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seven coverings of the cross

3/29/2018

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            Seven Coverings of the Cross…
And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.  (Luke 23:33)

THE CROSS OF CHRIST IS THE CENTERPIECE of human history. Nothing compares in significance to this lone event that displays God’s holiness and at once His eternal love for His sinning creatures. It was in the fulness of time that Jesus was crucified (Galatians 4:4). If He had been executed earlier by Jews, He would have been stoned, for that was the Jewish way.

HE WAS PIERCED BY THE AUTHORITY AND HANDS OF ROME and their way was by crucifixion. Not a bone of him was broken. He died with criminals and with the rich in his death. He was buried and yet not left to decay in his grave. Several kinds of people interacted with the cross: the fickle crowd, the religious leaders, Pilate, Mary and other women, God the Father,  and The Holy Spirit.

●THE FICKLE CROWD COVERED THE CROSS WITH MOCKERY. Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified. And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified.  (Matthew 27:22-23)

Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said,  He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.  He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God. The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.  (Matthew 27:41-44)
 
●PILATE COVERED THE CROSS WITH A PROCLAMATION. Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him.  Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man!  When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him.  The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.  When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid;  (John 19:4-8)

And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS.  This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin. Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but that he said, I am King of the Jews.   Pilate answered, What I have written I have written.  (John 19:19-22)

●GOD COVERED THE CROSS WITH DARKNESS. Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.  (Matthew 27:45) (An eclipse of the sun can only last for less than nine minutes. This darkness lasted three hours.)

●MARY AND OTHER WOMEN COVERED THE CROSS WITH WEEPING.  And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him. But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children.  (Luke 23:27-28)

●JESUS COVERED THE CROSS WITH BLOOD. But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs:  But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.  (John 19:33-34)

●RELIGIOUS LEADERS COVERED THE CROSS WITH DEATH. But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them.  (Mark 15:11) And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the King of the Jews?  (Mark 15:12) And they cried out again, Crucify him.  (Mark 15:13) Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him.  (Mark 15:14)

Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.  (1Corinthians 2:8)

●THE HOLY SPIRIT COVERED THE CROSS WITH AN INVITATION. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.  (Revelation 22:17)

Read Through the Bible in a Year
MARCH 30, 2018 – FRIDAY A.M   Judges 1-2         P.M. Luke 7:1-30
MARCH 31, 2018 -  SATURDAY A.M.  Judges 3-5     P.M. Luke 7:31-50
APRIL 1, 2018 -    SUNDAY   A.M.  Judges 6-7    P.M.  Luke 8:1-21
    (Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)

Memory Verse This Month:
Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.  (Acts 2:36)

 Songs for Today:  
Christ Arose (2:48) (Samonte – A Capello Choir)
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtxSWcfH9hk
We Shall Rise (3:12) – (Gaither Group) (Congregation)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9P5VdY9ZBk
 You may need to adjust your volume control.


 
 
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according to the o.t. scriptures

3/28/2018

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         According to the O.T. Scriptures…
For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;  And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures: (1Corinthians 15:3-4)

WE'RE REPEATING SOME OF THE THEMES this Easter season, but with some variation. It’s hard to let go of it; the three hours of darkness, the earthquake, the opening of select graves, and the ripping of the veil. Then the raising of many dead saints who appeared unto many, and the effect all of this had on the Roman centurion, the priesthood and the million people who had gathered in Jerusalem for Passover.

IT WOULD BE IMPRESSIVE IF THESE OUTSTANDING STORIES were all we had at Easter. But that’s not all there is to it. The central feature of Easter is the crucifixion and resurrection of the promised Christ from the dead. Not only so, but it also fulfilled Bible prophecy.  It was: “according to the Scriptures.”

SOME SHORT BIBLE PHRASES ARE MOUNTAIN PEAKS of meaning and sturdy sentinels guarding the interpretation of other verses. This is one of them. These two verses are considered by many scholars and teachers as the best definition we have of the Gospel. Christ didn’t just die, He died according to the Old Testament Scriptures. He didn’t just rise again the third day from the grave; He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. 

HE WAS BURIED AND THAT PROVED THAT HE WAS DEAD. Like Lazarus, He was wrapped in grave clothes and coated with some seventy pounds of spices.  When He rose from the dead, His layers of grave clothes were left behind as though He were still inside them.

PAUL'S MAIN MESSAGE WAS THE DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF CHRIST. “First of all,” he said. It wasn’t down in the bag somewhere. It was “first of all.” It wasn’t something he made up. He received it from the Lord. We must major on first things. Nothing is as important in the Christian ministry as the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ from the grave, according to the Scriptures.

THE BIBLE KNOWLEDGE COMMENTARY gives a good summary statement: “Paul included himself in the company of all believers when he spoke of receiving the truth of Christ’s death and His resurrection on behalf of sinful people. These verses, the heart of the gospel, were an early Christian confession which Paul described as of first importance. It was really a twofold confession: Christ died for our sins and He was raised. The reality of this was verified by the Scriptures:
 
For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell (in the grave); neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.  (Psalm 16:10) He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.   And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.   Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.  (Isaiah 53:8-10)

IT WAS VERIFIED BY HISTORICAL EVIDENCE and verified by time in the grave and out of it, in the presence of the living. The fact that He was buried verified His death, and the fact that He appeared to others verified His resurrection. Peter, the first male witness, was soon joined by the remaining disciples who composed the Lord’s immediate circle.” (BKC)

“According to the Scriptures” means that these Scriptures were written as prophecies and then were fulfilled at some future time. Bible prophecy is one of the great proofs that the Bible is the Word of God. Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:  (Isaiah 46:9-10)
 
THE HIGHER CRITICISM OF LIBERAL SCHOLARS SINCE THE 17TH CENTURY (1600'S) employs a bias against the Bible being able to predict the future. This bias, handicaps their ability to interpret the Bible as a supernatural book.

SOMEONE WROTE: “The New Testament is in the Old contained; and Old Testament is in the New Testament explained. It is surprising how much of the Old Testament is prophesy. We learn this by reading the New Testament, which repeatedly tells us “that it might be fulfilled.” One writer said that there are about 300 prophecies concerning the Coming Christ in the Old Testament. Ω

Read Through the Bible in a Year  
 MARCH 29, 2018 – THURSDAY      
A.M. Joshua 23-24      P.M.  Luke 6:27-49
 (Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)

Memory Verse This Month:
Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.  (Acts 2:36)

Song for Today:
The New Jerusalem (5:06) – (Jacob Francis) (C.M.C. Southern Pines, NC)
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5Xcx6_zy3c
 You may have to adjust the volume or delete an ad.
 
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MIRACLES AT CALVARY - OPENED GRAVES

3/27/2018

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Miracles at Calvary--Opened Graves

Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.   And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;  And the graves were opened… (Matthew 27:50-52a)

THE EARTHQUAKE OPENED GRAVES NEAR THE CROSS. Not all the graves; just the graves of many of the saints from the Jerusalem area.  The earthquake and the opening of the graves coincided with three hours of mid-day darkness and the ripping of the sixty-foot veil in the Temple and Jesus’ penetrating cry of victory as He gave up His spirit into the hands of His Father.

ABOUT A MILLION PEOPLE HAD GATHERED in and around Jerusalem for the annual observance of Passover. These people came from the whole of the nation of Israel and from other countries around Israel. To them, the miracles at Calvary were overwhelming evidence that the hand of God was orchestrating these dramatic events. The Roman Centurion who commanded a hundred battle-hardened Roman soldiers concluded: “This is the Son of God!”

WHEN THE GRAVE WERE OPENED, we must realize that the tomb where they laid Jesus was not a typical burying place. Isaiah said: And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.  (Isaiah 53:9) Jesus was crucified between two criminals and buried in a rich man’s grave, (Joseph of Arimathea).

THE GRAVES THAT WERE OPENED WERE NOT ELABORATE GRAVES like the new tomb Jesus was buried in. It had a stone that could be rolled in a stone trough to seal the entrance. It was designed to be opened and closed several times to admit the future burial of members of the family. Most people were buried in holes dug into the ground, just like today. The stone memorials that were laid on top of the common graves varied according the wealth of the family.

“Please note that the graves opened but no one came out of the graves at that time. No one would have broken the Sabbath to repair the opened graves. So, the opened graves lay there gaping open for crowds of people to see them. If they had been opened only to enable dead people to come out of them, would they not have been opened later? No, the stark appearance of these opened graves was an intensified witness of the occasion. An earthquake had opened certain graves and left other graves untouched. These graves contained the bodies of saints. The opened graves were one of the miracles of Calvary.

“WE HAVE THE RENDING OF ROCKS AND OPENING OF GRAVES. They are not the same thing. The rending of rocks involved force. The opening of the graves involved design. The rending of rocks gave no prophecy of the future. But the opening of the graves was a budding of the coming glory. In a few hours, dead people would come out of those graves. Clearly, the opening of the graves was an exhibition of a greater truth that coincided with several other things” (Nicholson, edited)

THE MOST THRILLING THING ABOUT THE OPENED GRAVES is the rest of the story that plays out when Jesus comes out of His grave. Keep in mind that a million people are in town witnessing these things. After the drama is over, they will go back home and spread their testimony for the rest of their lives. They will be talking with their children and handing down the story to their grandchildren and their great-grandchildren. This is truly, the greatest Passover! Ever! Tomorrow we will look at the rest of the story of the opened graves. Ω

 Read Through the Bible in a Year     
 MARCH 28, 2018 – WEDNESDAY   
 A.M. Joshua 21-22       P.M. Luke 6:1-26
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)

Memory Verse This Month:
Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.  (Acts 2:36)

Song for Today:  
Then Came Sunday (3:38) (CMC ) (Choir)                                         
  https://www.facebook.com/faith.r.schofield/videos/10155472822927780/ 
You will need to turn it off after the song. It keeps on running.  This is playing off Facebook and it shows. But the song is so good I used it anyway. A GREAT SONG and done well. (You will hear a good sermon if you have the time.)     
 You may need to adjust your volume control
 
 
 
 
 
 
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miracles at calvary - the veil - part 4

3/26/2018

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  Miracles of Calvary – The Veil – Part 4
And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom;…  (Mat 27:51)

Back in the early 1900's a bishop in the Reformed Episcopal Church, named William Nicholson, wrote a short, classic Christian book entitled, The Six Miracles of Calvary. In that book he looked at the cross of Calvary and the six miracles that would reshape the world. You can now read it on Google Books. There are a few used paper copies still available at Amazon Books and other book sellers: Abe Books, Barnes and Noble, etc. I’ve included some excerpts from the book here, today. He had absorbed the Gospel texts until the story was clear in his mind. (He who would teach most simply, must know most thoroughly.)

“THERE WERE TWO LOUD CRIES FROM THE CROSS. The first, just before the darkness had ended; the second, after the darkness had passed. The first was an agonizing wail of abandonment; the second a voice of joy.

“The first was crushed out of Him by that agony insufferable, of which the dread darkness was the sign; the second was the bounding forth of His feelings of achievement and deliverance in the restored light of the Father’s communion. The first pronounced the words: “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” The second was a shout, pronouncing nothing, but following the words: “It is finished.”

“HIS WORK WAS DONE. HE HAD BORNE OUR SINS. The burden was gone. So then, this second loud voice from the cross was he Conqueror’s outcry of victory. The victory was evident in the supernatural loudness of a dying man’s voice. The Roman centurion was overcome with amazement at it, and the solid earth rocked. With that shout of victory coincided the rending of the veil.” (Nicholson)

“THE RENDING OF HE VEIL WAS SIMPLE BUT EXTREMELY COMLICATED. It opened the way of the common sinner to have access to a Holy God. The sinner no longer needed a priest to offer blood on his behalf. The great High Priest had offered His own blood, once and for all and His own body had been rent even as the veil had been rent.

“IT HAD NOW BECOME IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE HIGH PRIEST TO CONTINUE to carry within the veil, the blood of atonement. The unbroken secrecy of the Holy of Holies was now at an end. The priests who had ministered in front of the veil might now safely enter into the presence of God, freely. The people in the outer court might now advance into the Holy Place of the priests and from there into the Holy of Holies, for themselves. When the very presence-chamber of God had ceased to be screened off, the spirit and meaning of the first veil also were exhausted.

“THE RENDING OF THE VEIL, THEREFORE, WAS THE DESTRUCTION of the Tabernacle/Temple dispensation. It took the meaning out of the entire structure. It disjointed the ritual and decapitated the divine economy of the ages. “ (Nicholson)

WHY DID GOD INSTITUTE SUCH A SYSTEM, TO BEGIN WITH? Sin! All the Tabernacle arrangement was God’s abiding statement that He would not commune with a man whose sin is upon him in its deep and damning curse. When that problem was done away with in the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, there was no longer any need to obstruct man’s path toward the presence of a Holy God.

​Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,  By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;  (Hebrews 10:19-20)

MANY PEOPLE ASSUME THAT THEY ARE SAVED BY THEIR TEARS OF REPENTANCE, or that they have reformed their lives to such a degree that God looks upon them with favor and forgives their sins because of their earnestness.  Not so! We cannot live such a righteous life that God will overlook our past sins. It is not based on that.

When we are forgiven our sins, it is because the Lamb of God shed His precious blood on the cross. You can never live a good-enough life that will earn you a place in Heaven. But the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanseth us from all sin. (1John 1:7)

THE PRIESTS WHO WERE ATTENDING THEIR DUTIES IN THE HOLY PLACE when the veil was rent in twain, would soon be out of work. The High Priest would be out of work! There was no further need for his services. All the sacrifices around the Temple that were being sold no longer had a market. There were sheep farms around Jerusalem whose business it was to raise sacrificial lambs to be offered as a blood sacrifice for those who bought them. Those farms would soon be out of business. Their services would soon no longer be needed.

GOD ALLOWED THE TEMPLE MACHINERY TO CONTINUE FOR ANOTHER FORTY YEARS. The people who had a vested interest in selling sheep and goats and doves for sacrifice, would never voluntarily go into another business.

IN A.D. 70, TITUS, THE ROMAN GENERAL, SURROUNDED JERUSALEM and during Passover, closed off the city and began destroying the Temple and the City of Jerusalem. Over a million Jews were slaughtered at the hands of the Jewish soldiers. As the Temple burned, the gold inside the building melted and ran down on the stones.  

The soldiers took iron bars and turned over the massive stones as they scraped off the gold and put it into their pockets. As was prophesied in Jesus’ day: not one stone shall be left on another. (Luke 19:44) Israel had rejected their promised Messiah and God finally removed the whole Jewish system of worship and scattered the Jews.

FOR TWO THOUSAND YEARS THERE WAS NOT A NATION CALLED ISRAEL....not until 1948 when Israel once again became a nation. One day another Temple will be rebuilt on Mt. Zion. Today, there is an industry working at making musical instruments and various pieces for Temple worship.  The Jews as a whole, still do not realize they slew their messiah. One day they will realize it. Jesus will sit upon the Throne of David and reign as the King of Israel. Ω
 
Read Through the Bible in a Year  
 March 27, 2018 – TUESDAY      
A.M. Joshua 19-20      P.M.  Luke 5:17-39
  (Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)

Memory Verse This Month:
Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.  (Acts 2:36)

Song for Today:  
Behold What Manner of Man Is This (2:13) – (Mennonite Youth Group )             
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqZPIVW18oU                           
 You may need to adjust your volume control
 
 
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Miracles at calvary - the veil- Part 3

3/25/2018

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   Miracles at Calvary …The Veil – Part 3
And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom;…  (Matthew 27:51)

THE TEMPLE THAT EXISTED when Jesus was crucified was a marvel of construction. It was the Second Temple or Herod’s Temple. It consisted of an outer courtyard where the common people could assemble, plus two rooms in the building-proper.
The first room was called the “Holy Place” and was entered only by appointed priests. In the picture, you can see the furniture: the lampstand, the altar of incense and the table of showbread. The “Holy Place” was entered by coming past the first veil.

THE SECOND ROOM WAS CALLED THE "MOST HOLY PLACE"  or “Holy of Holies.” It was entered by coming past the second veil. In the picture we see this veil, ripped from top to bottom. Most likely, the rip in the curtain was not as irregular and ragged as pictured here. But no one knows what the ripped edges looked like.

FROM NICHOLSON, WE LEARN THE FOLLOWING THINGS ABOUT THE VEIL. Upon the “ground-work” or “foundation-work” of “fine-twined linen” was displayed the colors of blue, purple and scarlet. The blue corresponded to the blue heaven; the scarlet corresponded to the earth and the purple was a mixture of heaven and earth. It pictured God coming down and blending with His redeemed ones and working with them to yield to His holiness and becoming like Him. Those three colors were interwoven with a mass of cherubim (angelic beings). It hung by hooks of gold from four pillars overlaid with gold. The Scripture calls it a ‘cunning work,’ the cunning of God. It was copied from the pattern showed to Moses on the mount.

ONLY THE HIGH PRIEST HAD EVER SEEN BEYOND THE SECOND VEIL. And now the veil had suddenly ceased to exist. It was rent. Suddenly its office was at an end. There it still hung, split in half, but the eye might now see through it and beyond it. As a veil, it was gone. All at once the concealment had ceased. It fell in its own place before the Holy of Holies, as if resigning its office. In all the magnificent building, not another thing was marred or misplaced.

NOW OUR ATTENTION TURNS TO THE WALLS. The walls of the Temple did not move and pull the curtain apart. How can we know that? Nothing in the records of that time, including the writings of Jewish historian: Josephus, mention the walls of the Temple being damaged.  We are told that the walls were as much as seven and a half feet thick and sixty feet high. The stones varied from 2 to 100 tons each, one weighing 400 tons. The walls of the Temple Mount foundation are sixteen feet thick.
 
THE STONES WERE CUT SO EXACT THAT PIECE OF TIN cannot be inserted between them and no cement was used. For the walls to have pulled the curtain apart, the walls would have to be lying flat on the ground. But, the walls were not disturbed. When the Roman army finally destroyed the Temple, it was a major undertaking for soldiers to move the stones until not one stone was left upon another. (Matthew 24:2) But that was later.

IT WAS NOT BECAUSE OF NATURAL DECAY THAT THE THREADS OF THE VEIL had parted asunder. The veils were not allowed to decay before they were replaced. I’ve read that there were as many as eighty dedicated women who worked constantly at making the next veil. It was replaced about once a year. It parted in the middle, thus opening in the very center of what it had served to conceal. And when did it happen? At the exact second when Jesus Christ expired on the Cross! That was the august moment for which the veil of concealment had been waiting; the moment for which through all the ages it had continued to exist.

At the beginning of the three hours of darkness, Jesus had cried: “My God, My God! Why hast Thou forsaken me?” At the end of the three hours of darkness, Jesus cried: “It is finished!” in great triumph. That’s when the veil rent in two.

THE TIMING OF JESUS' DEATH AND THE RENTING OF THE VEIL coincided with an assembly of witnesses God had assembled to give testimony to what they had seen. Jesus died at exactly 3:00 p.m., at the exact moment the evening sacrifice was to begin. At that exact time, the priests were present inside the Holy Place, in front of the veil, engaged in their duties relating to the Evening Sacrifice. They were eye-witnesses of the ripping of the veil because God arranged it to be so. It is no accident that “a great company of the priests became obedient to the faith.” (Acts 6:7)

GOD PLACED ADEQUATE WITNESSES AT EVERY STAGE OF REVEALING HIMSELF to a million people who had gathered for Passover. From all over the land of Israel and from several foreign countries the Passover Feast drew at least a million people every year to celebrate. This year was no exception. They were packed into the city of Jerusalem and the surrounding area as one big mass of people. You can be assured that when the sky turned black for three hours and covered the crucifixion of the miracle-working Galilean, a million people took note of it.

WHEN THE DARKNESS ENDED AS SUDDENLY AS IT HAD COME, and it began to be whispered among them that the most sacred veil in the Temple had mysteriously ripped from the top to the bottom: it was like a spear through their souls! A million people would go home and tell how it had become fearfully dark with an earthquake and the sacred veil had been destroyed just at the moment of the Evening Passover and at the exact moment when the darkness was lifted.

THE MIRACLES OF CALVARY ARE THERE FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS TO KNOW about them. The ripping of the veil is the centerpiece of miracles that occurred that week. In the next part, we will examine the consequences of the ripping of the veil. Ω

Read Through the Bible in a Year  
 MARCH 26, 2018 – MONDAY      
A.M. Joshua 16-18      P.M.  Luke 5:1-16
 (Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)

Memory Verse This Month:
Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.  (Acts 2:36)

Song for Today:  
The Rocks Will Cry Out (2:42)(Adult Calvary Choir-Sou.Pines,N.C)             
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HByPJYXm1WM
  You may need to adjust your volume control
 
 
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MIRACLES AT CALVARY - THE VEIL - PART 2

3/22/2018

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   Miracles at Calvary…the Veil…Part 2

And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom;…  (Matthew 27:51)

EVERYTHING IN THE TABERNACLE AND TEMPLE  had symbolic meanings. These structures were copied from the Heavenly structure. God gave Moses directions on the earthly structure and its dimensions. Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.  (Hebrew 8:5) Hebrews 9:23 also refers to the heavenly pattern from which the earthly tabernacle was made.

THE TABERNACLE AND THE TEMPLE WERE ABOUT SINFUL MEN BEING ABLE to successfully approach God. Since the first sin in the Garden of Eden, human beings could only meet with God through a blood sacrifice. God had declared to Adam and Eve that if they partook of the forbidden fruit in the Garden, there was but one decree for them and that was death. But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.  (Genesis 3:3)   (This is Eve talking to the Devil.)  Eve and Adam went right ahead and defied God, sinned and incurred the penalty of death that God had warned them about.

BUT GOD KILLED AN ANNIMAL INSTEAD OF KILLING ADAM AND EVE, and in so doing, shed its blood. God covered the nakedness of sinful Adam and Eve with the bloody skins of an innocent animal. That act was a picture of what would occur one day when God’s own Son would give His life on the cross for the sins of the world.

IF THE TABERNACLE AND TEMPLE WERE DEVICES FOR HELPING SINFUL MEN, what was the function of the two veils that hindered sinful man from approaching God? It was God’s way of saying: “Not so fast! You may come this far, but no further. You must meet some conditions to come into My presence. My authority that was violated in the Garden of Eden must be ever kept before you.” “I’m not the old man upstairs without a name!” I have a name!  You are not free to make Me in your image! I am God and besides Me there is none else!”

THE TWO VEILS PUT THE BRAKES ON CARELESS PEOPLE WHO WANT to be buddies with God and help Him write the rules. God is in charge and He will always be in charge. The end result of our relationship with Him is:  That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.  (Romans 8:4)

GOD INVITES US TO COME TO HIM, TO FELLOWSHIP WITH HIM, ut it’s going to be on His terms. Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.  (Isaiah 45:22-23)

ADAM AND EVE LOST THEIR KINGDOM OVER ASSUMING GOD'S AUTHORITY for themselves. Isaiah drives this home: All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.  (Isaiah 53:6)
What is sin? Sin is transgression of the law of God. Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.  (1John 3:4)

SIN IS ABOUT DEFYING THE AUTHORITY GOD and going our own way. The specific acts of sin are not the issue. The attitude of defying God’s authority is the problem. To be saved, this has to be fixed! We have an attitude problem. We want to be in charge and tell God what we will do and what we expect of Him because we say so. Friend, that is not going to work. That attitude got Adam and Eve thrown out of the garden and on their way to death.

THE VEILS WERE THERE TO TELL THOSE WHO SEEK AFTER GOD that they cannot casually charge into the presence of God and tell Him what to do. Going through the points of the Roman Road and “repeat this prayer after me” is not going to change anything unless there’s a change of attitude about who God is and who is eternally in charge of everything. (I am not against the Roman Road and asking people if I can pray with them. I’ve done it hundreds of time.)

BUT NEITHER AM I SO NAIVE AS TO BELIEVE THAT EVEN THIS GOOD RITUAL is going to save a man’s soul unless he is truly humbling His heart before God. A proud man cannot be saved. A proud Christian cannot walk with God. The message is: BOW THE KNEE! And if you’re too old and crippled to bow your knee, then bow the knee of your heart!

For all the sins and abominations of the Jewish people for fifteen hundred years, intruding past the veil was not one of them. Somehow, they knew not to go past that second veil. At some point, some of the priests began tying a rope around the ankle of the High Priest when he went into the Holy of Holies once a year so that if he should die while he was in there, the other priests could pull his body out of the Holy of Holies without taking their own lives into their hands by rushing in and carrying him out.

THE VEIL WAS A FIGURE OF THE CHRIST WHO WAS TO COME and offer Himself to God. When He cried out the second time and proclaimed: “It is finished!” the veil in front of the Holy of Holies ripped from top to bottom, (the full sixty feet) and now we have access to God through Him.

Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;  And having an high priest over the house of God;   Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.  (Hebrews 10:19-22) Ω

Read Through the Bible in a Year  
MARCH 23, 2018 – FRIDAY      
A.M. Joshua 9-10      P.M.  Luke 3
 
March 24, 2018 – SATURDAY
A.M. Joshua 11-13    P.M. Luke 4:1-32
March 25, 2018 – SUNDAY
A.M. Joshua 14-15   P.M. Luke 4:33-44
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)

Memory Verse This Month:
Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.  (Act 2:36)

Song for Today:
 He Said Arise (3:19) – (He Said Arise - Calvary Memorial Choir)             
https://www.facebook.com/100009410046480/videos/1838235149833469/                      
   You may need to adjust your volume control
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Miracles at calvary - the veil

3/21/2018

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        Miracles at Calvary…the Veil

And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom;…  (Matthew 27:51)

THE NEXT GREAT WONDER MENTIONED AT CALVARY was the dividing of the veil into two pieces, from top to bottom. For many years, I assumed that the earthquake was the instrument that divided the veil. The room was thirty feet wide and the veil was approximately sixty feet high. Why would such a great earthquake not have ripped the veil in half? It is important to realize that the veil was hanging loosely and not fastened to the wall with tension on it.
 
IF THE EARTHQUAKE HAD RIPPED THE VEIL, the force for ripping the veil would have come from the walls of the building into the veil. That is, the walls would have moved and stretched or snatched the veil to cause it to rip. But, the earthquake did not move/destroy the sturdy stone building and therefore did not cause the ripping of the veil. How can we know that?
 
CONSIDER THE EMPRIE STATE BUILDING in New York City (completed 1931). It is 102 stories, 1,250 feet high to the top of its roof. To the tip of its lightening rod, it is 1,454 feet high. The building is designed to be slightly flexible in the wind. With a wind of 110 miles per hour, the top of the wall of the building will move 1.48 inches. (One and a half inches.) So, this expertly designed building 1,250 high can bend only one and a half inches in 110 miles per hour wind. The implication is that if it bends more than one and a half inches, it would crack the Empire State Building. (No mention is made this building ever cracking.) If it moves 1 ½’’ at 1,250’ up, how far is it moving at 90’ from the ground? One eighth of an inch?
 
www.bible-history.com/jewishtemple says the walls of Herod’s Temple (in Jesus’ day) were 5 cubits (7 ½ feet) thick and the highest point of the Temple was about 90 feet. Let’s remember also, that the Empire State Building did not have walls 7 ½ feet thick.
 
THE FORCE ON THE JEWISH TEMPLE WAS AN EARTH QUAKE and not wind. The wall, seven and a half feet thick, did not move during the earth quake. That is, there is no mention in the Bible or secular history of the Temple wall moving. If a stone wall, 90-feet high had moved enough to rip the veil completely in two pieces, the wall would no longer be standing. Think about this. Each of the outside walls would have to pull outward six inches to rip the veil the first foot. But, the veil is sixty feet high. For the walls to rip the veil all the way to the bottom, the walls would have to be laying on the ground.
 
LET'S SAY THAT YOU HAVE A SIX-FOOT PIECE OF CLOTH and you are going to rip it completely into two pieces. Your fingertips, with your arms stretched out, will be about six feet. As you tear the cloth in two, your extended arms will tear the piece of cloth only half-way down. You will have three feet of cloth in each hand and the cloth is only torn half-way to the bottom. So, with your six-foot arm reach, you can only rip a six-foot piece of cloth half way. The point here is that the walls would have to move outward the full length of the 60-foot veil being ripped. The earthquake did not move the Temple walls far enough to rip the 60-foot veil from top to bottom. Please think this through.
 
OUR BIBLE TEXT GIVES A CAUSE FOR THE RIPPING OF THE VEIL, it is obviously the result of Jesus’ cry.  Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.   And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;  (Mat 27:50-51)

“ACCORDING TO THE ORDER GIVEN HERE, the rending of the veil was independent of the quaking of the earth. Indeed, whatever there is of cause and effect would lead us to think that the rending of the veil was the result of the second of the two cries from Calvary, that is, the last, loud, expiring cry of the Crucified. The same cry then would be the cause of the earthquake” (Nicholson)

THE RENDING OF THE VEIL AND THE SIMULTANEOUS EARTHQUAKE were twin actions following the cry of the crucified. “It was, as we may say, the loud voice of the expiring Savior which split in two the veil of the Temple, and shook the earth, and broke the rocks.” (Nicholson) 

THE ROMAN CENTURION (ARMY COMMANDER IN CHARGE OF ONE HUNDRED MEN) who witnessed the crucifixion, indicates that he was affected partly by seeing the earthquake. Mark’s account mentions nothing of the earthquake but says that the centurion was affected by his seeing that Jesus cried out in such a powerful way at the instant of his last breath. Men did not always have that much power in their last utterance from the cross. Jesus’ last utterance from the cross must have pierced the soul of the centurion and struck him as being extra ordinary for a man’s last breath.

“From this comparison of the two evangelists it is suggested that the force of the cry is to be measured by the quaking of the earth; and by that, then also by the rending of the veil.” (Nicholson)

THE STONE TEMPLE TOOK THE PLACE OF THE TABERNACLE which was made of animal skins and boards, held together with metal fasteners and hooks. However, the veil was a continuation of the veil design used in the Tabernacle. In purpose, the veil of the Temple was the same as the veil of the Tabernacle. Its purpose was to conceal from human view what lay beyond it.

THE TABERNACLE BEGAN WITH THE COURTYARD where people could assemble. A veil prevented the common people from seeing into the first room of the Tabernacle, the Holy Place. The priests could enter that room, the Holy Place, and perform certain tasks on a daily basis. Beyond the Holy Place was another veil and beyond it was the Holy of Holies.
Priests could not enter the Holy of Holies.

ONLY THE HIGH PRIEST COULD ENTER THIS ROOM ONCE A YEAR to bring blood to anoint the Ark of the Covenant and to present the incense. The veil which concealed the Holy of Holies (or, Most Holy Place) was torn in two pieces when Jesus cried with a loud voice: “It is finished” and gave up the ghost.

THE WRITER OF HEBREWS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT refers to the ripping of the veil: Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;  And having an high priest over the house of God;  Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.  (Heb 10:19-22)

JESUS WAS THAT VEIL AND THROUGH THE RENDING OF HIS BODY ON THE CROSS, He opened the way for sinners to approach God directly. He offered His own blood as the great High Priest of Heaven, just one time. The ordinary High Priests had to offer blood every year.

THE VEIL WAS TORN IN TWO AT THE EXACT MOMENT of the Evening Sacrifice, at 3:00 p.m. Several priests were on duty in the Holy Place, preparing for the Evening Sacrifice. But on this special day, there would be no Evening Sacrifice by their hands. Jesus, Himself would be that Evening Sacrifice and would offer His own blood. It is important to note that the earthly Tabernacle and then the earthly Temple were made after the pattern of a Tabernacle in the heavens.

THE EARTHLY TABERNACLE RECEIVED EARTHLY SACRIFICES. But the Heavenly Tabernacle would receive a better blood sacrifice than the earthly Tabernacle: It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.  (Hebrews 9:23) Jesus offered His blood in the Heavenly Tabernacle. When He died, the veil of the earthly Tabernacle was rent so that all could see it.

AND THE WORD OF GOD INCREASED; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.  (Acts 6:7)
The reason a great company of the priests in Jerusalem were obedient to the Christian faith is through the testimony of the priests who were on duty in the Temple. They knew what they had seen and they knew what it had meant. None of them could have ripped the 60’ veil from the top down and they all knew it. They had seen a miracle…the miracle of the rent veil.  They would become Christians in a few days. They would tell the other priests what they had seen, and many other priests would become Christians because of the renting of the veil. Ω
 
Read Through the Bible in a Year  
 MARCH 22, 2017 – THURSDAY      
A.M. Joshua 7-8      P.M.  Luke 2
  (Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)

A Good Memory Verse:
Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.  (Act 2:36)

Song for Today:  
Rock of Ages (3:24) – (Gaither Group) (Vestal Goodman)
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fZQep1pUDc
 You may need to adjust your volume control
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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an earthquake that opened graves

3/20/2018

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      An Earthquake that Opened Graves

Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened;
 
And many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.  Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly, this was the Son of God.  (Matthew 27:50-54)
 
THE DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST was draped in a garland of miracles that trumpeted the voice of God to the world: “This is My Son! I have given Him in death and raised Him from the dead to redeem you from your sins! I have written my love for you in red! Look at what I have done for you! I love you!”

AT NOON WHILE JESUS WAS ON THE CROSS, there suddenly came a darkness that hushed the birds and stopped all commerce and labor for three hours and then lifted; Not an eclipse of the sun which lasts only eight minutes and cannot occur on the full of the moon. Jewish Passover was always on the full of the moon.

AT THE END OF PASSOVER DAY, at the time of the evening sacrifice, the priceless 60’ veil inside the temple suddenly ripped in two from top to bottom while priests who were inside, looked on in stunning disbelief. The massive stone walls of the Temple did not buckle from the earthquake. 

THE WALLS HELD FIRM AND THE VEIL RIPPED independently of the earthquake.
At that instant, Jesus made a loud cry: “It is finished!” and lowered his head on his chest. It was a cry of triumph! He had finished what He was born to do; to die as the sacrificial lamb for the sins of the whole world. The earthquake broke layers of rock in two and opened certain graves. Then all was quiet. The priests went on with the evening sacrifice.

THE NEXT DAY THE SUN ROSE AS THOUGH NOTHING HAD HAPPENED. The Jewish leadership thought they had gotten rid of the itinerant preacher who had caused them so much trouble. The Passover continued (also known as the Feast of Unleavened bread) and the million or so people who had come to Jerusalem were having the most unusual Passover Celebration they had ever experienced. It was now into the third day of Passover.

THROUGHOUT THE CITY THERE WAS A LOW-KEY CONVERSATION about the darkness that had imprisoned every one of them and the tale of the veil being ripped in two. The earthquake had frightened them all and now they could see several places of damage from the earth quake.

THEN IT HAPPENED! In the crowded city where they were packed in and had trouble moving, there suddenly appeared many people dressed in grave clothes moving among them, pushing against them, moving through the crowds. They were hungry and were asking people to share a piece of bread with them.

THE CONVERSATIONS SUDDENLY CHANGED as it was noised throughout the city that people who were known to have died recently were mingling among the crowds asking for food and people were astonished at what they were seeing. They could not believe their own eyes! They could not believe their own ears! Who are these people among us in grave clothes?

ADDED TO THIS STRANGE DRAMA OF THE LIVING DEAD was the rumor, now running wild, that the Galilean preacher who was crucified on the middle cross, was alive!  The Jewish leaders were completely baffled as to what to do. It had blown up in their faces! It would now be worse than if they had left him alone. The older leaders were desperate to concoct any kind of story to quell the firestorm of excitement in the streets about this dead Jew who had come back from the grave and all these other dead people among them! What were they to do? Nothing! They could do nothing!

AT LAST, PASSOVER (also known as the Feast of Unleavened Bread) was over and a million people began to slowly move out of the city trying to find their traveling group for the journey home. And what did they talk about? What do you think they talked about? Some were home after walking a few miles and many thousands of them would take several days to travel a hundred miles or 150 miles back home. They had much to tell the folks at home.

THE STRANGEST STORIES ANYONE HAD EVER HEARD were going to be the center of conversations for months to come. God had spoken in a way He had never spoken before. In fifty days, many would return to Jerusalem for Pentecost and another chapter of events would be unleashed upon those who made the journey. Ω

Read Through the Bible in a Year  
 March 21, 2017 – WEDNESDAY      
A.M. Joshua 4-6      P.M.  Luke 1:57-80
  (Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)

Memory Verse This Month:
Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.  (Act 2:36)

Song for Today:  
What a Lovely Name (3:59) – (Vestal G. and Gaither Group)             
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5LVAnXdTMQ

I don’t recall any songs written about the earthquake at the crucifixion of Jesus. So, we’ll sing about Jesus. Here is a favorite in the south (as well as in some northern cities where southerners moved to work in manufacturing.) The singing conventions of a hundred years ago generated a movement that wrote and sang many songs and sold millions of Southern Gospel song books.

In thousands of churches, these songs dominate the music. First sung by quartets, then by church choirs, and then by the congregations. This is one of those songs. Vestal Goodman’s strong voice is a favorite in singing the “heart” songs of the south. She has a gift for stirring the saints. In these troubled days, we need to look at Jesus, our hope, and our help.
                                                
​You may need to adjust your volume control
 
 
 
 
 
 
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the miracles at calvary - earthquake

3/19/2018

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   The Miracles of Calvary – Earthquake
And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;  (Matthew 27:51)

MATTHEW WROTE: Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. (27:50)
MARK WROTE: And Jesus cried with a loud voice and gave up the ghost.  (15:37) 
LUKE WROTE: And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost  (23:46);  JOHN WROTE: When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.  (19:30)
 
ALONG WITH THESE THINGS CAME A MIGHTY EARTHQUAKE. This was not an earthquake of a trifling magnitude. Rocks did not merely crack but broke in two. At the same time, the earthquake did not disturb the solid rock structure of the Temple. It did not displace the cross while it shook the hill of Calvary. The earthquake opened graves but not all graves. They were the graves of saints.
 
“IT SEEMED AS THOUGH THE EARTHQUAKE WERE A LIVING THING, whose divine intelligence discriminated the various dead at Golgotha. It seemed as if it sensed the meaning of that shout of victory. It seemed to indicate the program that was to follow and to preintimate the Savior’s victory for His saints by His resurrection on the third day.
 
“Now, because of all these incidences, how plain it is that the earthquake at Calvary was not such as nature ever causes. Rather, it was nature lifted out of the course of nature; lifted solely and independently by an act of God…(Nicholson)
 
IT WAS AS THOUGH THE EARTHQUAKE HAD AN ACTIVE PART TO PLAY in the great display God was making before a million people who had gathered in Jerusalem for Passover celebration. Was there ever such a collection of testimony at any Passover Feast down through the centuries? The answer is, “No! There was never such a display of such power and design as to portray the crucial message: The Lamb of God, slain before the foundation of the world has just been slain!”
 
THE EARTHQUAKE HAD A GREAT TASK TO PERFORM: It had to open the graves and get things ready for the upcoming resurrection of many saints who are going to walk out of those newly opened graves. What we are saying here is that the earthquake was the mighty director of an integrated drama. No one could avoid noticing the earthquake as it shook the ground under the feet of a million people and yet was so selective in its breaking of rock in two and opening graves. It was a symphony with the tympani drums rolling at their utmost, climaxing in the clash of symbols and the rolling of the earth.
 
THE EARTHQUAKE HAD A WITNESSING FUNCTION OF ITS OWN, in breaking rocks, opening graves and reducing the bravery of seasoned Roman soldiers who had faced death many times but who had never stood in the presence of so great a shaking of the earth. Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.  (Matthew 27:54)

WE HAVE YET TO REVIEW GOD'S DISPLAY AT MT. SINAI when God thundered and shook the earth in preparation for the announcing of His law through the hands of Moses. We also must look at what the mighty hand of God is going to do in the latter days as this age draws to a close, and the great rendering of the earth at the close of the millennium in preparation for the new heaven and new earth.

GOD DOES NOT HESITATE TO USE HIS MIGHTY POWER OVER THE EARTH He created as a means of communicating with men who will not have God to rule over them. The shaking of the earth has only begun. There is much yet to come. At present, we must be careful not to ignore the role of the mighty earthquake that occurred when Jesus hurled His last cry as He gave up the ghost and departed from the cross. Ω

Read Through the Bible in a Year  
 March 20, 2017 – TUESDAY      
A.M. Joshua 1-3      P.M.  Luke 1:57-80
  (Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)

Memory Verse This Month:
Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.  (Acts 2:36)

Song for Today:
To God Be the Glory (3:25) – (Royal Albert Hall, London)             
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-15v9iworAU  
  You may need to adjust your volume control
 
 
 
 
 
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The miracles at calvary - darkness

3/19/2018

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   The Miracles of Calvary…Darkness
And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.  And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst.  And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.  (Luke 23:44-46)
 
THE LITERAL RESURRECTION OF CHRIST FROM THE DEAD is the bedrock proof of Christianity. Our Bible includes the creation of the earth and the miracle of the creation and preservation of the Jewish nation. In the boneyard of ancient nations, the Bible has proven to be the most accurate and reliable source of information. Before archaeologists dig up the ruins of ancient civilizations, the Bible has named rulers and places long forgotten.

BEFORE THE EARTH WAS FORMED, God determined that His Son would be the sacrificial Lamb for the sins of the world. Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,  (1Peter 1:20) And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.  (Revelation 13:8)  At least ten times, the Bible refers to God’s plan of salvation before He ever made the earth. I decided not to include them all here.

MOSES REVEALED THAT GOD'S SPECIAL PROPHET would be sent, like him. The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;  (Deuteronomy 18:15) The prophets and scholars of Israel began to watch for that special prophet who was to come. The entire Old Testament is much about the One who was to come. It speaks of Him directly (as above) and speaks much of Him in types and shadows.

THIS SPECIAL-SENT PROPHET WOULD BE RAISED FROM THE DEAD. When the Jewish leaders manipulated the Roman magistrate and Roman soldiers to crucify Jesus, they all thought they were getting rid of Him. Being a politician may make you powerful, but it doesn’t automatically make you smart. Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. (1Corinthians 2:8)

I commend to you the out-of-print paperback book: The Six Miracles of Calvary,  by William R. Nicholson (January 8, 1822 – June 7, 1901). Copyrighted 1927 by Moody Bible Institute and first appeared in the Moody Bible Institute Monthly at the hands of James M. Gray, D.D., Editor in Chief.

This is one of the books I read every year. You may be able to find a used copy online. I like to carry it with me a week or two before Easter and use it as tool for witnessing. This year, I can’t find the book, so I’ll have to talk without it.
 
“DO YOU REMEMBER THE LAST ECLIPSE OF THE SUN WE HAD A FEW MONTHS AGO?As you know, an eclipse can’t be more than nine minutes. “Well, when Jesus was crucified, it turned dark for three hours.”
 
IF THERE'S TIME AND INTEREST, we discuss the coming out of the graves in Jerusalem of a great many dead people who show themselves alive to many living people. On that week, there were over a million Jews in Jerusalem for Passover, gathered from every part of the nation of Israel and from many foreign countries where they were scattered.

The darkness, the earthquake, the opening of the graves, the rending of the veil, the rising of the dead from the graveyard and the resurrection of Jesus from the grave. I LOVE to talk with people about these things!. There’s no better question than: “Do you think Jesus rose from the dead?”

(The first proof of Christ’s resurrection is that the 11 scared disciples who ran and hid, came out of hiding and died for Jesus because they believed He had been raised from the dead. They saw him, handled him, heard him, ate his fish, and watched Him ascend into heaven until a cloud received Him out of sight. They would not have been willing to die for a lie.)

THE CRUCIFIXION AND RESURRECTION OF CHRIST FROM THE DEAD are the centerpiece of human history. God displayed an array of testimony on those three days as an eternal and lasting testimony to every living soul who is willing to hear a message from Him.

Jesus had been on the cross for three hours beginning at 9:00 a.m. and at high noon, darkness fell upon Jesus on the cross and upon a million-people packed into the city of Jerusalem. This did not happen in a corner. “Over all the earth” or as Matthew states: “over all the land.” “No one can positively say that the darkness did not extend over the daylight half of the globe.”

But if the phenomenon was limited to Judea, it was even then sufficiently remarkable. Indeed, in that case, it had a concentration of force like that of the three days of darkness in Egypt, while there was yet light in Goshen. At any rate, the darkness extended over all the land.

IT WAS NOT AN ECLIPSE OF THE SUN. The longest eclipse of the sun can only last slightly over eight minutes, not even nine minutes. Besides that, it occurred at Passover which is always on the season of a full moon. During a full moon, an eclipse of the sun is impossible. The “sun was darkened.” There was a failure of its light. The occasion was not caused by an absence of the sun, which is the cause of our night time. It was darkness at noon time, a darkness in the presence of the sun. It was not caused by the passing of another heavenly body between the sun and the earth.

LIGHT IS THE ANTAGONIST, THE INVADER OF DARKNESS. Darkness does not invade light. And yet, darkness invaded the sun and overcame the brightness of the sun. The darkness of Calvary smothered the light of the noonday sun. “What a trembling conception of the almightiness of God!”

During the three hours of darkness, it was as God the Father had drawn a veil over the suffering of His Son on the cross to obscure Him from the mocking, rebellious eyes of His tormentors.

It would seem that His suffering in silence could be no longer endured. His suffering had grown more and more intense and we may assume that the darkness may have grown more and more dark, though it does not say. How dark was it? We do not know but it was not merely twilight. It was a frightening darkness and known to over a million people who saw it and no doubt discussed it in sacred, hushed tones.

THE ROMAN CENTURION "FEARED GREATLY" and he was a battle-hardened soldier. Some beat their breasts with intense awe at what they were seeing. One does not “fear greatly” and beat one’s breast in awe because a cloud passes over. It was three solid hours of intense darkness.

A MILLION PEOPLE WOULD GO HOME AND TELL THE STORY the rest of their lives and it would become solid folklore for generations to come. The ones who stayed home to tend the cattle and the farms, also experienced the darkness for three hours. They would all join hands in telling future generations what took place that day. Ω
​
Read Through the Bible in a Year
MARCH 16, 2018 – FRIDAY
A.M. Deuteronomy 28   P.M   Mark 15:1-26
 
March 17, 2018 – SATURDAY
A.M. Deuteronomy 29-30       P.M.  Mark 16
 
March 18, 2019 – SUNDAY
A.M. Deuteronomy 31-32   P.M. Luke 1:1-23
 
 March 19, 2018 – MONDAY      
A.M. Deuteronomy 33-34     P.M.  Luke 1:24-56
  (Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)

Memory Verse This Month:
Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.  (Acts 2:36)

Song for Today:  
Just As I Am (3:30) – (Samonte) (Mennonite Choir )
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxA0TFe3-Uo
 You may need to adjust your volume control.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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    Dan Carr is a "retired" pastor, writer, teacher and continues to write at this website. This blog and other articles are e-mailed free to anyone who wants them. Go to: 
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