The True Founder of Christianity

Three years after he began his ministry, he was arrested and charged with sedition and blasphemy. Success had eluded him, at the end of his life on earth; he left behind only a mere handful of followers, not more than 500 at most.

You left out one thing. Jesus rose from the dead which shows that he didn't fail. The reason he came to earth was to die for our sins so that we could be forgiven. After his resurrection he commanded his followers to begin preaching the gospel. Before his death he told his disciples, "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth" (John 16:12,13). Paul was one of those whom he chose to reveal these new truths through the Holy Spirit.

What about Joseph smith and Muhammad? Had he chosen them, and how do you know?

Jesus said he would reveal all his teachings to the apostles to whom he was speaking. They all died before the time of Joseph Smith and Muhammad. But Paul did say something that applied to them. In Galatians 1:8 he said, "But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed." Both of them claimed to have received their teachings from angels.

Why would you believe Paul over others who say that yahweh (through angels) had spoken to them?

Is Paul's word more authoritative than Muhammad's or Joseph Smith? According to the OP Paul had made a doctrine of his own, if this is true, you are begging the question (circular logic).

The apostles who had been with Jesus while he was on earth accepted Paul as an apostle and acknowledged that God had spoken to him. According to 2 Peter 3:16,17 they regarded Paul's letters as being part of the scriptures.

So why would you accept the word of one prophet over the others?

If someone is a true prophet his teaching will agree with what God has revealed in the Bible.

Why should I believe the bible is not just another religious text?

One reason for believing it is that it conatins prophesies which are being fulfilled right now. The Old Testament contains predictions that the Jews would be driven from their land and be scattered throughout the world but at the end of the age they would be regatered to their own land. That regathering is taking place now and began when Israel became a nation in 1948.

One reason for believing it is that it conatins prophesies which are being fulfilled right now. The Old Testament contains predictions that the Jews would be driven from their land and be scattered throughout the world but at the end of the age they would be regatered to their own land. That regathering is taking place now and began when Israel became a nation in 1948.

Judaism gathered in gentile converts from all over the Roman Empire and converted the whole Khazar kingdom later. In what sense can the descendants of those people be returning to 'their own land',

and does your God approve of robbery, ethnic cleansing, torture and child-murder?

But for something to be a genuine prediction/prophesy it need to be the following:
1. Very specific. Includes specific names and places.

2. Unambiguous. No words with multiple meanings. No interpretation required.

3. Not self-confirming. Event is confirmed by sources other than those making the prediction.

4. Non self-fulfilling. Knowledge of prediction cannot influence it's occurrence.

5. Prediction is recorded before the event it predicts.

6. It was clearly stated when the prediction would be fulfilled. No "This will happen (eventually)" prophecies.

7. It's not something obvious, or something that could happen by chance.

If you can show me a biblical prophecy that fulfills all of these criteria, I would accept it as evidence.

Converts who were circumcized and willing to keep the law were regarded as part of Israel. Exodus 12:48 says, "If a stranger shall sojourn with you and would keep the Passover to the LORD,let all his males be circuncised. Then he shall come near and keep it; he shall be as a native of the land." Any nation contains two kings of citizens, those who were born citizens and those who were originally from another country and became citizens, and both kinds have the same rights. Israel is no different in this respect.

No. What does this have to do with the subject?

The current nation of Israel is in the same geographic location as ancient Israel, speaks the same language, and accepts the same scriptures. Is that specific enough to meet these conditions?

Israel is often in the news today so their can't be any doubt that it really exists.

The fact that people deliberately try to fulfill a prophecy doesn't prove that the prophecy isn't true. But in the case of Israel, most Israelis are secular and don't believe the prophecies are inspired by God and there are orthodox Jews who are opposed to Israel because they believe that the prophecies of return will only be fulfilled when the Messiah comes.

Israel was established in 1948. I think everyone would agree that the prophecies were written before then.

God doesn't always reveal the time his prophecies will be fulfilled. Christ has said that no one can know when he will return, but if you suddenly hear that all of the Christians in the world are gone, won't that prove to you that the Rapture has taken place?

I don't know whether Israel meets this criterion or not, but it seems that the fact that the Jews have been able to survive and retain their language and culture in spite of all the persecution they have suffered is an indication that they are under God's protection.

A good way to find out more about the history of the Jews during their exile would be to read God, Jews, and History by Max I. Dimont

The establish of Israel doesn't seem to fulfill all of these criteria, but God doesn't always to things the way we would like for him to. I think there is enough evidence to show that God is keeping his promises to Israel.

The non-ethnic Jews who have occupied Palestine are imitating the nazis who persecuted them in their treatment of the actual descendants of the people of the Old Testament, namely the Palestinians.

Where, in this extraordinary non-Christian scenario of yours, is the Messiah? For Jews, clearly, he cannot be Jesus, and for the zionists he is not required at all. I think you should get in touch with some Orthodox rabbi who has not bowed the knee to this particular racist Baal and find out what real Jews expect(ed).

The biggest complaint I hear about the "Jews returning to Israel" prophesy is that it's self-fulfilling.

Being a biblical prophesy, if it came true, it would reaffirm the faith of Christians and Zionist Jews. And if you recall the Zionist movement was started by a predominantly christian nation, Great Britain, in the Balfour Declaration of 1917, which was enforced and supported by Christians.

I would say that certainly the knowledge of said prophesy did affect it's outcome. The location for the new Jewish homeland, was chosen precisely because of the prophesy.