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HOW CHRISTIANS KNOW IT WAS A CROSS NOT A
STAKE
It is said by some, in particular the Watchtower Society
men over Jehovah's Witnesses, that Christ died with hands stretched upwards while upon a "stake" rather
than with hands stretched outwards upon a "cross" which Christians most commonly view as the "positive symbol
of the resurrection hope." So, let's look at this closer.
Archaeologists have examined first century house remains, inscriptions and human remains
from the time of Christ for many years now, and they say all such evidence shows that it was a cross. For example,
in 1945 Professor Eliezer Sukenik found some Christian burial boxes (ossuaries) from Bethany. They were dated at 42-43
or no later than 50 A.D., some engraved and one marked in charcoal with crosses, but none marked with stakes.
Forensic research by Dr. F. Zugibe has proved suffocation
would be in minutes if on a stake but within hours if upon an outstretched cross even as Luke 23:44 and Matthew 27:45-46 say
it was. Matthew 27:37 says "They put up above His head the charge against Him, which read, ‘This is
Jesus the King of the Jews." If his hands had been stretched upward and nailed on a stake, Matthew would have said
the charge was put above his hands, but instead Matthew clear says the charge was put "above his head."
The Greek word "stauros" in the original Greek New Testament language can mean either cross or stake, but
never just mean stake. Some of those who promote the stake idea say that true Christians must
regard what Christ died upon as a horrible murder weapon. Instead, Paul says boast of the cross. Why?
Although an instrument of death, in Christ's case it became the positive symbol of the victory of Christian resurrection
over death. (Ga 6:14, 1 Cor 1:17-18)
In Ezekial 8 God denounces the worship of idols including of false gods such as Tammuz. Then at Ezekial
9:4 God says to put a protective mark upon the heads of those who are grieving and lamenting hateful things in Jerusalem.
Scholars say that the protective mark was the cross mark letter, that is an X or a T which normally was a symbol for false
god Tammuz. However, its use by God turned that cross mark letter from being a negative symbol into a positive symbol,
a fore-gleam of the positive nature of the cross when Christ came.
So for a number of reasons we see that it was actually a cross even
as most Christians have believed for some two thousand years. We also see that the cross is a positive symbol of the
resurrection hope through Christ's ransom sacrifice. (Jn 3:16) It's not a mark of "false" Christians
but of true Christians. So if you have been given misinformation and therefore felt upset whenever seeing someone wearing
a cross, or its appearance in a church setting, on TV or in a movie film, then please remember all these other facts.
Also, freely copy and share this with others.
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