April 2025 Newsletter

Frank Paul
Apr 12
9 min read

Quotes of the month

The Lord bless thee and keep thee, the Lord make His face shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee. The Lord lift up His countenance upon thee and give thee peace.

Numbers 6:24-27

The angel said to the woman, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; He is risen, just as He said."

Matthew 28:5-6

Easter says you can put truth in a grave, but it won't stay there.

Clarence W. Hall

Nails were not enough to hold our Saviour nailed and fastened on the cross, had not love held Him there.

Catherine of Siena

I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?

Jesus Christ, John 11:25-26

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoeverth believeth in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Jesus Christ, John 3:16

Divine Vandalism

by Alistair Begg

It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.

Luke 23:44-45

As Jesus’ ministry progressed, one of the great concerns of the Jewish religious establishment was that He had, it appeared, claimed that He would destroy the temple and raise it again in three days (John 2:19). Indeed, this was one of the main charges brought against Him (Mark 14:58). When Jesus was on the cross, then, passersby mocked and ridiculed Him, shouting, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself” (Matthew 27:40). But there He remained, hanging on the cross, in the darkness.

And then, in the midst of the darkness and the upheaval of the crucifixion, all of a sudden something mysterious and utterly unexpected happened: “The curtain of the temple was torn in two,” Luke tells us. This was the very curtain that hung in the temple to symbolically bar the way into God’s presence. It was the great sign that imperfect people could not be in the same space as the holy God. All through the Old Testament, anyone who had presumed to come into God’s presence without observing the ceremonial cleansing rituals and making the necessary sacrifices had died (for instance, Numbers 3:2-4).

But now, suddenly, as Jesus was on the very verge of death, this symbol of restrictive exclusivity was destroyed. By destroying it, God declared that the old priestly ritual for entrance into His presence had been abolished and the barrier of sin dividing humanity from their Maker had been obliterated. There is no longer any need to keep our distance from God. Instead, “we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that He opened for us through the curtain” (Hebrews 10:19-20).

Our access to God isn’t restricted to a temple or a church or any other building, nor must it be through a merely human priest or a guru. No, 2,000 years ago God broke into history to establish direct access to Himself through Jesus. Now there is “one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all” (1 Timothy 2:5-6). The temple curtain being torn in two was divine vandalism on your behalf. You don’t have to be sidetracked by priests and rituals anymore. They can be nothing but pointless. Instead, you can come to God, just as you are, confident of welcome and mercy and help, all because of Jesus.

- - - - -

(Editor’s note: The previous article is a good lead-in to the email Q&A exchange I had with one of our readers about the obligatory feeling a lot of Christians hold about having to attend church services, or else. I had sent out the exchange earlier this month to the newsletter email list, and the amount of feedback I received was far more than I can print, because it would take another entire newsletter.

To summarize, I would say that I have been labeled a heretic and a blasphemer, to others who agree with my stance on whether it’s necessary to attend church to be a true believer, to others who were appreciative of the explanation I wrote about the true heart of Jesus.

Read it, decide for yourselves, but this is what newsletters are all about: healthy debate between believers, knowing we all have the common denominator of our belief in the Risen Jesus as our guide and example through our brief time on this earth.)

Church going question answered…by Frank Paul

Newsletter reader’s question:

Hello, sir. I was curious of your opinion about something, especially after reading this last article that you shared. So recently I have been going through my religious journey, reading the Bible, and trying to better practice my faith. I definitely fall short in terms of going to church on Sundays. Oftentimes I feel guilty and feel like I should be setting a better example for my kids and taking them. However, when Sunday rolls around, I feel like I need a day to recharge and also catch up on things, so I find myself not going to church. You have studied the Bible much more than me, so do you feel that going to church is an important thing to do on Sunday, or general rest is acceptable?

Frank Paul’s answer:

Morning, my friend. Great to hear from you. I have held “church” at my home for years now. Where two or more are gathered in my name, I am there with them, said Jesus. Back in the days of Acts, churches were in homes, in fields; and before that, on the road to Damascus, or wherever. The “intent” is what is important, not necessarily the “where.”

If as you’re relaxing on Sunday you read the Word, chat with your children about Jesus, about living a moral life, being kind to others, et cetera, pray quietly to yourself, or read the Lord’s Prayer out loud with your children, that, my friend, is church. The building isn’t a necessary destination, it’s your heart.

My wife and I a few years ago had the same thought as you, so we started looking for a church to attend. Without exaggeration, I bet we went to ten different churches, all kinds of denominations, and were not pleased with any of the services. For me, it was too much singing and commotion; to my wife, it wasn’t reverent enough.

If your children see you always taking off Sunday or Saturday to rest, read the Bible, pray, that example you set will be more impacting than any gathering with strangers could ever be.

Having given that explanation, let me give you the other side. Gathering with like-minded individuals is useful, to some extent. Helping in the community with food drives, et cetera, is obviously helpful and a part of what we as Christians should do. The “gathering” with people, doesn’t necessarily mean 200 people, though. You can “gather” anywhere. You can have a friend over on Sundays, or a couple that you and your wife know, you could come to my house, and we can chat Bible stuff and pray.

Gathering with lots of people can be helpful at times, but I truly believe intimate gatherings, like the Apostles did way back when, are much more valuable and help the spiritual growth of a person better.

As the previous article says, “Now there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” And, “You don’t have to be sidetracked by priests and rituals anymore. Instead, you can come to God, just as you are, confident of welcome and mercy and help, all because of Jesus.”

Hope this helps, my friend. Let’s try to get together soon, whether it’s just you and I, or we get together with the families and pray. Thanks for reaching out.

- - - - -

(Another editor’s note: This is an interesting article that will follow as it sheds light on the topic of “three days.” “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” Matthew 12:40

Just as most of us realize that Jesus was not actually born on December 25th, but yet we celebrate His birthday on that day because it is His birth that is the main reason we celebrate, not necessarily the date; the same thought could apply to when was Jesus actually crucified and rose. Again, the actual days are not what we celebrate, but the event of His resurrection and His life-giving sacrifice for us all, so we may be free from sin if we have faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.)

Was Jesus Christ Resurrected on a Sunday

The Real Truth Magazine,

by Bradford G. Schleifer

Most have never stopped to question the timeline of Christ’s death and resurrection. Every year, millions commemorate Good Friday and Easter Sunday, believing Jesus dies late Friday afternoon and rose early Sunday morning. But there is one problem – this timeline does not fit the sign Christ gave proving He was the Messiah.

In Matthew 12:40, Jesus stated plainly, “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” This is Christ’s test – His identity, credibility, and truthfulness all rest on whether He was in the grave for three days and three nights.

So ask yourself: Can you fit 72 hours between Friday afternoon and Sunday morning? At best, that time frame accounts for one full day and two nights – far short of three full

days and nights.

If Jesus was buried Friday and rose Sunday, He failed His own sign – meaning He is not the Messiah. Yet Christ was not mistaken – human tradition has obscured the truth.

Scripture reveals that Jesus was crucified on a Wednesday Passover, just as the lamb was slain during the original Old Testament Passover (Exodus 12). He was placed in the tomb before sunset that same day. The following day was a high Sabbath (John 19:31) – an annual Holy Day – not a weekday Sabbath. This is where confusion begins. Most assume this was referring to the weekly Saturday Sabbath, leading to the mistaken belief that Christ was crucified on Friday.

But when Mary Magdalene arrived at the tomb while it was still dark Sunday morning (John 20:1), Jesus was already gone. He had been resurrected before sunrise – meaning He did not rise on Sunday. If we count backward exactly 72 hours, we land on late afternoon Saturday – precisely when Christ left the grave.

The Bible proves Jesus fulfilled His sign to the letter. For even more proof of this, read our free booklet Christ’s Resurrection was not on Sunday at rcg.org/crwnos.

William Tyndale’s Bible Story

93 percent of the King James Version of the Bible is taken from Tyndale’s translations.

William Tyndale (1494-1536) was a talented English linguist, scholar, and priest who was the first to translate the Bible into English. Tyndale objected to the Catholic Church's control of scripture in Latin and the prohibition against an English translation. His work formed the basis of all other English translations of the Bible up through the modern era.

The Latin Vulgate Bible, translated from the original by Saint Jerome (347-420), assisted by Saint Paula (347-404) was considered the only true version by the Church, and translation into the vernacular, in any country, was forbidden. Even before the Reformation began in 1517, however, European scholars had already translated the Bible into their own languages, the German translation by Martin Luther (1483-1546) being only one among many.

The proto-reformer John Wycliffe (1330-1384) had translated the Bible from the Vulgate to Middle English in c. 1380, but volumes of this work had been burned after his death by the church. Tyndale requested permission from ecclesiastical authorities to translate the Bible from the original Hebrew and Greek but was denied. He then left for Germany where he translated and published his work on the New Testament and part of the Old Testament, along with other writings, and had them smuggled into England.

Tyndale is recognized as the first to translate the Bible into English, rather than Wycliffe, because Tyndale worked from the original languages, not just the Latin translation, as Wycliffe had done. William Tyndale was a scholar who believed that the Bible alone should determine the practices and doctrines of the church. He decided to translate the Bible into English to make it accessible to all English believers. However, his work was banned, and all copies were burned when found in England. Tyndale himself was betrayed to church officials in 1536, whereupon he was strangled and burned to death by the church.

Just as Tyndale's former prayer was answered, “That a boy that driveth the plough would know more of the Scriptures than the Church authorities,” so too was Tyndale's latter prayer answered in full measure, “Lord, open the eyes of the King of England.”

The tide of history was changing. Soon, in England, followed by the entire English-speaking world, the Bible (in English) would be respected, treasured, promoted and honored. Wycliffe and Tyndale gave their lives for this moment. Their memories live on, their work remembered, their sacrifice not in vain, and their Bibles forming an immortal chain of jewels that would lead to God's Word being an unstoppable witness against this evil and adulterous generation.

Sources: Logos Bible Study Platform, BibleStudyTools.com

When you look at the cross, you see the heart of Jesus.

Billy Graham