We must “move up” from simply saying: “I believe in Jesus!” We consider historical facts.
We learn that a “Chosen People” were given the duty of having, recording, and preserving The Messianic Prophecies. When The Prophecies were Fulfilled, many Jewish people joined The Catholic Church.
The Jerusalem Establishment, and many others realized: “We’re losing supporters! We have to get rid of those Prophecies!”
Counterfeit scrolls were written. They changed the words in The Prophecies! Justin Martyr’s Dialogue with Trypho shows some of the re-written “Jesus Free Prophecies” in the new, politically correct scrolls. This is an eye-opening link! http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/01286.htm
Catholic Saints and scholars, like St. Jerome, had to separate the correct scrolls from the many, many forgeries. Their work was complicated by disruptive persecutions that resulted in the first 32 Successors to Peter being killed. Despite those upheavals, St. Jerome and others found and preserved the correct Old Testament prophecies.
Their selections were validated by The Dead Sea Scrolls. They were written before Jesus!
Finally, Constantine became emperor. In 313, his Edict of Milan made it legal to be Catholic. During “The Thousand Year Reign” of The Catholic Church over western Christendom, monks copied Bibles by hand for the world.
There were no printing presses. Each Bible took twenty men over a year to produce. The cost of scribes, sheepherders, sheepskins and associated workers was immense. In today’s money, each hand-copied Bible cost hundreds of thousands of dollars!
We must “move up” from simply saying “I believe in Jesus!” History leads to The Only Church Jesus Founded. “Verily, verily I say unto you thou art Peter and on this rock I build My Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I give you the keys to The Kingdom of Heaven.”
Those who willfully disobey that Church-Founding Decree of Jesus may wish to consider the only people who get into Heaven:
“You are My friends if you obey My commands.”
