Doubting Thomas?
Doubting Thomas?
What you are about to read is a presentation of Empirical Evidence affirming the Bible as a closed history of God’s interaction with our ancestors in the ancient world.
The early Christian Church labeled the Apostle Thomas as “Doubting Thomas.” That was a misrepresentation of the events surrounding the Messiah’s post resurrection appearances to his apostles and disciples. I call him “Thomas the Empiricist,” because he required physical evidence that Jesus was in fact the resurrected Messiah.
The First Appearance
On the first day of the week, when Peter and John learned from Mary Magdalene that the stone that sealed the sepulcher of Jesus had been removed, they ran to the tomb and found it true. Thinking that someone had removed the body, Peter and John returned home to await further instructions. Mary stayed by the tomb, and while interacting with two Angels, Jesus appeared to her,
11 But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre,
12 And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.
13 And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.
14 And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.
15 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.
16 Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.
17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.
18 Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her.
That evening, while the disciples were gathered together hiding from the Jews, Jesus stood in their midst.
19 Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.
20 And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.
21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.
22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
23 Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.
24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.
25 The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.
26 And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.
27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.
28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.
29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:
31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. John 20:19-31.
Please notice that when Jesus first appeared to the apostles and disciples, he immediately gave them empirical evidence that he was the Messiah. He showed them the wounds in his hands and side in verse twenty. In so doing, he assured them that he was not a satanic apparition, or a demonic spirit sent to lead them astray. Notice that Jesus distinguished between those who “believe” but have not seen the Messiah and those who have “faith” because they lived to see his Parousia.[1]
This incident is included in the Bible to encourage us to question those who claim to represent Jesus or the God of Abraham, including our Dark Age Religions.[2] By labeling Thomas “Doubting Thomas,” the Christian Church has made its followers afraid to doubt the church’s interpretation of the Bible and its formulated doctrines as part of that theology. Consequently, if a Christian questions any part of the Church Cannon, they are branded a “Doubting Thomas,” and their faith in Jesus and salvation are called into question.
Thomas the Empiricist
Thomas did not doubt the divinity of Jesus or the God of Abraham; he rightfully questioned the report of the apostles and required that he see and touch the wounds of the Messiah to confirm their testimony and ascertain that Jesus was not a satanic apparition. Notice that in verses twenty-six and twenty-seven, Jesus does not admonish Thomas; on the contrary, he allows him to touch his wounds physically. Having seen the physical evidence, Thomas says, “My Lord and my God.” These verses are designed to encourage us to require empirical evidence for the laws, doctrines, dogmas and ideologies that religious or secular leaders will claim are required to obtain salvation and solve the “mystery” of God and human existence.
The Apostle John put it this way,
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try (test) the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 1John 4:1.
That warning includes your religion. The interaction between Thomas and the Messiah is included in the Bible to encourage readers to “try (test) the spirits whether they are of God.” That would include all of the religions incorporated post a.d.70. Rabbinical Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Atheism were all formulated in the Dark Ages that followed the prophesied destruction of the Temple and desolation of Jerusalem. We must test every religion formed after that world ending cataclysm against the history of ancient Israel, including, the Bible, the Prophet and historian Josephus, and the broader histories of God’s interaction with our ancestors in the ancient world.
In verse twenty-eight, Jesus says to Thomas.
Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. John 20:28.
Here again, the church claims that this verse refers to current believing Christians who did not get to meet Jesus in person yet believe in the coming of a Messiah. This verse does not refer to modern Christians; it refers to the descendants of Adam and Eve who believed the Messianic prophecies; yet did not live to see their fulfillment in the first and second coming of Jesus in a.d.30-70. This misinterpretation of verse twenty-eight is yet one more attempt by our religious leaders to make believers afraid to question even a small portion of church doctrine for fear of becoming a “Doubting Thomas” and “lose their salvation.”
The Evidence
Unfortunately, unlike the Apostles, modern humans cannot physically interact with the Messiah or touch the wounds he received in crucifixion. Consequently, we must use other evidence to verify the veracity of the historical events documented in the chronicles of the prophets and the historians of ancient Israel.
In Conclusion
The central theme of my research is that the Bible, and all supporting texts, constitute a closed history of God’s interaction with our ancestors in the ancient world. It is not a handbook for religion, an ongoing revelation, or a “myth” as disparaged in academia’s intellectual cults of ideological science and theology. Not a word has been added to the biblical chronology of ancient Israel for two thousand years. That is a closed history. See the link, Religion: Truth vs. Myth on the navigator.
Faith in Jesus is not contingent on believing church leaders or their doctrines. The wealth of empirical evidence affirming the accuracy of biblical history is without limit. It can be found in the libraries, artifacts and archaeological ruins of the ancient world on every continent of the globe. When you see that evidence, I am convinced that, like Thomas the Empiricist, you will be able to say, without a doubt, “My Lord and my God.”
The author has spent forty years accumulating the empirical evidence that verifies the history of ancient Israel and incorporated much of the evidence into www.realists.com and the books published and soon to be published under my name. They are listed below
The Awful Truth, for those who dare to know for those who dare to know
The historical records, artifacts, and ruins of the ancient world, reveal that supernatural beings used immeasurable wealth and sophisticated intelligence to place advanced civilizations on every continent of the globe.
The ominous fall of the gods and collapse of the ancient world is planet Earth’s greatest unsolved mystery. The solution, as revealed in The Awful Truth, will forever change the way we view; ourselves, science, religion, and the gods of the ancient world.
The Awful Truth reveals an overview of the history of ancient Israel; including, the destruction of the Temple and desolation of Jerusalem and the Dark Ages that followed the fall of the gods and collapse of the ancient world.
Download an Excerpt: Free Offers. Read: Reviews. Return to Bookstore.
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The Eyewitness, A Trilogy, by Patrick J. Conway
The Eyewitness Trilogy is based on the chronologies of the destruction of the Temple and fall of Jerusalem. It contains three books published in reverse order. See the individual books below.
Foreword:
The purpose of The Trilogy; is to collect all of the pertinent chronologies of that period and correlate them with the cataclysmic events surrounding the destruction of the Temple and the desolation of Jerusalem. The evidence will reveal that, precisely as foretold, the Second Coming of Messiah occurred in a.d.63-70, it was followed by the fall of the gods and collapse of the ancient world, and humans inherited their place as the preeminent beings of planet Earth.[3]
The research will reveal that the history of God’s interaction with our ancestors began with the creation and exile of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and culminated in a great battle of the Gods that coincided with the destruction of the Temple and the desolation of Jerusalem in a.d.70. The empirical evidence supporting that historical reality is without limit. It can be found in the libraries, artifacts, and archaeological ruins of the ancient world on every continent of the globe. If you take the time to consider that evidence, you can say, like Thomas, the Empiricist, “My Lord and my God.” You will not need science or religion to establish your faith in the God of Creation; it will be based on empirical evidence and corroborated by thousands of years of humanity’s historical experience. See Faith vs. Belief at www.realists.com.
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The Eyewitness; Episode Three, the Destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem
The Fall of Jerusalem,
Chronicles ancient Israel’s last days, as a three-sided civil war ravaged the Jews with famine, pestilence, and fire. Precisely as foretold, in a.d.63-70, the temple was destroyed to the foundation stones, the ancient world ended, and “Humans Inherited the Earth” in the Dark Ages of the early modern world.Ps.37:11 & Mat.5:5.
Download an Excerpt: Free Offers. Read: Reviews. Return to Bookstore.
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The Eyewitness: Episode Two, Civil War Engulfs the Jews
Josephus, The Last Prophet of God
Josephus was a high priest, historian, and prophet. God instructed him to foretell the rise of Vespasian as Emperor of Rome and the fall of Jerusalem. He recorded that a rebellion against the Empire became a civil war among the Jews and culminated in the destruction of the temple and the desolation of Jerusalem.
In his Antiquities of the Jews, the Prophet declared that Jesus was the Messiah. Jos. Ant. B.18, 3:3,
Download a pre-publication Excerpt: Free Offers. Read Reviews. Return to Bookstore.
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The Eyewitness: Episode One, The Antichrist invades Jerusalem
This episode documents the rise of the Antichrist. This imposter was neither a Jew nor an Israelite. Notwithstanding, he allied with Rome and imposed pagan rituals on the citizens of Judea. His tyrannical reign instigated a three-sided civil war among the Jews that brought the Roman army to the gates of Jerusalem.
Download a pre-publication Excerpt: Free Offers. Read Reviews. Return to Bookstore.
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Apes, or the Exiled Aliens of Eden – Thinking the Unthinkable
Human Origins
It is time to think the unthinkable and admit, what in our hearts we already know, science and religion have failed to solve the “mystery” of human existence. We are not evolving apes or sinners on our way to Hell. Neither of these degrading ideologies will survive as a viable explanation for human existence because they do not describe the reality in which we live.
Humans are not indigenous to planet earth. Historical texts reveal that we are alien beings created elsewhere and transported to the earth, at the dawn of history, by the supernatural beings who rule the universe. These biblical and pagan gods used immeasurable wealth and sophisticated intelligence to place advanced civilizations on every continent of the globe. Eventually, they began to contest with each other for dominion over the planet. Their cataclysmic wars caused a worldwide flood, the diversification of human language, and later, the fall of the gods and the collapse of the ancient world.
The evidence presented in “Apes or Exiled Aliens of Eden” will expose the degrading ideologies of science and religion and restore human dignity. It will reveal that we are the consummate creations of the Almighty God, who have been given dominion over the earth as the sole rulers of the modern world, and destined to rule God’s Creation in the life that follows death on earth.
Download a pre-publication Excerpt: Free Offers. Read: Reviews. Return to Bookstore.
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Tilted Axis – The Coming Age of Alignment
Earth’s tilted axis, rainbow, four-season climate, and calendar, combined with the collapse of the ancient world, hold the critical evidence required to solve the “mystery” of God and human existence. Placing those pieces into the puzzle will provide the empirical evidence needed to affirm that Bible is a closed history.
A World-changing Discovery
Author Patrick J. Conway is a modern-day Galileo. His astounding discoveries will rock the Ivory Towers of Academia by solving the “mystery” of human existence[4].
Download a pre-publication Excerpt: Free Offers. Read Reviews. Return to Bookstore.
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The Secrets of Enoch – The First human to Travel through Time and Space
The First Human Astronaut
Alien gods, Extraterrestrials, Earthlings, and the Astronauts of the Ancient World.
Thousands of years before Neil Armstrong walked on the Moon, alien visitors to the earth transported Enoch into space. There he was able to time-travel and commune with the supernatural powers administering the universe. No earthling could have written his detailed report on the solar system’s dynamics unless he could see it from space. The accuracy of his description, so early in history, is astounding.
Enoch’s chronology of his journey into the heavens is the most fascinating history ever written. It will end humanity’s fear of death by revealing our origins, purpose, and future.
Download a pre-publication Excerpt: Free Offers. Read: Reviews. Return to Bookstore.
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One Man, One God, One Truth
from Born Again Christian to Historical Realists
Patrick J. Conway
A Forty-Year Journey to Truth
Mr. Conway is the founder of Historical Realists International, Managing Editor of www.realists.com, and president of the publishing company Pragmatic Press.
A lifelong student of ancient history, both biblical and pagan, he has done field research in Peru and Mexico on the Inca and Maya civilizations of South America. His primary focus is extensive research on the correlation between the historical prophecies of Armageddon and the collapse of the ancient world.
Historical Realists International is a worldwide group of individuals who combine historical and archeological research with non-ideological science to liberate themselves from the unending conflict between Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Atheism. These contradictory beliefs were formulated in the Dark Ages; however, they have a common origin in the historical chronologies of ancient Israel.
One Man, One God, One Truth, is a lighthearted, politically incorrect chronology of the author’s life as a Catholic, Agnostic, Born Again Christian, and Independent Christian. It culminates in his discovery of the truth and the founding of Historical Realist International.
The Empirical Evidence
The Fossil Record, Earth’s Tilted Axis, Lunar/Solar Calendar, Diverse Languages, Artifacts and the Archaeological ruins of the ancient world, on every continent of the globe, contain the Empirical Evidence required to affirm biblical and pagan history, and solve the “Mystery” of human existence.
The Problem
Academia’s endless ideological conflict between science and religion is the problem. Please Read Intellectual Malpractice @ www.realists.com,
Download a pre-publication Excerpt: Free Offers. Read: Reviews. Return to Bookstore.
The Truth
You now know The Truth that Sets You Free. Please use our social media links to share it with your family, friends, clergy, science teachers, Congressional Representatives etc., and everyone on your list. Thank You.
[1] Parousia; appearance. 1 Thes.4:15.
[2] Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
[3] Ps.37:11 & Mat. 5:5.
[4] Human existence is not a “mystery.”