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A very special man: Jesus Today many people ask - who is Jesus? Sixty thousand biographies have been written about Jesus Christ. No other historical person has been portrayed as frequently as He. Napoleon Bonaparte (1769 – 1821) said that people will for ever speak of Jesus, and many will die for Him. “But well after I am gone, nobody will speak of me (Napoleon), nor would they die for me anymore.” Nobody had to die for Jesus; He has never asked that of anybody. But it is true that, nevertheless, thousands and even millions of people willingly sacrificed their lives for Him. They only had to utter one word of retraction to be set free. But they remained faithful and accepted death rather than to disavow Him. They did this because they loved Him; never were they coerced. Napoleon’s soldiers were forced to die for him, but today nobody would even consider dying for Napoleon. The historian Kenneth Scott Latourette came to the conclusion: “As the centuries pass the evidence is accumulating that, measured by His effect of history, Jesus is the most influential life ever lived on this planet. That influence appears to be mounting.” (American Historical Review, LIV, January, 1949). Is Jesus the Son of God? Consider the following verdicts: 1 God: When Jesus was baptised, a voice sounded from heaven. It was God Himself Who said: “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased” (Matt 3:17). God refers to His Son, so He must be Jesus’ Father. On the mountain of the transfiguration God repeated this assertion: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” (Mark 9:7). 2 Peter: He was a follower of Jesus and observed everything closely. He knew all the deeds of Jesus, all his words, his way of life, and his dealings with people. When Jesus asked this disciple who He was, Peter replied: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt 16:16). 3 A Roman centurion: A Roman centurion was in charge of the crucifixion of Jesus. He had travelled widely in the great Roman empire, which extended from England to North Africa, and from Spain to the Orient. He had fought in many battles, and was often in charge of crucifixions, the horrible and extremely painful Roman method of execution. Time after time it ws the same: persons nailed to a cross started to curse and scold. They accused those who brought them. It was always a scene of horror, groaning and agonised anger. For the first time in his life he now experiences a crucifixion where everything is different. No evil words come from the Man on the cross, no reproach or accusation. On the contrary: He prays for the spectators. This is all the more astounding, since the people are still mocking and taunting Him. His response is quite different to that of any other person. He calls on God, praying: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). The centurion also hears Jesus’ barely comprehensible promise to the criminal who has confessed his guilt: “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). The centurion pays close attention to every word of this Man in the middle, and comes to the conclusion: “Surely he was the Son of God!” (Matt 27:54). For Christians the double name Jesus Christ is the briefest declaration of faith, since it means 115
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1 st English edition 1999 2 nd Expa
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Contents Foreword .................
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Foreword What would you expect from
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Part 1: Man - an ingenious construc
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The eye - our window to the outside
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the inside of the eyeball. It conta
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➨ ➨ ➨ not mean that we can se
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eyes. There will be no more death o
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Malleus Head Long (lateral) process
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amplitudes. The pressure exerted by
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Whispering 25 Spacious office 50 Mo
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less viscous liquid, called the per
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The sense of smell - beyond words F
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finest detail, using plenty of imag
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The sense of taste - not just for c
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self will serve believers as his gu
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A section of human skin. The layers
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3 In addition to sweat, the skin al
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Heaven: a) Heaven is a place where
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The heart - more than a high-tech p
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from the heart via the arteries. Th
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Foetal circulatory system. Neonatal
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“shunted on a siding” as far as
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6 Transportation of hormones: The b
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One cell contains 32 pg (1 picogram
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each case. We can only stand amazed
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- Page 86 and 87: Motor cortex - body movements The
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- Page 93 and 94: a) A small cube lies in the corner
- Page 95 and 96: MAN’S STRUCTURE Monism Dualism Tr
- Page 97 and 98: explained in terms of a technologic
- Page 99 and 100: What is man? Having learned of the
- Page 101 and 102: Genesis 1:28: “God blessed them a
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- Page 105 and 106: with Abraham (Gen 15:7-21, 17:3-14)
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- Page 111 and 112: Every person - known to God? Job sa
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- Page 129 and 130: Personal testimonies: Jesus found t
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- Page 135 and 136: Getting your name in the “Book of
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