Why Did God Give Us Prophecies? Part 2

www.Morguefile.com 

There is another reason God gave us prophecies. That is so we could identify The Anointed One. (Tweet that!)

The Anointed One is the Bible's term for "the one" person God was referring to. (Tweet that!)

This term, "the Anointed One," has become know by other words today: (Tweet that!)

• Messiah (Hebrew)
• Christ (Greek)

This Anointed One is the person God promised to send. This was the person all the prophecies pointed to. The One who would fulfill all the prophecies. (See Acts 10:36-43.)

That is how he--the Anointed One, the Christ, the Messiah--was to be identified. (Tweet that!)

The religious leaders in Jesus' time were supposed to recognize the Messiah when he came. But they did not believe Jesus was the Messiah.

They didn't look hard enough. Jesus accused them of willfully refusing to see (John 9).

But if they, the religious leaders of Jesus' time, had really looked into the prophecies and then investigated whether or not Jesus fulfilled them, they would have discovered he fulfilled them. All of them. Perfectly. (Tweet that!)

Some high-powered Jews did believe Jesus was the Messiah. Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea were two (John 19:38-39).

But in one of the biggest ironies in human history, most of the Jewish leaders who were trained to recognize Messiah and lead the people in knowing him did not recognize Jesus was the Messiah.

This is another reason why God gave us prophecies: so we could see when one person fulfilled them. And when we saw The One who did, we would know he was the Christ, the Messiah. (Tweet that!)


If you missed Part 1, find it here: Why Did God Give Us Prophecies?

Why Did God Give Us Prophecies? Part 1

www.Morguefile.com 

Since we are talking about prophecies in the Bible and them coming true or being fulfilled, it's only fair that we ask why would God give us prophecies? (Tweet that!) I can think of at least three reasons why God would give us prophecies. (Tweet that!)

This is God's prophet Isaiah speaking in Isaiah 48:3-6:

I foretold the former things long ago, 

    my mouth announced them and I made them known; 

    then suddenly I acted, and they came to pass.

For I knew how stubborn you were;

    your neck muscles were iron,

    your forehead was bronze.

Therefore I told you these things long ago;

    before they happened I announced them to you

so that you could not say,

    'My images brought them about;

    my wooden image and metal god ordained them.'

You have heard these things; look at them all.

    Will you not admit them? 

From now on I will tell you of new things, 

    of hidden things unknown to you...

These verses tell us at least two reasons why God gives us prophecies:

• To tell us what will happen. This also means that He knows what will happen before it does. (Tweet that!) Because God is eternal, He is outside of time and He is able to see the end from the beginning.

• Secondly, God tells what will happen in advance so that when we see it happening, we know it is Him doing it. (Tweet that!) For those of us who believe in Him, we know He is doing these things, or at least is allowing them to happen. We know God is still in complete control of everything happening on the earth. For those who do not know or believe in God, God, in His mercy, is bringing them evidence that He is real, that He is involved in human history taking place on the earth, and that He wants them to believe that He is real and truly exists.

 A third reason is...

• ...so that we, those of us who believe in Him, will not be afraid—even when we see these things taking place right before our very eyes. (Tweet that!) Knowing God forecast everything that is happening means that we do not need to be afraid but can trust Him with our very lives and every detail of them.

Jesus said in John 14:27-29:

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. 

You heard me say, 'I am going away and I am coming back to you.' If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe.

Jesus told us before it happened so that:

1. We will have peace, we will not let our hearts be troubled, and we will not be afraid.
2. And also so that when it happens we will believe.

What about you? Do you believe? If yes, do you feel fear creeping in? How can you refocus on Jesus and chase fear away?

If you do not believe, why not? What would it take for you to believe? Are Bible prophecies predicted and then fulfilled enough to convince you? Or are you one who will never believe, no matter what? If that's you, why?

Hallelujah! Jesus is Risen from the Dead on the Feast of Firstfruits

Thanks Morguefile.com 

The Feast of Firstfruits occurs within the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread, which we touched on yesterday. It is a one-day Feast and occurs on Nisan 16.

The Feast of Firstfruits celebrates the first, early spring harvest.

Jesus was raised from the dead on the Feast of Firstfruits. (Tweet that!)

He is the first of the great harvest of souls from the earth! Hallelujah! Jesus is risen! (Tweet that!)

"But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him" (1 Corinthians 15:20-23,NIV 2011). (Tweet that!)

Do you belong to him? If not, or if you're not sure, why not make that happen today? To do so, simply tell Jesus--either out loud or in silent prayer. He can hear you--that you trust that he paid for all your sins, that you will follow him and obey his ways, and you want him to be your Savior forever more.

Then record this important decision and event somewhere, like the inside cover of your Bible.

If you have done this, then you belong to him and will be part of the harvest of souls to heaven when he comes! (Tweet that!)

✟   Jesus was raised from the grave on First Fruits, and so He fulfills the Feast of Firstfruits as the first fruit of the great and coming harvest of souls. (Tweet that!)

Here's another interesting thought:

Jesus raised from the dead "very early the morning" of the third day. We do not know exactly what the time was.

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus, (Luke 24:1-3.) 

See also Mark 16:1-6, John 20:1-2, and Matthew 28:1.

Peter tells us, in 2 Peter 3:8:

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 

See also Psalm 90:4.

We are currently in the year 2014. We are now living in the third millennium since Jesus walked the earth. So if a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like a day, we are now living in the very early morning of the third day. (Tweet that!)

Jesus is coming again. He will come again to fulfill all the prophecies of his second coming.

Don't be surprised if he comes very early during this millennium day.

Happy Easter!

Jesus is risen. He is risen indeed!

(I will see you again for the next post on Tuesday.)

Jesus Prophesizes He will be Crucified on Passover

Thanks Morguefile.com 

Well as the excitement of the first of the four lunar eclipses on major Jewish Feast days wanes, let's settle in during the remainder of this holy week leading up to Easter and refocus on some prophecies fulfilled in the last week of Jesus' life.

In Matthew 26:2, Jesus said:

"As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified." (Tweet that!)

As of today, Good Friday is two days away. Good Friday is the day when Christians traditionally observe the crucifixion of Jesus. Jesus knew what was going to happen to him. He knew.

He told his disciples.

This is prophecy.

Of course the disciples probably could not understand, even though Jesus was speaking plainly. But really? This was the man who had fed 5,000 people with only a few loaves and fishes. He had healed the sick, made the blind see, made the deaf hear, cured leprosy. He had walked on water. He had calmed the wind with his rebuke. This man had power.

Claiming that he would be "handed over to be crucified," the Roman way of execution, when Jesus had done nothing wrong, probably sounded like gibberish to the disciples. (Tweet that!)

And yet… Jesus knew. This was prophecy. And all prophecy must be fulfilled. (Tweet that!)

The Passover was two days away. And Jesus would be crucified, shedding his blood as God's ultimate Passover Lamb. (Tweet that!)

"Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29, ESV)!

Prophecy would be indeed be fulfilled.

If you missed any of the recent posts on the first of four lunar eclipses on Feasts of the LORD which occurred earlier this week, you can find them here: (Tweet that!)

• Day 10, April 9: The Moon as a Sign and the Prophesied Blood Red Moons
• Day 9, April 10: How the Jewish Calendar Works
• Day 8, April 11: The Prophetic Significance of the Feasts of the LORD
• Day 7, April 12: What Causes the Moon to Turn Red Like Blood?
• Day 6, April 14: "Tetrad" of Four Lunar Eclipses on Jewish Feast Days in the Past
• Day 5, April, 15: The First Lunar Eclipse on Passover 2014 (and why I don't expect anything to happen today.)

The First Lunar Eclipse on Passover 2014 (and why I don't expect anything to happen today)

Thanks Morguefile.com 

I wonder how many people who have heard of these lunar eclipses on major Feast days of the LORD are expecting something "big" to happen today. I don't think there is going to be any big headlines today. Honest, I don't expect anything to happen today. (Tweet that!)

I don't think World War III is going to break out. I don't think "the big one," the earthquake, is going to hit and half of California is going to fall into the ocean. I don't think war is going to break out in the Middle East. (Tweet that!)

I could be wrong, but I don't think so.

Why? For a couple of reasons:

1. First, looking back at history, at least for the last three tetrads on Jewish Feast days in the last (approx.) 525 years, it doesn't look like anything happened on the day of the first lunar eclipse. (Tweet that!) You can catch a glimpse of this in yesterday's post: "Tetrad" of Four Lunar Eclipses on Jewish Feast Days in the Past." 
2. Secondly, if these lunar eclipses, or "Blood Moons," are indeed warnings from God, then why would He drop some disaster on us the same day as the warning? (Tweet that!) A warning is no good if it doesn't come before the "big headline." God is so merciful that He gives us warning in advance. (And His warnings are resounding all around us, in case you haven't noticed.) 

No, I don't think anything "big" is going to happen today. But I do believe that this is a warning that something is coming. And it's not too far away.

Does that put fear into you? Then hear the words of Jesus:

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33, NIV).

Rest in Jesus. Be awed and amazed, but do not be afraid. (Tweet that!)

Here are two items for your enjoyment today:

• This is an article with a video of author and Pastor John Hagee: "Blood Moons Expert: Watch 2014 and 2015."

• And here is a video of Mark Biltz* talking about these four Blood Moons with Gary Stearman of "Prophecy in the News."

For the rest of this week as Lent gives way to Easter, we'll look at prophecies fulfilled in final days of Jesus' life.

Thanks to www.Morguefile.com 

*I would like to give credit to Mark Biltz of El Shaddai Ministries for bringing all this information about these four lunar eclipses to the attention of the world. I first learned of all this from Mark Biltz when he was hosted on Southwest Radio Church in, I believe, about 2008. At that time this was very new information. I immediately ordered Mark Biltz's study on the Feasts of the LORD, and have been talking and writing about it ever since. I have learned so much from Mark Biltz, and it is my joy to share what I have learned. I hope you, too, are thrilled by this learning experience.

Exciting News!

In previous posts I've mentioned my soon-coming book which includes information on the Feasts of the LORD, these four lunar eclipses, and so much more. That book, Prophecies Fulfilled in the Life of Jesus, has just released! It is now available on Amazon and should become available on many other online outlets as well as in e-book soon. For those who are interested, find it here. Thank you!

Prophecies Fulfilled in the Life of Jesus

Book 3 in the "Prophecies Fulfilled" series

Special Note:

Discussing the first of the four lunar eclipses which occurred early this morning, we've been looking at information important to understanding their significance. If you missed some of the posts, here is the schedule we covered in recent days. (Tweet that!) I'm sure you know someone who would be interested in these prophetic times. Please invite your friends or your entire church to join us:

• Day 10, April 9: The Moon as a Sign and the Prophesied Blood Red Moons
• Day 9, April 10: How the Jewish Calendar Works
• Day 8, April 11: The Prophetic Significance of the Feasts of the LORD
• Day 7, April 12: What Causes the Moon to Turn Red Like Blood?
• Day 6, April 14: "Tetrad" of Four Lunar Eclipses on Jewish Feast Days in the Past
• Day 5, April, 15: The First Lunar Eclipse on Passover 2014 (and why I don't expect anything to happen that day.)

The Moon as a Sign and the Prophesied Blood Red Moons

Thanks Morguefile.com 

When God set up the universe, He created ways to communicate with us. One way He communicates is through the moon, sun, and even stars (as in the star that was prophesied in Numbers 24:17 which led the Magi to the Christ Child centuries later. See Matthew 2:1-12.).

When God communicates with people, the Bible often calls these "signs." In the New Testament stories of Jesus (the Gospels), when Jesus performed a miraculous healing, these were often called "signs," especially by the writer John.

In the very beginning of the Bible, in the story of creation, God clearly tells us He will use the moon for "signs." This is prophecy. Here is Genesis 1:14 in a couple different English translations:

"And God said, 'Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years…' " (Genesis 1:14, English Standard Version - ESV).

Nearly identical except for a couple of words is the King James Version:

"And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:…" (Genesis 1:14, King James Version – KJV).

And from the newer New International Version:

"And God said, 'Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years…' " (Genesis 1:14, New International Version 2011 – NIV).

In the NIV that I usually prefer (from 1984, which is no longer available), part of this verse is translated:

"…and let them serve as signs to make seasons and days and years…" (Genesis 1:14, NIV 1984).

The newer NIV as well as the other older and well-respected translations make it clear that these heavenly bodies are for more than seasons, days, and years; they are for "signs." The newer NIV states it as "signs to mark sacred times." I like that.

So what is the point of all this about the moon? Two things:

• Prophecies in the Bible talk about the sign of the moon turning red and the sun turning dark – including prophecies Jesus himself spoke.

• We may very well see the moon turn red next week. (Tweet that!)

Thanks to www.Morguefile.com 

We are going to talk about this more, one step at a time. Let's finish today with looking at some of the prophecies in the Bible that most Christians believe have not been fulfilled, and so they are yet to be fulfilled in our future:

"The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD" (Joel 2:31).

"The sun and moon will be darkened, and the stars no longer shine" (Joel 3:15).

"The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord" (Acts 2:20, Peter is quoting Joel 2:28-32).

Isaiah also spoke of this:

"For the stars of the heavens and their constellations  will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising,  and the moon will not shed its light" (Isaiah 13:10).

Then, when his disciples asked Jesus what the signs of the "end times" would be, Jesus himself quoted the Isaiah passage:

"Immediately after the distress of those days 'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken' " (Matthew 24:29).

"But in those days, following that distress, " 'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light' " (Mark 13:24).

Jesus also said:

"There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea" (Luke 21:25).

Finally, long after Jesus' death and resurrection, John wrote of the vision he saw of the "end times":

"I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red" (Revelation 6:12).

We are going to talk more about the sign of a red moon because we can expect some red moons in our future, and we even know the dates. Furthermore, they will occur on spiritually significant dates.

In 2014 and 2015 there will be a total of four lunar eclipses. When four eclipses appear, this is called a tetrad. An eclipse is one of only three situations that occur naturally that can cause the moon to appear red. Because of these Bible prophecies above, these four eclipses are becoming known among many as the "Four Blood Moons."

Significantly, these four lunar eclipses will occur on the first and the last of the seven Feasts of the Lord—meaning on Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles—two years in a row: in both 2014 and 2015. (Tweet that!)

We are going to look at the seven Feasts of the LORD on Friday, April 11. But first, tomorrow we are going to look at the Jewish calendar and how it works, because that is important in understanding all of this.

On Saturday, April 12^th, we will look at the natural causes in nature that can cause the moon to appear red.

Then on Monday we will look at times in history when this same tetrad of four lunar eclipses on the same major Feasts of the LORD, two consecutive years, occurred. (Tweet that!) Yes, it has happened before. And significant events occurred in Israel and in the world at those times. So please stay tuned…and invite your friends to join us on this fascinating journey.

Special Note:

In anticipation of the first of the four lunar eclipses occurring next week, we're discussing information important to understanding their significance. (Tweet that!) Here's our coming schedule. Please invite your friends or your entire church to join us:

• Day 10, April 9: The Moon as a Sign and the Prophesied Blood Red Moons
• Day 9, April 10: How the Jewish Calendar Works
• Day 8, April 11: The Prophetic Significance of the Feasts of the LORD
• Day 7, April 12: What Causes the Moon to Turn Red Like Blood?
• Day 6, April 14: "Tetrad" of Four Lunar Eclipses on Jewish Feast Days in the Past
• Day 5, April 15: The First Lunar Eclipse on Passover 2014 (and why I don't expect anything to happen that day.)

Nicodemus Brought a Mixture of Myrrh

Thanks Morguefile.com

On Friday we talked about Joseph of Arimathea taking Jesus' body to his own grave. Nicodemus, a Pharisee, accompanied Joseph and helped him.

Here is how John, the close friend and follower of Jesus, described the scene:

"Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate's permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds" (John 19:38-39).

There is a prophecy in the myrrh. (Tweet that!)

Myrrh was one of the three gifts brought by the Magi to Jesus at his birth. Matthew, another follower of Jesus, wrote of the Magi's visit to the newborn Jesus:

"On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh" (Matthew 2:11).

In the first book in my 3-book "Prophecies Fulfilled" series, Prophecies Fulfilled in the Birth of Jesus, we explored the significance of the three gifts from the Magi and how these gifts were prophetic, picturing what Jesus would do in his life…and death:

• Gold was a gift fit for royalty, for a king.

• Frankincense is an incense used by priests when making offerings and sacrifices at the Temple. Incense was also burned on the Incense Altar inside the Temple and symbolized the prayers of the people rising to God, a sweet aroma pleasing to Him.

• Myrrh was a fragrance used in embalming dead bodies for burial.

The gift of myrrh was a prophecy of and predicted Jesus' death. And when he died, Nicodemus brought a large amount of an expensive mixture of myrrh for Jesus' burial. And so another prophecy was fulfilled. (Tweet that!)

Not a Bone Broken

Thanks Morguefile.com

Yesterday we talked about Jesus as the Passover Lamb. Do you still have any doubts that Jesus is the ultimate Passover Lamb? Well then, check this out: (Tweet that!)

God is into details. He gives us the broad picture so we will "get it"—whether that's a message He is communicating to us (such as Jesus is our Passover Lamb) or a prophecy of something that is to come. But then He also throws in a detail or two…just in case we might think something is just coincidence instead of believing it is the invisible God at work. (Tweet that!)

One detail in the story of the Passover lamb in Exodus seemed strange to me from the first time I read it: God strictly instructed that none of the bones of the slain Passover lamb were to be broken.

Seriously, how could the bones of a dead lamb possibly matter? Well, it matters because this is yet another detail that connects the Passover lamb to the sacrifice of Jesus, the ultimate Passover Lamb.

In the instructions for that first Passover, God said:

"It must be eaten inside one house; take none of the meat outside the house. Do not break any of the bones" (Exodus12:46).

God, through Moses, reiterated the instructions for future Passover remembrances in Numbers:

"They must not leave any of it till morning or break any of its bones. When they celebrate the Passover, they must follow all the regulations" (Numbers 9:12).

King David wrote prophetically of the Messiah about 1,000 years before the birth of Jesus. In Psalm 34, speaking of God, David wrote:

"He protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken" (Psalm 34:20).

When the event of the crucifixion of Jesus occurred, John records not only what happened to the ultimate Passover Lamb, but John directly connects Jesus to the above prophecies of the Messiah (Tweet that!):

"But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs… The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: 'Not one of his bones will be broken'" (John 19:33, 35-36).

That not a bone was broken in the crucified Lord Jesus Christ is an amazing detailed prophecy fulfilled. (Tweet that!)

Darkness Came Over the Whole Land

Thanks Morguefile.com

What happens when humankind tries to extinguish the Light of the World (John 9:5)?

The gospel-writer, Mark, records that during the time Jesus was dying, a plague of darkness covered the land. (Tweet that!)

"At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour" (Mark 15:33).

This was not the first time a plague of darkness covered a land. Around 1500 years earlier when the One True God displayed Himself in the land of Egypt and went to battle against the false gods of Egypt defeating each, one at a time, the ninth of the ten plagues was a plague of "darkness that can be felt." Here are the words of Moses describing that time:

"Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness will spread over Egypt—darkness that can be felt.' So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days. No one could see anyone else or leave his place for three days. Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived" (Exodus 10:21-23, NIV 1984).

When Jesus hung dying, when the Light of Life (John 8:12) was dimming and going out, a similar plague of darkness covered the land. (Tweet that!)

The prophet Amos also speaks of darkness covering the earth in broad daylight in a time which I believe is future to us:

" 'In that day,' declares the Sovereign Lord, 'I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight. I will turn your religious feasts into mourning and all your singing into weeping. I will make all of you wear sackcloth and shave your heads. I will make that time like mourning for an only son and the end of it like a bitter day,' " (Amos 8:9-10, NIV 1984).

We cannot live without light. Do you have Jesus, the Light of Life? (Tweet that!)

Lifted Up: The Type of Death He Would Die – Part 2

Thanks Morguefile.com

Jesus not only talked about the specific type of death he would die—that he would be crucified—he also talked about being "lifted up." This would imply death on a cross, but it was more than that.

Jesus was talking to Nicodemus in John 3, and he was referring to a story in the Old Testament with Moses in Numbers 21:4-9.

After Moses led the people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt in about 1446 B.C., the people often complained about God and His provision for them, including the miraculous food God provided for them every morning they called "manna."

In this story,

"...they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, 'Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food! 

"Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died" (Number 21:5-6, NIV 1984).

The people then came to Moses, admitted their sin (which always leads to death), and asked Moses to pray that God would take the snakes away from them. In other words they repented and asked for forgiveness (which always results in forgiveness from God).

So Moses prayed. And God told him,

" 'Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.' So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he [or she] lived," (Number 21:8-9, NIV 1984).

Do you think that sounds crazy? Simply look at a bronze snake lifted up on a pole and you’ll live? You won’t die when you’re bit by a poisonous snake? (Tweet that!)

Yeah, well, it's every bit as crazy as looking up to a Man hanging on a cross to save you from the poison of sin and certain death. (Tweet that!) But anyone who looks to Him—that is Jesus—lives.

Jesus said to Nicodemus:

" 'Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. 

" 'For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him,' " (John 3:14-17, NIV 1984).

When have you looked to Jesus for your salvation? (Tweet that!)

Lifted Up: The Type of Death He Would Die – Part 1

Thanks Morguefile.com

Jesus knew that he was going to be crucified. He plainly said it earlier and more than once:

"Now as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside and said to them, 'We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked an flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!' " (Matthew20:17-19).

"As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified" (Matthew 26:2).

" 'But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.' He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die" (John 12:32-33).

"Pilate said, 'Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.'

" 'But we have no right to execute anyone,' the Jews objected. This happened so that the words Jesus had spoken indicating the kind of death he was going to die would be fulfilled" (John 18:31-32).

As you know, Jesus was indeed crucified – put to death the way the Romans did it: crucifixion.

Everyone took part:  the Jews. The gentiles represented by the Romans. The religious leaders. The secular leaders. The people. Me. You. (Tweet that!)

(See related article: All the people answered, "Let his blood be on us…!")

Jesus knew in advance he was not going to be put to death the Jewish way: by stoning. Jesus knew in advance he was going to be crucified.

As we have mentioned before in this series of 40 posts counting down to Easter: Only the One True God knows the future. Only God can see with perfection every future detail. Only the true God can predict what will happen. This is prophecy. And the proof that he is God is that these prophecies have been perfectly fulfilled.

Jesus knew because Jesus is God come in human flesh.

There is no other like Jesus. There is no equal to him.

Jesus died on the cross to pay for your sins. There is no other way to be free from your sins and welcomed into the sinless presence of God. Have you accepted Jesus as your Savior? If not, why not do so today? (Tweet that!)

Jesus was The LORD’s Goat

Thanks Morguefile.com

In the previous post last Friday, we talked about the Scapegoat, one of the two goats used in the ceremony called the "Day of Atonement." The other goat is called "the LORD's goat," and it was sacrificed as an offering for sin.

"Then he is to take the two goats and present them before the Lord at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. He is to cast lots for the two goats—one lot for the Lord and the other for the scapegoat. Aaron shall bring the goat whose lot falls to the Lord and sacrifice it for a sin offering" (Leviticus 16:7-9).

Jesus fulfilled the roles of both the goats: the scapegoat and the sin offering.

After the sin offering had been sacrificed, it was carried outside the camp (in Moses' day when the Israelites where camping in the wilderness) or outside the city (of Jerusalem in Jesus' day). This is because the camp or the city of Jerusalem is symbolic of the place where God lives, where God visits His people, where God’s presence resides. And in the presence of God, there is no sin.

This is why sinful – or sin-filled – people cannot enter God's presence. He will not allow it. (Tweet that!)

In order to enter God's presence, the sin of sinful people (which includes us all, even you) must be dealt with. This is what Jesus did. (Tweet that!) Jesus came to be both:

• our Scapegoat, carrying our sins far away where they can never return, and
• our sacrifice for our sins.

"Carrying his own cross, he went out [outside the city] to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). Here they crucified him…" (John 19:17-18).

Jesus was the LORD's goat, our sin offering.

They Hate Him Without Reason

Thanks Morguefile.com

Jesus, the perfectly loving God come in human flesh, never sinned. He never wronged anyone. Yes, he challenged many people including national leaders. But he was pointing out truth for their good. There was no reason to hate Jesus. Ever.

And yet some of the people and leaders hated Jesus. They hated him enough to kill him.

John, the close personal friend of Jesus, specifically stated this was a fulfillment of prophecy:

"But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: 'They hated me without reason' " (John 15:25). (Tweet that!)

Where was this written in their Law? This prophecy of the hatred of Jesus was written in Psalm 69:4:

"Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs of my head; many are my enemies without cause, those who seek to destroy me..."

There is another reference in Psalm 35:19:

"Let not those gloat over me who are my enemies without cause; let not those who hate me without reason maliciously wink the eye."

Even today many people carry a hatred for Jesus. They refuse to believe him. They refuse to obey him when his instructions are meant only for our good. Some hate him to such an extreme that they want to kill those who love him.

It's as true today as it was in Jesus' day: They hate him without reason. (Tweet that!)

Destroy This Temple and I Will Raise It Again in Three Days

Thanks Morguefile.com 

Early in his ministry, Jesus went to Jerusalem for Passover. When he visited the Temple, he found dishonest businessmen selling products needed for worship at the Temple and other goods doing their business right on the Temple grounds.

This angered Jesus not only because they were selling goods on the sacred grounds, but because their dishonesty and price gouging  on the items needed for worship hindered the ability of the people to freely worship God.

Jesus cleaned up this mess, turning over tables and chasing these businessmen off the Temple grounds.

The Jewish leaders demanded to know what authority Jesus had to do this. They wanted a miraculous sign to prove His authority. This is Jesus' response:

"Jesus answered them, 'Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days,' " John 2:19.

What the Priests and Jewish leaders did not know or grasp—although they could have if they had sought wisdom and understanding from God and His Word in the written scripture—is that Jesus was the Temple personified! (Tweet that!)

When Jesus said, "Destroy this temple," he was predicting that was exactly what they would do: destroy his person, his body.

When Jesus said he would "raise it again in three days," he meant his body, which was the personification of the Temple.*

The Jewish leaders, however, because they would not seek the truth from God, believed Jesus meant the earthly Temple would be destroyed—a horrifying thought because without the Temple, they thought they had no way of worshiping God.

This, this is the charge that convicted Jesus and won the Jewish leaders his death sentence in his trials. But the testimony that wrongly convicted him as an innocent man wasn't quite accurate.

"Then some stood up and gave this false testimony against him: 'We heard him say, "I will destroy this man-made temple and in three days will build another, not made by man." ' Yet even then their testimony did not agree" (Mark 14:57-59).

The Jewish leaders called it blasphemy.

Yet the Jewish leaders successfully destroyed the Temple: Jesus.

But there was prophecy in Jesus' words. He predicted that after he was destroyed, he would raise on the third day. And that is exactly what he did (Tweet that!):

"Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, 'Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?'

"But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. 

" 'Don't be alarmed,' he said. 'You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him' " (Mark 16:2-6).

Jesus, the personification of the Temple, was destroyed and then raised on the third day, just as he had predicted. (Tweet that!)

Amazing!

*You can learn more about how Jesus is the personification of the Temple in my soon-coming book, Prophecies Fulfilled in the Life of Jesus, due to be released soon from Pix-N-Pens. Check here for updates to availability: Dianne's Amazon Author Page.

Caiaphas Speaks Truth: It is Better for One Man to Die Than a Whole Nation Perish

Caiaphas was the son-in-law of Annas whom the Romans had removed from the high priesthood in A.D. 15. Caiaphas served as the High Priest of Israel from about 18 – 36 A.D.

At some time after the Feast of Dedication, which is now known as Hanukkah (John 10:22) and after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, but before the Passover and Jesus' Triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Caiaphas spoke prophecy:

"Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, 'You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish,' " (John 11:49-50).

There are at least two meanings of the word prophecy:

• to predict the future
• to speak forth God's truth

Caiaphas was doing both, though I doubt he knew it at the time.

Caiaphas was instrumental in orchestrating the events that led to the arrest, trials, and crucifixion of Jesus. This was absolutely morally wrong to the highest degree.

As the High Priest, Caiaphas was supposed to lead the people in knowing God. As the High Priest, Caiaphas should have known God's power and therefore should have been more fearful of God than of the Romans. As High Priest, Caiaphas should have known all the prophecies (which we are studying right now) of the One God would send: the Messiah.

Caiaphas should have recognized Jesus as Messiah. And Caiaphas should have led the people in recognizing him. (Tweet that!)

If Caiaphas had looked at God's Word, if he had studied, if he had wanted to know, if he had sought God and asked for wisdom, Caiaphas could have known he was face to face with God.

But Caiaphas did none of those things. Instead he worked to crucify Jesus—who was the King of Israel, the LORD of Glory!

Ironically Caiaphas was right: it was better for us that one Man die for the people, all of us, to pay the death penalty for our sins and to make us right with God, than for all of us, the people, to die and be separated from God for all eternity. (Tweet that!)

"Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it would be good if one man died for the people" (John 18:12-14).

Jesus' Prophecy of Judas' Betrayal Comes True

Thanks Morguefile.com!

Yesterday we talked about how Judas Iscariot arranged to betray Jesus to the Jewish leaders for thirty pieces of silver. Jesus, being the omniscient God, knew all this was happening even outside of his human sight and hearing.

Jesus himself predicted Judas Iscariot's betrayal.

"And while they were eating, [Jesus] said, 'I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.' 

"…Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, 'Surely not I, Rabbi?' 

"Jesus answered, 'Yes, it is you,' " Matthew 26:21, 25 (see also John 13:10b-11, 21).

Even there, in that brief conversation, Judas lied to Jesus' face, saying "Surely not I, Rabbi?" when in fact Judas knew… he knew… what he had already arranged.

It was Jesus who sent Judas out of the presence of the Light of the World (that is Jesus' presence) into darkness to set the whole thing in motion.

"While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: 'The one I kiss is the man; arrest him.' Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, 'Greetings, Rabbi!' and kissed him. 

"Jesus replied, 'Friend, do what you came for.' 

"Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him," (Matthew 26:47-50).

What do you think happened with Judas Iscariot? Why did he betray Jesus?

Certainly Judas rationalized his actions. Surely Judas knew what he was doing was wrong. How many people today, even those in leadership at the highest national levels, are doing what is wrong and rationalizing their actions? True believers in Jesus Christ must always strive to do what is right in God's sight—even when it looks like that's the losing way to go, because that is Satan's lie.

Satan makes it look like doing the right thing will be worse than doing the wrong thing. Satan whispers suggestions that if we do what is right we will lose. This is a lie. (Tweet that!)

Just as Jesus knew what was going on behind the scenes when he walked the earth, he knows everything that is going on today—even in the secret rooms where deals are made that affect the daily lives of ordinary people like us. He knows.

Do not be afraid of what is going on where we cannot see. Do not be afraid of what is going on that is in plain sight! The One True God is in complete control, able to use even evil intents for His glory—just as He did in the day of Jesus' arrest.

When we see prophecies coming true today, prophecies that Jesus spoke of that point to the End Times, we do not need to be afraid. The One True God is still in complete control. (Tweet that!)

I believe we are seeing the End Times approaching. If we are not in them, then we can see them from here. Do you believe this? (Tweet that!)

Still, do not let this frighten you! We live in the most fantastic times! If any time is more fantastic than when Jesus walked the earth, this is it. (Tweet that!)

"Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid," (John 14:27).