1. The student of Scripture should always have a map open next to their Bible as they read. If possible, they should also travel to Israel, not to make a pilgrimage, but to see the context of the land in which these stories took place. These are not fairy tales made up about fictional fantasy lands; these are stories about real people in real places interacting with a real God.
  2. Josephus does not tell us that Christianity is true, and Christians do not need Josephus to tell them that Christ is risen. But Christianity makes claims about things that happened in public history under identifiable rulers, priests, and governors. For that reason, testimony from outside the church matters.
  3. While earthly kings demand that their people make sacrifices to them, and Zeus demanded sacrifices because he needed them, the true God made the ultimate sacrifice for you.
  4. God's purposes for His people are good — not comfortable, not free of suffering, but good in the deepest sense. The exile ended. The Messiah came as promised. The tomb is empty.
  5. The church's answer to Islam remains what it has always been: Christ crucified and risen for sinners.

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