Category: Jesus

The Good News of His Real Gospel

5/30/2015

I will open this next blog with the same words I opened my last blog.

So many Christians believe on Jesus the Messenger ... and just as many Christians don't believe on His message.

So many Christians think they understand the Gospel ... and just as many Christians have no real idea just what that "Gospel" is.

Jesus did not come preaching "The Gospel of Me" ... nor did He come preaching "The Gospel of Heaven."

Jesus came to preach/teach the "Gospel of the Kingdom of God" ... which is coming HERE.

And, like I said, at the end of my last blog ... HE IS COMING DOWN HERE ... WE ARE NOT GOING UP THERE

I want to try to expound upon that thought just a little more ... because, you see, Jesus also came to preach/teach the Gospel (THE GOOD NEWS) of resurrection.

When the Bible speaks of Jesus Christ returning to this earth it plainly reveals He is coming all the way back down, just as He left when He went all the way back up.

Read, in the first chapter of Acts, of the very first message ever to come back down from heaven after Jesus ascended to His Father:

"And when He [Jesus] had spoken these things, while they [the disciples] beheld, He was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as you have seen Him go into heaven" (Acts 1:9-11).

The Bible then says He will come back to this earth, "in like manner" as they saw Him go into heaven!

"And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together the elect from the four winds, from one end of the skies to the other" (Matthew 24:30-3 1).

What will happen after "the elect" are gathered together to meet the returning Christ in the air?

The Bible says "And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives! "

The "elect" are gathered from all nations ... from all four directions/winds of the earth ... taken by powerful angels to meet Jesus in the air as He returns directly to the Mount of Olives, and they will continue to descend with Him to Jerusalem!

Okay .........And then what?

Well .... It's time to FIGHT! He's coming back as a fierce warrior - with His fierce army of the elect soldiers - to kick major ass.

Think about this a moment ... we are taught (by mainstream, man-made religions) that when we Good Christians die we are going to heaven ... where God's Kingdom and throne is already pre-established and in perfect running order ... and we will go there to play and to relax in heavenly retirement for all eternity. We are also taught (by mainstream, and-made religions) that He will rapture away His elect saints and whisk them off to heaven before the shit hits the fan here on earth ... but why?

This so-called Good News "gospel" makes no sense ... it doesn't fit with His REAL Good News "gospel" message.

Remember, He is coming back.

Jesus repeatedly told us He is coming to HERE to establish His Kingdom ... HERE on earth.

Last I checked, earth is populated by humans.

If we were all raptured away, and already in His pre-established heavenly Kingdom, way up there, luxuriating safely .... then how/why would we need to meet Him up in the skies upon His return? In fact, why would He need to return at all? Him coming back would be completely unnecessary.

Speaking of the "rapture" ... that also makes no sense at all to me, and the man-made "Good News Gospel" doctrine goes directly against all of Jesus' teachings as well ... why in the world would He consistently WARN us to watch, to be aware ... why would He WARN us that we WILL be persecuted and martyred ... why would He WARN us repeatedly that we WILL be afflicted, and they shall kill you: and ye shall be hated for my name's sake ... why would He specifically say that if they hated ME they will hate YOU as well ... why would He tell us to pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass?????

Jesus said "It is through much tribulation we must enter the Kingdom of God."

And Jesus also promised His true servants/soldiers "In the world ye shall have much tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world! " (John 16:33).

Peter cried out, "If the righteous scarcely be saved, what shall be the end of them that obey not the gospel of God?" (1 Peter 4:17).

Hmmm ... if the "righteous" scarcely be saved ... rarely/scarcely ... why would ALL OF THESE WARNINGS (and more!) be there fore us to heed AND READ if actually His plan all along is to secretly rapture us safely away before it gets too scary down here for us?

But I digress.

If "the elect people" were already "in heaven" from the time they died, then why should/would Jesus need/want to come back at all? And WHY bring His Kingdom here at all? That seems totally unnecessary too.

IF everybody (all the Good Christians) is already up THERE ...according to mainstream, man-made religion and their gospel ... then nobody is HERE.

To take it even further, the resurrection of the dead that HE REPEATEDLY TAUGHT would also be completely ridiculous and unnecessary.

Why should "the elect people" be taken from their safe/soft floating cloud in heaven, placed back into their old decayed DEAD bodies, resurrected, and then the whole judgment process of deciding where they belong (heaven or hell) begun all over again?

Does it make any sense to you?

The Bible uses the analogy of military service ... OFTEN .. when speaking of Christians ... God uses these analogies to show Christians that they are involved in intense training, and that they are in a kind of (spiritual) warfare.

As if they were professional soldiers.

Speaking of soldiers .... what if our brave young men and women in the arm/ navy/marines underwent months upon months of grueling training ... literally transforming from civilians into highly-skilled military personnel with advanced/excelled education/knowledge of various equipment, tools, weapons ... only to be told, when it's time to graduate (or whatever) "Well, that's it! You've all done a marvelous job with your training here. You've become thoroughly skilled through the rigors of extreme emotional/mental fatigue, physical abuse and exercise, unimaginable stress, various weapons handling. You understand the manual, and what is required of you. Now, you are all full-fledged military men! You can retire now... there's nothing else we need you to do with all you've fought with blood sweat and tears to earn! Here's you a cushy place to lounge around all day, every day, for the rest of your life ... and we'll throw in the perpetual soothing elevator music to play in the background as a bonus."

Sounds ludicrous, when put that way, doesn't it?

A REAL Christian is one who is continually overcoming ... gaining compassion, humility, knowledge, Love, patience, and wisdom ... a REAL Christian is fighting, and growing, and learning, and studying, and testing, and thinking ... a REAL Christian is resisting the pulls/temptations of human nature, and embracing the Lessons taught right here in Life.

This human life is a vast training ground for the Kingdom of God ... it is "boot camp" for those who are to finally graduate into the very Kingdom and Family of God .. to become qualified to RULE the world with Jesus Christ ... human life has great PURPOSE!

God is working out a PLAN for here below ... yet millions fail to see that great purpose, and they remain ignorant of God's plan for, and in, their Lives.

Nowhere does the Bible preach a heavenly "Christian retirement" ... the truth of God is far different!

The truth is that Almighty God is calling a handful of individuals (handful compared to the vast population of the world since the beginning of mankind) to be His aids, helpers, soldiers and workers of His soon-coming Kingdom ... He is calling out a select group whom He calls "the very elect" (Matthew 24:22) for rigorous training to qualify to become future WORLD RULERS with Him.

Can anyone really comprehend the awe-inspiring breadth and scope of God's Great Plan and Purpose?

I'm trying to ... I look to my Bible for answers ... I do NOT look to man (or religion) for my answers.

The Kingdom of God will be HERE on earth ... after all, it is here on earth where all the problems are!

There are no "problems" to solve in heaven ... there is no work to do in heaven.

Almighty God is not calling a group to be put through rigorous training, overcoming and growing in the knowledge and love of Jesus Christ ... fighting themselves .. having their very human nature changed from that of jealousy, lust, avarice and greed to the character of Jesus Christ of love, goodness, meekness, mercy, kindness and understanding ... in order to retire blissfully with clouds and harps!

Instead, Jesus Christ promises CO-RULERSHIP WITH HIM in the Kingdom of God.

"To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in His throne!" (Revelation 3:21).

Is it possible YOU are being called, now, to become one of those comparatively few individuals? Could God, actually, be performing the miracle of opening your carnal human-natured mind to see His TRUTHS? To understand His REAL Gospel?

I told you it was going to get deep, and it's about to get deeper ... and that is still the gospel Truth :))

2 Comments

What Gospel Did Jesus Really Preach/Teach?

5/30/2015

2 Comments

So many Christians believe on Jesus the Messenger ... and just as many Christians don't believe on His message.

So many Christians think they understand the Gospel ... and just as many Christians have no real idea just what that "Gospel" is.

As unbelievable as it may seem, many Many MANY Christians don't really know what the Gospel is really about ... nor do they know what Jesus really preached/taught ... and very few of those know what the word even means.

Quite simply, gospel means GOOD NEWS.

So many Christians think the "Good News" is the Messenger ... Jesus Christ, Himself ... and they have focused so much on the Messenger that the message He brought has become ignored/overlooked.

I'll start out by telling you this:

Jesus did not come preaching "The Gospel of Me."

All throughout Matthew, Mark, Luke and John ... well, actually all throughout the whole dadgum Bible - BOTH Old AND New Testaments ... there is proof upon proof upon proof of exactly what the GOOD NEWS is/was:

Jesus Christ came to preach/teach the "gospel of the Kingdom of God."

"Repent," said Jesus Christ, "for the Kingdom of God is at hand!"

"Now after John [the Baptist] was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel"

Even His own prayer ... THE LORD'S PRAYER ... "Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come, and Thy Will be done, ON EARTH as it is in heaven."

Constantly, Jesus spoke of His coming kingdom ... to earth.

He spoke of the time when the righteous prophets and patriarchs of the Old Testament would be in that kingdom ... He spoke of the time when the disciples of the New Testament would sit on twelve thrones to judge the tribes of Israel.

An argument arose between some of the disciples (during the Last Supper at Passover before He died) about which one of them would be "the greatest" in Christ's kingdom ... Jesus kinda snapped at them, and then commanded His disciples to have the attitude of humble servants. Then, He said, "Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations. And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel" (Luke 22:30).

He explained to them that He was going to establish a world-ruling kingdom on this earth ... the Kingdom of God ... He explained it is to be a kingdom ruled by Jesus Christ Himself, and that they, and all others who will repent and receive God’s Holy Spirit, can have a part in it.

Jesus' message OFTEN explained how we can be changed from flesh to spirit ... how we can become co-heirs of the throne of God WITH Him ... how we can share with Him the wondrous power of judging and ruling with Him during His millennial reign on earth.

His message showed that the powerful end-time Beast power will resist His return ... He showed how He will smash the Beast power and the False Prophet into oblivion ... He showed how He would bring COMFORT AND PEACE to this war-torn and weather-worn world at last.

A lot of Jesus' teachings recorded in the Bible were given in private discussions to His disciples. They wanted to know what would signify His coming as King of Kings to rule the world ... what signs they should expect would signal the end of the age of man's organized societies.

Read Matthew 24 in its entirety, and compare it with Luke's version of the same prophecy in Luke 21.

Here are a few excerpts:

"And as He sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto Him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world as we know it? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences (massive disease epidemics), and earthquakes (adverse weather) in diverse places. All these are the beginning of sorrows (or the Great Tribulation)" (Matthew 24:1-8).

Notice how He says "THIS GOSPEL" because it also contains the promise of His Second Coming: "Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because  defiance of God’s laws shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And THIS GOSPEL of the coming kingdom of God shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end as we know it come" (Matthew 24:9-14).

The entire gospel is as much a witness against the nations as it is a witness to them because it predicts massive wars, the loss of millions of human lives, catastrophic "natural" disasters, and scary/weird signs in the heavens/skies ... to be followed by Christ’s return.

Now you know a major part of the REAL message Jesus delivered.

It was a powerful message about His coming world-ruling government (Isaiah 2; Micah 4; Isaiah 11; Revelation 20) ... it was also a message about repentance ... about how human beings can receive God's Holy Spirit, and how human beings can eventually inherit a part of the Kingdom of God.

Notice the promises He gave for those who overcome during this brief, human life: "And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron with me"   (Revelation 2:26,27).

Jesus described His Second Coming to His disciples in the Olivet Prophecy several times.

"And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the skies to the other" (Matthew 24:30,31).

There are many, many prophecies in God's Word about the Second Coming of Christ and the establishment of His kingdom on this earth.

Isaiah wrote, "And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And He shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more" (Isaiah 2:2-4).

Notice the description of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ seen by John in vision: "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns; and He had a name written, that no man knew, but He Himself. And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him that sat on the horse, and against His army And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of Him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of His mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh" (Revelation 19:11-21).

Anyone who doubts that the Second Coming of Jesus Christ is real .... is a person who simply rejects what Jesus Himself said over and over again ... and rejects the focal point of all prophecy: HIM!

Nothing is emphasized throughout the entire Bible more than the return of Christ to this earth to rule it as King of Kings and Lord of Lords ... nothing!

The GOOD NEWS Jesus brought to this earth so long ago is for RIGHT NOW, and for the years just ahead of us ... it is a relevant message about world conditions that are leading us straight into the time of the prophesied Great Tribulation.

The greatest news you and I could ever hear is that Jesus Christ   WILL intervene in human affairs and STOP the chaos and hate and insanity and lawlessness and wars that are most definitely in our very near future .... and He repeatedly told us, WARNED US, to watch.

Watch.

Luke wrote of Jesus' encouraging reminder that when we start seeing these terrible things BEGIN TO HAPPEN, we should "lift up our heads," and know that our redemption is very near.

He said, "And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man" (Luke 21:25-36).

As you now know, the so-called "gospel" that millions have heard and think they know about is only a small part of the actual message Jesus Christ brought to this earth ... His good news .... His great gospel is/was that He WILL intervene in the course of human events before total destruction, and He WILL establish His Government and Kingdom upon THIS EARTH.

HE IS COMING DOWN HERE ... WE ARE NOT GOING UP THERE ... and, maybe, I will try to write another blog that will try to explain how THAT FACT really is Good News too.

Because, you see, the REAL gospel of Jesus Christ also answers the most profound questions of Human Life ... and explains and reveals 1) what/who We really are, and 2) why We are really here.

This could get deep real fast, my friends ... and that's the Gospel Truth :)

2 Comments

Chiseling the Rock ... Peter's Story

4/1/2015

0 Comments

Given the time of year this is, with the Passover season just around the corner, I thought it would be appropriate to share the stage play I wrote about the Apostle Peter.

Last year, on this blog, I started sharing this play with my readers in increments ... and I never finished, or followed through, with the series.

I have had some trouble with formatting the stage play in this program, so I apologize in advance if it appears awkward on your screen ... I did my best to format it properly as best I could.

This play is a One Act, and should only take about an hour to read in its entirety ... the dialogue flows at a fast clip; like normal conversations ... expect a lot of cutting off/interruptions, and over-lapping ... the natural flow of real exchanges between people.

Those of you familiar with The Gospels will immediately recognize what passages/scriptures I expounded upon ... and you will see how I clearly used my creative imagination to "flesh out" the scenarios.

Those of you unfamiliar with reading a stage play, please understand it is mostly dialogue ... and you, quite literally, have to create your own visualizations in your imagination ... when you read a stage play, you become the director and stage designer.

I know, and understand, reading straight dialogue can be tedious and uncomfortable but I do ask you that you give it a sincere chance ... I think you will be pleasantly surprised once you get into it.

And, please, I do ask you to let me know what you think ... thank you!

PLEASE CLICK

HERE

TO READ THE ENTIRE SCRIPT

... ...Chiseling the Rock is a comedic-laden, fast-paced, realistic drama that shines light upon Peter and Jesus as friends ... as MEN.

Easy to follow, and to read, for entertainment.

Appealing to both mainstream and religious theatre patrons alike, this play has excellent potential to be far-reaching.

Chiseling the Rock follows the chronology of the biblical/historical events closely, and fleshes out the events by keeping the characters human; keeping the characters REAL.

You will not find sad-eyed, solemn-stepped, soft-spoken martyrs in this play. But you will find real men with real lives, and real conflicts. Real drama.

Enjoy.

This online script is for reading entertainment only. There have been several revisions for stage production since this original script was written, and copyrighted with the Library of Congress, in 2005.

This play has been performed on stage, and has also won awards.

If you would like to produce this play for your church, community, or school, please contact me (Brooke Brookreson) for a hardcopy of the revised script, and for my generous terms.

My gracious appreciation, in advance, for respecting my endeavor and work by contacting me for permission. Thank you.

0 Comments

It Just Doesn't Add Up ... or does it?

3/31/2015

2 Comments

Today is Tuesday, March 31st ... it is 10:00 at night, and I am starting this blog.

Regardless of what "church" we go to, or what "religion" we are ... we all read from the same Bible, and read the same passages at this time of year: Passover/Easter.

We've all read the scriptures about how Jesus was crucified on the actual DAY of the Jewish Passover.

We've all read the scriptures about how the sun was near setting when He finally took his last breath, and there was a rush to get His body down, and wrapped, BEFORE the sun completely set because it was going to be the Sabbath.

"And now when the evening was coming, because this was the day of preparation, this is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathaea, went boldly unto Pilate and demanded the body of Jesus." Mark 15:42-43

And

"Joseph went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus, and he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, where never a man before was laid. And that day was the preparation day, and the Sabbath drew nigh. And the women followed, and beheld the sepulchre, and how His body was laid. And they returned [to their dwelling places] and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the Sabbath day according to the commandment." Luke 23:52-56

Yes, I think we all know that Jesus had to be taken down from the stake in a rush before the sun set because it was going to be the Sabbath ... He observed the Sabbath, and His followers observed the Sabbath ... and I think we all know it was such a rush that they did not have time to properly clean him, and rub His body with all the ointment/salves, and so He was quickly placed in the tomb before the sun set .... and it was understood that the women would come back to finish preparing His body later for His proper, final burial.

I think we all got that ... no confusion ... we all got the gist of the story.

And, like I said, I think regardless of what church we go to, or what our religion is, I think we can all read these passages and come to the same conclusion .... because we all read from the same Bible, and we all pretty much know the story.

I think we all know that Jesus proclaimed many times, and in many different ways, among His followers and the crowds, and here is just one example: "For as Jonas 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

And I think we also know what those pesky self-righteous Jewish Pharisees did ... they were the main (if not the only religious sect at that time) who were behind having Jesus killed ... they went to Pilate (The Governor of Rome - not a religious title, but a governmental title, since the Roman Catholic Church didn't come into existence until MANY years later) and said, "Excuse us, Sir, we remember what that deceiver Jesus said - while he was still alive - he said that after three days he will rise again! Command that the sepulchre be made sure [sealed] until the third day so his disciples won't come by night and steal him away and say unto the people, "See! He is risen from the dead!" And, so, we also all know that Pilate gave into their paranoid, spiteful wishes, and Jesus' tomb was sealed even tighter and was manned 'round the clock with guards. Matthew 27:62-66

And, since we all read the same Bible, we also know that the women showed up early "Sunday" morning to finish preparing Jesus' body with the spices and ointments ... and found the stone rolled away, and the tomb empty: "Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre bringing the spices which they had prepared ... and they found the stone rolled away ... and found not the body of the Lord Jesus." Luke 24:1-3

I think we got all of that, too ... still no confusion ... we all know the story.

Here's where it DOES get confusing though.

For the longest time I could never understand how people could be confused about Jesus' death and resurrection ... the timing of it.

I never could understand how the general majority got three days and three nights from Good Friday to Easter Sunday ... it just seemed so simple, the mathematics of it all, and it just didn't make sense to me ... it just didn't add up.

At all.

There were no calendars back in those days ... there were no clocks ... there were no formal names for the days (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, etc) ...

The days were numbered (First Day through Seventh Day) since the beginning of time ... and God's DAILY timing (also since the beginning of time) was literally sunset to sunset.

Not sunrise to sunrise ... not midnight to midnight ... but sunset to sunset.

But even if the general majority didn't realize these facts, there's still no way in the world to calculate three days and three nights from the sixth day of the week to the first day of the week ... from Friday to Sunday.

Try it ... count ... from Friday to Sunday ... see what I mean?

But then I got to thinking ... well, wait ... maybe they must think Jesus HAD to die on a Friday since, you know, His body had to be hurried down and put into a tomb BEFORE the Sabbath (which most everyone knows is Saturday, the seventh day.

They read the same scriptures ... they think He has to die on a Friday because of the Sabbath ... and they read more scriptures that clearly say the women discover Him gone on the first day of the week (Sunday) .... okay, wow, I think I get where they are coming from ... they are trying to force it to make sense.

But, you see, you really can't force these things.

So, anyway, yes, the confusion kinda began to make a little bit of some sense to me ... the confusion of why the majority of the world can't add Friday to Sunday, and why they have their timing all messed up ... maybe they just don't realize that there is another kind of Sabbath that is observed, and it is called a High Sabbath, and it is a Holy Day that is even holier than the seventh day weekly Sabbath.

Let me explain.

The "day" that Passover itself falls on is NOT a Holy Day ... but that night, when the sun sets, the next day, IS ... it is The First Day of Unleavened Bread ... it is a High Sabbath ... and this is why the actual "day" of Passover is CALLED a preparation day ... the Jews are busy on this day, during the day, preparing for the Passover meal that they will partake of after the sun sets and the Holy Day starts ... sunset to sunset.

How do they prepare on the day OF Passover? By getting their meal prepared and ready, by slaughtering the lamb and getting it ready to roast, by cleaning their main dining area, by getting their candles, etc ... there's a lot to prepare for before the sun sets, and before the High Sabbath begins.

So, you see, Jesus didn't die on a Friday ... He didn't have to be rushed down because the next day was a Saturday (Sabbath.)

Jesus died on - what we call now - a Wednesday.

The actual day Jesus died ... He actually died at the precise time the High Priest was slitting the throat of the Passover lamb ... was a Wednesday, and the next day (Thursday) was a High Sabbath, a Holy Day called The First Day of Unleavened Bread.

Now ... count the nights Jesus was DEAD in God's time ... Wednesday night, Thursday night, Friday night ... THREE NIGHTS.

Now ... count the days Jesus was DEAD in God's time ... Thurs-day, Fri-day, Satur-day ... that equals THREE DAYS.

The women couldn't take care of Jesus Wednesday night because after sunset it was a High Sabbath ... and they couldn't take care of Him Thurs-day because that was THE High Sabbath which ended at sunset ... and they couldn't take care of Him on the next day Fri-day because that was another preparation day for the regular, weekly Sabbath.

Okay, now, so since Saturday DAY is still the regular weekly Sabbath ....... the women still couldn't get to Jesus to properly prepare Him for His final burial.

They had no choice but to go to Him in the wee hours of Sun-day morning ... daybreak ... and He was already gone, as we all well know the story.

It is estimated Jesus died probably around 5/6 o'clock in the late afternoon/early evening ... not long at all before sunset.

Jesus was not dead three days and four nights ... He was dead three days and three nights ... Jesus did NOT resurrect/rise on a Sunday ... He was found GONE on a Sunday, YES, but He did not resurrect/rise on a Sunday.

For Him to resurrect on a Sunday, He would have had to be dead Wednesday night, Thursday night, Friday night, and Saturday night ... rising on Sunday after the sun set on Saturday.

No, Jesus was resurrected on a regular, seventh day, weekly Sabbath ... probably about the same time He died ... around 5/6 o'clock in the late afternoon/early evening BEFORE the Sabbath day ended at sunset, and BEFORE the new day Sunday started.

In closing, I am wondering if anyone out there reading this realizes what tonight is.

My blog yesterday described and explained that Jesus knew He wasn't going to be able to observe the Passover meal BECAUSE HE KNEW HE WAS GOING TO BE THE PASSOVER ... so what did He do?

He gathered His followers the night before and had His own intimate supper.

My blog tonight describes and explains that Jesus died on a Wednesday ... and, I also told you at the beginning of this blog that I was writing to you on a late Tuesday night.

Do you realize that at this precise moment ... this exact same day/night ... some, oh, maybe 1982 years ago ... Jesus sought privacy in a garden .. kneeling and pacing and kneeling and pacing ... crying and moaning and shouting ... in agony ... knowing what He was going to be facing tomorrow?

It just doesn't add up ... or does it.

2 Comments

Preparing For The Passover

3/27/2015

13 Comments

Millions of Jews all over the world are preparing to observe the Holy Day, Passover, this coming Friday, April 3rd ... which is, ironically, also the so-called holiday "Good Friday" that millions of Christians will celebrate (but that subject will have to be addressed in another blog.)

Meanwhile, a very small scattering of people will be preparing to do what the real Jesus did ... why? Because He asked us to.

In fact, it is the only "thing" He asked us to do for Him.

He didn't ask us to celebrate His birthday ... and He dang-sure didn't ask us to celebrate the Mass of Christ with the Roman Catholics.

He didn't ask us to celebrate His resurrection ... and He dang-sure didn't ask us to pay pagan homage/respects to the goddess of fertility, Ishtar, either.

He simply asked us to honor, and remember, His death.

"Do THIS in remembrance of me."

That's all ... that's it.

So, anyway, I have been asked by a few people about how to "keep" Passover ... how to observe it, how to prepare for it.

I honestly try to keep it just as Jesus did, and just how He asked us to ... we do not observe the Jewish Passover; we observe it the night BEFORE just like He did.

This is Christ's Passover; not the Jewish Passover ... this is the New Covenant; not the Old.

As far as physical preparations for the actual service, it is really quite simple ... we have a table with a platter of unleavened bread and a bottle of wine with small glasses.

We read all of the scriptures that pertain to this night ... in Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22, John 13, and I Corinthians 11:24-29.

We also wash one another's feet ... just as He commanded us to do ... John 13:1-17 ... and the last thing He said on this very humbling subject of feet-washing was "If you know to do these things, happy are you if you do them."

And, then, we simply sing a hymn and leave ... just as they did ... Matthew 26:30 and Mark 14:26 ... "And when they had sung a hymn, they went out ....."

We do not fix an elaborate meal on this night ... it is not a festive occasion ... it is more of a reflective, respectful, solemn memorial service.

And, that is where the Spiritual preparations come in ... yes, it is important to Spiritually prepare for this occasion.

The observance should move us forward in the faith, and in the mind, of Jesus Christ ... we should strive to make it a very personal and private occasion.

This is a personal occasion because, not only did Christ die for the sins of all mankind, but He died for YOU ... He personally died for YOU.

This is a private occasion because, if you consider and reflect upon what it took for Jesus Christ to suffer and die for YOUR sins ... well, like I said, that is a very private matter.

Something else that makes it personal, and private, as you Spiritually prepare for this special night is taking the time for retrospection and self-examination of your Life ... realizing that we are made worthy through the great sacrifice of Jesus Christ ... we should look back and reflect on the turns our new life has taken since we made our decision to follow, and OBEY, Him.

And, then ask ourselves, am I still going in the right direction?

I think it is also important to evaluate your relationships and make amends ... make amends with ourselves, and forgive ourselves ... and also make amends with people who have hurt us, and forgive them ... before we take part in this special ceremony.

Why? "Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any; even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye."

The Passover is an annual opportunity to "wipe the slate completely clean" again ... start all over ... and so evaluating yourself, and your relationships is a Good, Spiritual preparation ... and a Good, Spiritual time to deal with issues, find closure where needed, and start over with a clean slate and a new understanding.

Observing Christ's Passover deals with the Attitude of Mind ... I think it is important to go into this solemn ceremony with the right Spirit and attitude ... so we are not guilty of the body and blood of the Lord (I Cor 11:27.)

We need to prepare ourselves Spiritually so as to not partake of the service unworthily ... not that anyone is actually "WORTHY" ... but what I mean is, we must recognize we are bad enough to need it, instead of good enough to deserve it ... and the word "unworthily" in this context means to partake of this service arrogantly, disrespectfully and irreverently.

Can you really take Passover worthily? Yes ... examine yourself, and think about what you truly are, and where you truly are in your Life, and repent.

What does repent mean? It means CHANGE.

13 Comments

<<Previous

"It's all about living your Life like a full-time job...writing about it is easy once you get into the groove." John Wells

(Best Advice I've Ever Been Given)

The Good News of His Real Gospel

What Gospel Did Jesus Really Preach/Teach?

Chiseling the Rock ... Peter's Story

It Just Doesn't Add Up ... or does it?

Preparing For The Passover

Archives

Categories