The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ stands as the most important event in human history. The Gospel writers understood this, devoting a proportionally large amount of space to Jesus's arrest, trial, crucifixion, and empty tomb. But how do the four Gospel accounts fit together? What really happened and what does it all mean? Combining a chronological arrangement of the biblical text with insightful commentary from Andreas J. Köstenberger, one of evangelicalism's brightest scholars, along with Justin Taylor, a well-known leader and blogger, this book offers readers a day-by-day guide to Jesus's final week on earth. Complete with a handy, quick-reference glossary and numerous maps illustrating key biblical locations, The Final Days of Jesus will help readers understand the geography, timeline, and background of Jesus's final days while serving as a devotional guide for meditating on the most important week in human history.

The starting point for the book is the following anomoly: If Jesus lived as has been supposed at the beginning of the 1st century AD, the only NT documents written by a near contemporary, the Epistles of St Paul, make no mention of him as an historical figure, neither do they record any of his sayings, but rather they talk of him as a vision or mystical experience of the risen Christ. Further, the same is true of the earliest Christian non-NT texts, such as the Epistles of St Clement, roughly contemporary with Paul. Furthermore, contemporary records of the region from non-Christian sources, such as those by the Jewish historian Josephus, fail to mention Jesus at all where we would expect them to; the mentions that there are have recently been shown to be later interpolations by medieval Christian apologists - the gospel accounts of Jesus and his millieu are inaccurate in all major respects e. g. the relative dates of Herod and Pilate, if contemporary Roman and Jewish historians, who had no theological axe to grind, are taken as measure. By comparative textual studies, the author shows that the gospel accounts of Jesus' life and sayings were written approximately 100 years after Jesus is supposed to have lived, and so 100 years later than alleged contemporaries such as Paul, Clement, Josephus etc.

Making use of his scholar's understanding, yet writing in an approachable and anecdotal style, Tom Wright captures the verve and sparkle of these letters. Paul wrote the letters while in prison facing possible death, but their passion and energy are undimmed. They reveal Paul's longing to see young churches grow in faith and understanding, rooted in Jesus himself, and to see this faith worked out in practice. Wright's stimulating comments are combined with his own fresh and inviting translation of the text. Tom Wright has undertaken a tremendous task: to provide guides to all the books of the New Testament, and to include in them his own translation of the entire text. Each short passage is followed by a highly readable discussion with background information, useful explanations and suggestions, and thoughts as to how the text can be relevant to our lives today. A glossary is included at the back of the book. The series is suitable for group study, personal study, or daily devotions.

Acts is the sequel to Luke's gospel and tells the story of Jesus's followers during the 30 years after his death. It describes how the 12 apostles, formerly Jesus's disciples, spread the message of Christianity throughout the Mediterranean against a background of persecution. With an introduction by P.D. James

The Apostle Paul is one of the most important teachers in the New Testament, authoring a large portion of the New Testament. His life and letters have guided, inspired, encouraged, and challenged the church for two millennia. But what makes Paul tick? The author contends that Paul's essential genius lies in his passion to know Jesus deeply and intimately. We can get ahold of this passion by exploring Paul's life and ministry over the course of 11 lessons. The narrative of the Book of Acts forms the basis of a chronological account of his life, with biographical elements included from Paul's letters. In addition, each lesson examines one or more of Paul's passions and key teachings, and how they can impact a believer's life, values, and commitments today. Some of these include: - Salvation by grace through faith, rather than by strict observance of the Law. - The passion to proclaim Jesus despite opposition and persecution. - Being totally surrendered to Christ, in Paul's words, "Crucified with Christ." - Knowing Jesus intimately -- in a way that surpasses everything else. Initially developed as an online study, this book is ideal for personal spiritual development, use by teachers and small group leaders, and for sermon development.

Uniting shamanism with quantum physics and psychology for conscious evolution, manifestation of desires, and the development of the soul * Details each of the 8 circuits of consciousness, from the first circuit of physical survival to the eighth circuit of quantum consciousness * Reveals how to balance and upgrade your circuits through shamanic techniques and activate your creative power to shape reality * Explains how the 8 circuits are interconnected through feedback loops--if one is overactive, it can cause the others to shut down First outlined by Timothy Leary and later expanded by Robert Anton Wilson and Antero Alli, the eight-circuit model of consciousness explains how the soul is multidimensional and functions on eight distinct interconnected planes that form the eight circuits of conscious awareness. Each circuit is connected to certain behaviors and personality traits--the second circuit, for example, is connected to emotional consciousness, such as intuition, feelings of courage, or, in its unbalanced state, aggression and domination, and the eighth circuit, the creative circuit of quantum consciousness, is related to limitless perception, understanding, and action that extends far beyond the limits of planet Earth. Laurent Huguelit explains how these eight levels of awareness are interconnected through feedback loops, forming a cybernetic mapping of the soul. He explores the underactive, overactive, and balanced states of each circuit, offering many psychological profiles as examples. He reveals how activating a circuit that has been neglected can help bring another into balance. Connecting this model of conscious evolution to shamanism--the oldest consciousness science known to man--the author explains how to balance and upgrade your own circuits through shamanic techniques. He reveals how to reconnect with source energy by deprogramming trauma from your childhood that can affect your circuits. With access to this unlimited energy you can activate your innate creative power to manifest your desires and shape reality. Uniting shamanism and the law of attraction with advanced concepts of modern psychology, quantum physics, and the Akashic field theory of Ervin Laszlo, Laurent Huguelit offers a practical map of human consciousness and the development of the soul as well as a vision for the cybernetic future of shamanism.