THE MESSIAH

• God's order was established. Church universal under apostles and deacons to those apostles.
• See, sayeth He, that you do all things according to the pattern that I showed you.

• 4 BC, Birth of Christ.
• 26 AD, Christ begins his earthly ministry.
• 29 AD, Christ was Crucified. He died.
• 29 AD, Christ arose from the dead in three days, on a Sunday.
• 29 AD, Christ showed Himself alive to over 500 eye witnesses, many of whom would not deny it even when given a chance to escape death because of persecution.
• 29 AD, Christ ascended into heaven.

• Opposition by the ruling religious class who had grown away from God into two distinct sects.
• The Pharisees were the equivalent of today's fundamentalists, very orthodox. They depended on the natural mind to understand Scripture rather than seeking God. They depended on rationalized speculation to interpret the Word of God. Unlike most fundamentalists, they believed that they could achieve goodness and God's acceptance through their own works.
• The religious leaders killed Christ because of envy. They followed the dead letter of the Word, never really hearing from God. "The letter killeth"  2 Corinthians 3:6  They became concerned with money, power, and prestige. The church of today should take warning from this.
• The Sadduccees were the equivalent of today's liberals. They were naturalists and materialists, not believing in the resurrection, angels, the eternal spirit of man, or evil spirits. They didn't believe that God was actively involved in their lives. Like most liberals, they believed that they could achieve goodness and God's acceptance through their own works. They killed Christ because of envy.