Son of God will be born to a virgin in order to transform sinners to righteous ones.

"Prajaa pathischarasa garbhetwameva Prajaayathe thubhyam Praana prajaasthi maabalim haramthiyahe Praana prathishtithihi "
Meaning : Saviour born to a virgin offers his life as an atonement for sins and comes back to life.

The Rig Veda describes sacrificial offering as :
1. A Goat without spots is to be offered
2. Thorns are to be kept on Goat's head
3. Goat has to be nailed to a pillar through its four legs
4. Somras (sura) is to be given to it
5. None of the bones of Goat should be broken
6. The garments of the Goat is to be shared by its offerer's
7. The life of Goat is to be restored and its flesh to be eaten.

As a conclusion, Saviour must be the God-incarnate with both divine and human natures with holy life according to Hindu Scriptures (Vedas). He would give his life as a ransom to redeem men from eternal death. He would overcome death to give eternal life to men.

Our Indian Scriptures/incarnations do not speak of any such God-incarnation. But in our Asian Continent only in the land of Palestine (present state of Israel) near the Mediterranean Sea, God was made manifest in flesh through virgin birth in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, nearly 2000 years ago. If you go through the manner of life and sacrifice of Jesus Christ which are recorded in the Holy Bible, you will be amazed to know how truly our Indian Scriptures tally with the eternal sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the whole world. Jesus lived sinless life and crown of thorns was put on His head as he was crucified on the cross. He was nailed to the cross in his hands and feet. His garments were shared by Roman soldiers and none of his bones was broken. Jesus Christ is the only Saviour in entire human history as He died for our sins and was buried and rose again from death the third day to provide salvation for the whole world.

JESUS CHRIST COMES AGAIN TO EARTH SECOND TIME AS A KING TO RECEIVE THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN HIM AND OBEY HIS COMMANDMENTS.

The message of the Bible can be summed up as follows in four steps:

1. God loves you and wants you to experience his peace and life.
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16)

2. Being at peace with God is not automatic, because man is naturally separated from God as a result of the curse given to Adam and Eve.
"There is none righteous, no, not one. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. The wages of sin is death. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (Rom 3:10,23; 6:23a, Heb 9:27, I John 1:8)

3. God's love bridges the gap of separation between God and you. When Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose again from the tomb, He paid the penalty for your sins.
"Without shedding of blood is no remission (of sins). Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us. Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name (except Jesus) under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Jesus Christ is the propitiation (self sacrificial death) for the sins of the whole world" (Heb 9:22, 1 Tim 1:15, Rom 6:23b, 1 Thess 5:9,10, Acts 4:12, 1 John 2:2)

4. You will cross the bridge into God's family when you receive Christ by your personal invitation.
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. As many as received Him, to them gave he power to become the children of God, even to them that believe on His name" ( 1 John 1:9, John 1:12)

Kindly do not ignore the invitation of Jesus to you: "My blood is shed for many for the remission of sins. Come unto me, all you that labour and are heavy laden (with sin) and I will give you rest (to your soul). I am the way, the truth and the life; no man comes unto the Father (God) except by me" (Mt 26:28; 11:28, John 14:6)

Christmas STAR

Matthew 2 (King James Version)

2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his STAR in the east, and are come to worship him
9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was

Matthew 2 (King James Version)

Wise men saw the star in the east and started their journey

But when they came to a certain point of their journey, seems like they didnt follow the direction/path where the star was leading

The star would have not definitely stopped at the Herod's palace, but stood at the place where Jesus was born

Instead they used their own knowledge, thinking that King will be born in a Palace & enquired with King Herod

When they came to know that King was not born in Herod's Palace they again followed the star until it stood at the place where Jesus was born

The Result was, Herod slew all the children in Bethlehem from two years old and under

Had they followed the path of the STAR many lives would have not been lost

Lesson from the Wise Men: In Christian life at some point or the other we tend to use our wisdom, thereby costing lives of others

BTW, Who is the STAR in your life?

Christmas Son

Matthew 22:42 (King James Version)

Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David

Matthew 22:42 (King James Version)

1. SON OF DAVID - He was the Sovereign Child

A. He was the Rightful King
B. He was the Rejected King
C. He is the RETURNING King

2. SON OF MARY - He was the Supernatural Child

A. This birth was seemingly impossible
B. This birth was stedfastly investigated
1. By Joseph
2. By the shepherds
3. By the wise men
4. By Herod
5. By angels
6. By the devil
7. By God Almighty
C. This birth was supremely important

3. SON OF MAN - He was the Servant Child

A. Shared the problems of the flesh
1. Physical weariness
2. Hunger and thirst
3. Physical pain
4. However, He never SINNED!
B. Submitted to the purpose of the Father
C. Showed a pattern for us to follow
1. Obedience
2. Patience
3. Ministry to others

4. SON OF GOD - He was the Savior Child

A. He was the only sinless man who ever lived
B. He was the only sacrifice that could TAKE AWAY sins
C. He is the only Savior who can take you to heaven - Jn. 14:6!!

Christmas Tree(s)

Once there were 3 trees on a hill in the woods. They were discussing their hopes and dreams

1st tree said, "Someday, I hope to be a treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems and be decorated with intricate carvings. Everyone would see my beauty"

The 2nd tree said, "Someday, I will be a mighty ship. I will take kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of other world. Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull"

Finally, the 3rd tree said, "I want to grow to be the tallest and straightest tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the hill and look up to my branches, and think of the heavens and God and how close to them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time, and people will always remember me"

After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees

One came to the 1st tree and said, "This looks like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter," and he began cutting it down. The tree was happy, because he knew that the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest

At the 2nd tree, one of the other woodsman said, "This looks like a strong tree. I should be able to sell it to the shipyard." The 2nd tree was happy, because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship

When the woodsmen came upon the 3rd tree, the tree was frightened, because it knew that, if it cuts down, its dream would not come true. One of the woodsmen said, "I don't need anything special from my tree, so I'll take this one," and he cut it down

When the 1st tree arrived at the carpenter's, he was made into a feed box for animals, placed in a barn and filled with hay. This was not at all what he had prayed for

The 2nd tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams of being a mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end

The 3rd tree was cut into large pieces and left alone in the dark

The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams. Then one filtered day, a man and woman came to the barn. She gave birth, and they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made from the first tree. The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time

Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on the water, a great storm arose, and the tree didn't think it was strong enough to keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and he stood and said "Peace," and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew that it had carried the King of Kings in its boat

Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets, and the crowd mocked the man who was carrying it Finally, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the top of a hill When Sunday came, the tree came to realize that it was strong enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as was possible, because Jesus had been crucified on it

The moral of this story is that, when things don't seem to be going your way, always know that God has a plan for you. If you place your trust in Him, He will give you great gifts

Each of the trees got what they wanted, just not in the way they had imagined

We don't always know what God's plans are for us. We just know that His ways are not our ways, but His ways are always best

His Working Style

1 Kings 17

2 And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying,
3 Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan
4 And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there
5 So he went and did according unto the word of the LORD: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan
6 And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook

1 Kings 17

God used Ravens to feed Elijah

About Ravens : Ravens belong to the Crow family. They doesnt look beautiful like parrots or pigeons. They are not human friendly birds.

Ravens are scavengers. When approaching dead animals, often the raven will land a short distance away, then hop forward or sideways to the carcass.

Often seen in the company of magpies, eagles, vultures or seagulls (where appropriate), Ravens will eat just about anything that is dead, but they will also hunt for mice, lizards, small birds, snakes, insects, and berries

Who wouldnt fear a bird of such kind? Even Elijah would have. But God chose such kind of a bird to feed Elijah

But first, it was Elijah's obedience to God's word. God said "Go & I will feed you", Elijah didn't question God and just obeyed

Lesson : Often we question God's word saying, "How can that be?, That is imposible!!!, What can God do at this moment? etc.,"

We always think that people who are good, soft spoken, decent, righteous are the ones who help us

But if you obey God's word, God uses people like RAVENS to help you

God's working style is totally different, beyond our imagination

If God is speaking to you, just obey his word without any doubt or question or hesitation

Fear Not!!!

Rev 2:10

Fear none of those things

Rev 2:10

In the book of Revelation, God gave 7 messages to 7 Churches. Of the seven, for two churches there was no condemnation at all.

Smyrna was the first Church that did not receive any condemnation. It was a Church that was going through sufferings.

God is telling the Church not to fear of the things what they are going through and also of the suffering that they will go through.

We are living in a century where people are teaching suffering is not God’s will, it is because of curse. God said, "Behold, the devil shall cast [some] of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days" Rev 2:10.

Some suffering the Lord permits, so that we will see the Lord in a closer way. Job after the suffering said, till now I just heard about you, but now I see with my own eyes.

Suffering will always be for our blessing, but the Lord is asking us not to fear when we go through trials and tribulations.

Cheer Up! For the Lord said not to fear. He is in control. In His time He will make all things beautiful. Troubles wouldn’t defeat us, but our fear will defeat us. Fear is limiting and doubting God.

Whom shall I fear when the Lord is with us? Stop blaming people and the devil for your trouble, and Start enjoying the peace of God in your trials.

Every Believer is a Priest

In the New Testamental Christianity every believer is declared to be a 'Priest' unto God

1 Pet 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ
9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light

Rev 1:6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen
5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth

Thus all believers can approach God directly

All have boldness to enter into the holy place by the blood of Jesus

Heb 10:19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus
20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh

Every believer is directly responsible for himself before God

The 'workers' have no special position in the church. We should honour the worker who has the pastoral gift of shepherding the flock. This does not make them intermediaries

There is "positional equality" and "functional diversity" of all believers. Therefore we should seek to honor each other, minister to one another in the love of Christ

Back Slide!!!

Matthew, Chapter 26

v 33: Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended
v 34: Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice
v 35: Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples
v 40: And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?
v 41: Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak
v 43: And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy
v 58: But Peter followed him afar off unto the high priest's palace, and went in, and sat with the servants, to see the end
v 69: Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee
v 70: But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest
v 71: And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, and said unto them that were there, This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth
v 72: And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man
v 73: And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee
v 74: Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew
v 75: And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly

Christians often back slide / fall in their spiritual life. But the fall is not sudden but always GRADUAL. God is gracious enough in giving us sufficient time so that we can realize our mistakes, repent of our sins, receive forgiveness and continue our spiritual life

But the good part is that one should be sensitive enough to know that they are back sliding and should correct themselves immediately

In the above scripture portion from Matthew 26:33-35, Peter says so many things to Lord Jesus, in one word we can sum up Peter saying as "LORD I LOVE YOU". The words from Peters mouth are very good to hear but his actions contradict

In v 40, 43 instead of praying he is sleeping
In v 58 he is following Jesus "afar off" & he is sitting with the mockers to see the end of Jesus

As Peter said in v 35, "Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee" , then why is he following him "afar off"?
Psalms 1:1 says "Blessed is the man that ...... nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful". But v 58 says, Peter is sitting with those who mocked Lord Jesus

v 69 to 75 - Peter denied Jesus (or sinned) & is repenting leisurely

If you have started losing your PRAYER LIFE, then remember that you have started to back slide, thats what we see in v 40, Peter slept instead of praying, then followed by so many things. Peter had enough time to correct his mistakes but he didn't

Beware of saying so many sweet things ;) to God, Ecclesiastes 5:3,4 - "...fool's voice is known by multitude of words,...God...hath no pleasure in fools..."

Practice & Preach

Is prayer you steering wheel or your spare tire?

To stand before men, kneel before God

More Prayer, More Power
Less Prayer, Less Prayer
No Prayer, No Power :(

He Careth For You

Reading 1& 2 books of Chronicles is not really interesting. One finds the genealogy starting with Adam and one finds it really sleepy to read all the names and only names!!!
1 Chronicles 9 (King James Version)

The Chief Men - verses 2 to 9
The Priests - verses 10 to 13
The Levites - verses 14 to 16
The Porters - verses 17 to 26

17 And the porters were, Shallum, and Akkub, and Talmon, and Ahiman, and their brethren: Shallum was the chief;
18Who hitherto waited in the king's gate eastward: they were porters in the companies of the children of Levi.
19And Shallum the son of Kore, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, and his brethren, of the house of his father, the Korahites, were over the work of the service, keepers of the gates of the tabernacle: and their fathers, being over the host of the LORD, were keepers of the entry.
20And Phinehas the son of Eleazar was the ruler over them in time past, and the LORD was with him.
21And Zechariah the son of Meshelemiah was porter of the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
22All these which were chosen to be porters in the gates were two hundred and twelve. These were reckoned by their genealogy in their villages, whom David and Samuel the seer did ordain in their set office.
23So they and their children had the oversight of the gates of the house of the LORD, namely, the house of the tabernacle, by wards.
24In four quarters were the porters, toward the east, west, north, and south.
25And their brethren, which were in their villages, were to come after seven days from time to time with them.
26For these Levites, the four chief porters, were in their set office, and were over the chambers and treasuries of the house of God.

When we read through these verses, we may say why all these names are recorded here? God should have recorded some comforting verses instead of names

God has a purpose for everything. As we read from verse 1 God records about The Chief Men, The Priests, The Levites, The Porters.

Porters are doorkeepers, their only job is to open the doors and close the doors. But God still records them along with the Kings, Priests, Levites.

Had man recorded the Bible, man would have ignored these kinds of people

Lesson - In the sight of God everyone is as equal and as important as the other. Are you thinking, why my life is like this? or why is this happening in my life? or why God ignores me? Then this message is for you!!!

God loves you too and is looking ahead to do some wonderful things in your life. All you have to do is to turn towards Him

Bread & Wine

1 Corinthians 11 (King James Version)
23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:
24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me
25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me
26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come
27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord
28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup
29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body
30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep

Bread & Wine are two well known symbols of Christianity. Heathen people since ages think that Christians drink wine in the Church every Sunday and they have a real bad opinion about this without being known the real meaning of it

Why Should we take part in the Communion every Sunday?
From the above scripture portion we can derive 3 points

Remembrance - verses 24, 25
Lord's death - verse 26
Self-exam - verse 28

But if you have ever observed, most of the time "only Remembrance" is being preached always "before Communion" leaving the other 2 idle (Lords's death & self-exam) Bible is very clear about it & we cant ignore the truth

Remembrance - By taking part, we need to remember the body of Christ & the blood of Christ. What's so special about it? The body of Christ has hundreds of hours of prayer life, so when you take part in His body, how many hours of prayer life do you have?, likewise, we can derive so many things from the body of Christ. Otherwise, if 2 opposite things are mixed (Body of Christ & your body with sin) then there will be a bad reaction, that's what is written in verses 27, 29, 30

Lord's death - We proclaim the gospel whenever we take part in communion, we are indirectly talking about the death of Christ, that means, the death of our own body to this world

Self-exam - Finally, self-examination, how many of us do this? we need to set things right with God before we take part in the Communion, otherwise read verses 29, 30 again

Let's not do things as a ritual / habit / routine. Know the truth!!!

Word Of God

Why do you think we should read the Word of God?