Jesus The Messiah Archives

Q.46 The Gospels were created by a “Telephone” game process that turned a real person named Jesus into a god

Posted on June 15, 2026 by Duane Caldwell — Leave a reply

Mark records the teachings of the Apostle Peter

Since this concerns the game “Telephone”, let me ask, have you ever played the game? As I recall it, this is how it was played at a summer camp I went to in my youth many years ago. The proctor created two teams and lined them up. Then he split each team so there’s a short distance between the two halves of the team. There were two teams, each team with members in a line and the line separated in the middle by a short distance. The opposing teams were far away enough so they couldn’t hear what the other team was saying.

The Understated, Misunderstood King of the Jews

Posted on April 4, 2026 by Duane Caldwell — Leave a reply

A Resurrection Day Meditation

“Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
(Zec 9:9)

“Are you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate. “Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied.
(Mark 15:2)

I write this on Palm Sunday, the day we remember when Jesus made a triumphal entry into the Jerusalem. It is estimated that over a million pilgrims and residents[1] were there in the city for the coming Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread. (Mk 14.1) As Jesus approached, the people shouted:

9 Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
10 “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!” “Hosanna in the highest!”
Mark 11.9-10

Why were the people so excited? What was it that seemed to put electricity in the air? In short, it was the messianic hope of the people. The people recognized Jesus as the son of David. They knew the messiah would be the son of David. They also knew the prophecy in Zechariah about the messiah coming on a donkey. Perhaps most of all, they were all aware of the King David, whose military career was not only legendary, but they assumed such exploits would be repeated by the messiah to come since he would be the “son of David”. Even in David’s day the people chanted about his prowess in battle: Continue Reading

Q119 – When Was Jesus really Born?

Posted on December 14, 2025 by Duane Caldwell

Jonathan Cahn – When was Jesus REALLY born?

Amazingly, to the question “When was Jesus born?” some, are still answering December 25th,while other ministries are defending that whatever the date, it’s okay for Christians to celebrate Jesus birthday on that day. I agree that Christians can celebrate it on December 2th, but we should be clear – that’s not the actual day Jesus was born. There are a number of reasons why that date is incorrect. Jonathan Cahn gives well researched, Biblically consistent reasons in the above video. Every Christian should watch this every Christmas.
Though he gives the exact date, I will preview the month for you: Nissan – the first month in the Jewish calendar. Watch for the exact date.
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Easter – A Passover Journey For Christians

Posted on April 16, 2025 by Duane Caldwell

A Resurrection Day Meditation

Most Christians are aware that Jesus, Yeshua, is our Passover lamb (1 Cor 5.7) and thus completes and fulfills the symbolism of the Passover. The Passover lamb was a type. Jesus is the fulfillment, the reality that the symbolism and the type pointed to. We often focus narrowly on the typology of Jesus being our Passover lamb, the sacrifice for our sins who “died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” (1 Pe 3.18) This is or course of paramount importance because it is Yeshua’s sacrifice that makes it possible for us to have peace with God (Ep 2.14-15) and thus enables us to live with God. (John 14.23) But for this meditation I want to widen the focus and take a look at the bigger picture of what God is doing through the Passover and Easter and the ultimate purpose for both that we should keep in mind. Continue Reading

Q27 Christianity is anti-intellectual. I’d be embarrassed to say I believed any of it.

Posted on August 28, 2024 by Duane Caldwell

“The Thinker” by Auguste Rodin

Before showing the foolishness of being embarrassed when said embarrassment is caused by ignorance of Christian belief, we must deal with the lead and clearly false statement “Christianity is anti-intellectual” which shouts a demand for a definition of “anti-intellectual.” So let’s start there.

From Merriam Webster online:

anti-Intellectual: (adjective) “opposing or hostile to intellectuals or to an intellectual view or approach” [1]

So what’s “Intellectual”? Again from Merriam Webster online:

Intellectual (adjective)
a : of or relating to the intellect or its use
b : developed or chiefly guided by the intellect rather than by emotion or experience : RATIONAL
c: requiring use of the intellect

2 a: given to study, reflection, and speculation
b: engaged in activity requiring the creative use of the intellect [2]

Christianity meets all the definitions of being intellectual, therefore based on the logical principal of non-contradiction, since Christianity is intellectual, it cannot be anti-intellectual. To be precise, Christianity meets all the above uses of the word “intellectual.” For intellectuals who may question it, following is a brief illustration that Christianity in fact meets all aspects of being intellectual.

Risen – A Reflection on the True Messiah

Posted on March 30, 2024 by Duane Caldwell

A Resurrection Day Meditation

From considering false messiahs, a type of the Antichrist in the previous article, to this article which, for this resurrection day (a holiday commonly called Easter), we move on to considering the true Messiah. On Easter day Christians commonly say to each other:

Jesus Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed!

So we will consider the true messiah in the context of the 2016 movie Risen, a movie that explores the question: what would you do if you had personally seen both the death of Yeshua [1] and then, a number of days later, saw him alive and well and spoke with him, whose touch you felt and in whose presence you ate and asked him questions. Would that finally move you to faith? Though that question is aimed at skeptics, doubters and unbelievers, the movie also provides encouragement for believers which we’ll get to.

Without going into all the tenets of the Christian faith, like the gospels, this movie gives you ample evidence to believe this section of the Nicene Creed, which is at the heart of the Christian faith and what we’re considering today:

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures;

Dune 2 – Reflections on a Secular Messiah

Posted on March 17, 2024 by Duane Caldwell

I went to see Dune 2 this past weekend. I went to enjoy, not take notes for a review, so I don’t consider this a formal movie review. Rather, it’s an informal reflection on themes in this and other movies that deal with control of the world and those who vie for that control, whether those who would control it are presented as a messiah (as in Dune) or a megalomaniac (as in most other Sci-Fi and Fantasy thrillers). Continue Reading

Q25 Faith is believing without evidence, Right?

Posted on March 7, 2024 by Duane Caldwell

Thomas sees the risen Jesus. That evidence causes him to believe.
– The Bible Episode 10 “Courage”

“Faith is believing without evidence, right?” Wrong! Emphatically wrong. Those who want you to believe faith is believing without evidence are either ignorant (but well meaning) Christians, or more likely – those like atheists and Satan and those deceived by them–all who will be spending eternity in hell. Such want you to be just as foolish as they are by condemning yourself along with them by believing this foolish platitude. Don’t fall for it. Faith is not “believing without evidence.” On the contrary, Christians believe because of the evidence. Continue Reading

Q22 – Is There Really Any Such Thing As Truth?

Posted on February 20, 2024 by Duane Caldwell

Serpent tempting with apple

There is an obvious answer to this question, and the only reason to ask this question in the first place is to attempt to deny that obvious answer. But attempts to deny the obvious are self-contradictory. So the humanists and atheists and other “ists” who believe they are the masters of logic and reason show their foolishness when they attempt to deny the obvious answer to this question. They are the perfect example of the foolish idolaters identified in Romans chapter 1:

“Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.”
(Rom 1:22-23 )

Those who fall into the trap of repeating this foolish question from supposed wise philosophers and thinkers do not realize that they have fallen into a form of idolatry. That is because the idol is hidden from their view. It is made possible by their own ability to think, reason and question. Such thoughts become idolatry when the thinkers place the conclusions from their thoughts above the clear declarations and revelations of God and God’s word. Anything that displaces God from his rightful place is an idol, so those asking “is there any such thing as truth?” are really expressing a form of idolatry, akin to saying “is there any better god than this calf idol?”.

Jesus stated he is truth incarnate (“I am the Way the Truth, and the Life, no one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14.6), so to deny there is such a thing as “truth” is to deny the clear declarations and revelations of God, that: Continue Reading

Q21 How can Christians think their way is the only way? Part2: Theological Considerations

Posted on January 31, 2024 by Duane Caldwell

How can Christians think their way is the only way? Part 2: Theological Considerations

As I pointed out in part 1 of this article, followers of Jesus don’t insist on “our” way, we insist on abiding by the truth. That truth is Jesus is the only way to God. There are many signs pointing to that truth, starting with Jesus saying, “I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.” (John 14.6)

I wrote part 1 of the answer as a Christmas meditation that focused on the signs that point to the one way that God provided: Jesus. As a meditation, it did not go beyong that single focus, but, as I mentioned in that first article, now I want to move beyond that to examine theological and philosophical considerations. These considerations are questions that are not adequately answered by any other religion, making Christianity unique among all religious belief systems. Christianity alone has both the answers to, and makes sense of, the philosophical question of why Jesus is the only way and thus why Christians are correct to proclaim that.

Theological Considerations
Question Number 1: What to do about the Sin Problem? Continue Reading