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13 May, 2020

72nd Anniversary: Israel – The Birth of a Nation 14 May 1948

 



22 “Therefore tell the house of Isra’el that Adonai ELOHIM says this: ‘I am not going to do this for your sake, house of Isra’el, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have been profaning among the nations where you went. 23 I will set apart my great name to be regarded as holy, since it has been profaned in the nations – you profaned it among them. The nations will know that I am ADONAI,’ says Adonai ELOHIM, ‘when, before their eyes, I am set apart through you to be regarded as holy. 24 For I will take you from among the nations, gather you from all the countries, and return you to your own soil. 25 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your uncleanness and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit inside you; I will take the stony heart out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put my Spirit inside you and cause you to live by my laws, respect my rulings and obey them. 28 You will live in the land I gave to your ancestors. You will be my people, and I will be your God.  Ezekiel 36

 
11 Then he said to me, “Human being! These bones are the whole house of Isra’el; and they are saying, ‘Our bones have dried up, our hope is gone, and we are completely cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy; say to them that Adonai ELOHIM says, ‘My people! I will open your graves and make you get up out of your graves, and I will bring you into the land of Isra’el. 13 Then you will know that I am ADONAI – when I have opened your graves and made you get up out of your graves, my people!14 I will put my Spirit in you; and you will be alive. Then I will place you in your own land; and you will know that I, ADONAI, have spoken, and that I have done it,’ says ADONAI.” 15 The word of ADONAI came to me: 16 “You, human being, take one stick and write on it, ‘For Y’hudah and those joined with him [among] the people of Isra’el.’ Next, take another stick and write on it, ‘For Yosef, the stick of Efrayim, and all the house of Isra’el who are joined with him.’ 17 Finally, bring them together into a single stick, so that they become one in your hand. 18 When your people ask you what all this means, 19 tell them that Adonai ELOHIM says this: ‘I will take the stick of Yosef, which is in the hand of Efrayim, together with the tribes of Isra’el who are joined with him, and put them together with the stick of Y’hudah and make them a single stick, so that they become one in my hand.’ 20 The sticks on which you write are to be in your hand as they watch.21 Then say to them that Adonai ELOHIM says: ‘I will take the people of Isra’el from among the nations where they have gone and gather them from every side and bring them back to their own land. 22 I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Isra’el; and one king will be king for all of them. They will no longer be two nations, and they will never again be divided into two kingdoms. 23 “‘They will never again defile themselves with their idols, their detestable things, or any of their transgressions; but I will save them from all the places where they have been living and sinning; and I will cleanse them, so that they will be my people, and I will be their God.
26 I will make a covenant of peace with them, an everlasting covenant. I will give to them, increase their numbers, and set my sanctuary among them forever. 27 My home will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. 28 The nations will know that I am ADONAI, who sets Isra’el apart as holy, when my sanctuary is with them forever.'” Ezekiel 37
 
 

   Declaration of Establishment 

  of State of Israel 14 May 1948

 

Israel…God’s Chosen People!

 

 

How Great is our God / Gadol Elohai

by Joshua Aaron 

 

The splendor of a king
Clothed in majesty
Let all the earth rejoice
All the earth rejoiceHe wraps Himself in light,
And darkness tries to hide
And trembles at His voice
Trembles at His voiceHow great is our God
Sing with me
How great is our God
And all will see
How great, how great is our GodAge to age He stands
And time is in His hands
Beginning and the end
Beginning and the endThe Godhead Three in One
Father, Spirit, Son
Lion and the Lamb
Lion and the LambHow great is our God
Sing with me
How great is our God
And all will see
How great, how great is our GodName above all names
Worthy of all praise
My heart will sing
How great is our GodName above all names
You are worthy of all praise
And my heart will sing
How great is our God[3x]
How great is our God
Sing with me
How great is our God
And all will see
How great, how great is our God

 




Israel Forever Chosen

“God of this City” 
performed by Chris Tomlin
 
 
 
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11 April, 2020

HE IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED!!

 
It is finished!  
The battle of the ages for the souls of men is over!  
The war has been won! Who is the victor? 
 
This is the third day. 
Have Satan and the forces of darkness and evil succeeded 
or will Yeshua conquer death and Satan’s Hell 
by being resurrected on the third day?
 
 

Herein lies the answer. 


The greatest darkness gives way to the brightest light!!




  
Resurrection Scene
from
The Passion of the Christ, 2004
 
 
 
 
2 Suddenly there was a violent earthquake, for an angel of ADONAI came down from heaven, rolled away the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were as white as snow. 4 The guards were so terrified at him that they trembled and became like dead men. (Matthew 28)
1 When Shabbat was over, Miryam of Magdala, Miryam the mother of Ya`akov, and Shlomit bought spices in order to go and anoint Yeshua. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb. 3 They were asking each other, “Who will roll away the stone from the entrance to the tomb for us?” 4 Then they looked up and saw that the stone, even though it was huge, had been rolled back already. (Mark 16)
The angel rolled the stone back from the tomb for the benefit of the people looking in, not for letting Yeshua out! Yeshua has no boundaries.
5 The angel said to the women, “Don’t be afraid. I know you are looking for Yeshua, who was executed on the stake. 6 He is not here; because He is risen! — just as He said! Come and look at the place where He lay.
4 The women standing there, not knowing what to think about it, when suddenly two men in dazzlingly bright clothing stood next to them. 5 Terror-stricken, they bowed down with their faces to the ground. The two men said to them, “Why are you looking for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; He is risen!  Remember how He told you while He was still in the Galil, 7 `The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be executed on a stake as a criminal, but on the third day be raised again’?
8 Then they remembered His words.  (Luke 24)
5 On entering the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right; and they were dumbfounded. 6 But he said, “Don’t be so surprised! You’re looking for Yeshua from Natzeret, who was executed on the stake. He is risen! He is not here! Look at the place where they laid him.
7 But go and tell his talmidim, especially Kefa, that He is going to the Galil ahead of you. You will see him there, just as he told you.” 8 Trembling but ecstatic they went out and fled from the tomb, and they said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.  
9 and, returning from the tomb, they told everything to the Eleven and to all the rest. 10 The women who told the emissaries these things were Miryam of Magdala, Yochanah, Miryam the mother of Ya`akov, and the others in their circle. 11 But the emissaries didn’t believe them; in fact, they thought that what they said was utter nonsense!  (Luke 24)

    

 
   

The greatest denial resulted in the greatest truth!




               

 
excerpt from The Gospel of Matthew
 
 
3 Then Kefa and the other talmid started for the tomb. 4 They both ran, but the other talmid outran Kefa and reached the tomb first. 5 Stooping down, he saw the linen burial-sheets lying there but did not go in. 6 Then, following him, Shim`on Kefa arrived, entered the tomb and saw the burial-sheets lying there, 7 also the cloth that had been around his head, lying not with the sheets but in a separate place and still folded up. 8 Then the other talmid, who had arrived at the tomb first, also went in; he saw, and he trusted. 9 (They had not yet come to understand that the Tanakh teaches that the Messiah has to rise from the dead.)  (John 20)
 
10 So the talmidim returned home, 11 but Miryam stood outside crying. As she cried, she bent down, peered into the tomb, 12 and saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Yeshua had been, one at the head and one at the feet. 13 “Why are you crying?” they asked her. “They took my Lord,” she said to them, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 As she said this, she turned around and saw Yeshua standing there, but she didn’t know it was he. 15 Yeshua said to her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who are you looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you’re the one who carried him away, just tell me where you put him; and I’ll go and get him myself.” 16 Yeshua said to her, “Miryam!” Turning, she cried out to him in Hebrew, “Rabbani!” (that is, “Teacher!”) 17 “Do not hold on to me,” Yeshua said to her, “because I haven’t yet gone back to the Father. But go to my brothers, and tell them that I am going back to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” 18 Miryam of Magdala went to the talmidim with the news that she had seen the Lord and that He had told her this. (John 20)

The greatest sorrow resulted in the greatest joy!

 
“Because He Lives!”
performed by The Gaither Vocal Band
 
13 That same day, two men were going toward a village about seven miles from Yerushalayim called Amma’us, 14 and they were talking with each other about all the things that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed, Yeshua himself came up and walked along with them, 16 but something kept them from recognizing him. 17 He asked them, “What are you talking about with each other as you walk along?” They stopped short, their faces downcast; 18 and one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only person staying in Yerushalayim that doesn’t know the things that have been going on there the last few days?” 19 “What things?” he asked them. They said to him, “The things about Yeshua from Natzeret. He was a prophet and proved it by the things he did and said before God and all the people. 20 Our head cohanim and our leaders handed him over, so that he could be sentenced to death and executed on a stake as a criminal. 21 And we had hoped that he would be the one to liberate Isra’el! Besides all that, today is the third day since these things happened; 22 and this morning, some of the women astounded us. They were at the tomb early 23 and couldn’t find his body, so they came back; but they also reported that they had seen a vision of angels who say he’s alive! 24 Some of our friends went to the tomb and found it exactly as the women had said, but they didn’t see him.” 25 He said to them, “Foolish people! So unwilling to put your trust in everything the prophets spoke! 26 Didn’t the Messiah have to die like this before entering his glory?” 27 Then, starting with Moshe and all the prophets, he explained to them the things that can be found throughout the Tanakh concerning himself. 28 They approached the village where they were going. He made as if he were going on farther; 29 but they held him back, saying, “Stay with us, for it’s almost evening, and it’s getting dark.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 As he was reclining with them at the table, he took the matzah, made the b’rakhah, broke it and handed it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. But he became invisible to them. 32 They said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn inside us as he spoke to us on the road, opening up the Tanakh to us?” 33 They got up at once, returned to Yerushalayim and found the Eleven gathered together with their friends, 34 saying, “It’s true! The Lord has risen! Shim`on saw him!” 35 Then the two told what had happened on the road and how he had become known to them in the breaking of the matzah.  (Luke 24)
 
 
Yeshua took the matzah (bread), broke it, then their eyes were opened spiritually and their hearts burned within them, then they knew and believed in Yeshua, for He is the true Passover Lamb!  As often as you eat the bread and drink the wine; Do in Remembrance of Me.
19 In the evening that same day, the first day of the week, when the talmidim were gathered together behind locked doors out of fear of the Judeans, Yeshua came, stood in the middle and said, “Shalom aleikhem!” 20 Having greeted them, he showed them his hands and his side. The talmidim were overjoyed to see the Lord. 21 “Shalom aleikhem!” Yeshua repeated. “Just as the Father sent me, I myself am also sending you.” 22 Having said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Ruach HaKodesh! 23 If you forgive someone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you hold them, they are held.”  (John 20)
24 Now T’oma (the name means “twin”), one of the Twelve, was not with them when Yeshua came. 25 When the other talmidim told him, “We have seen the Lord,” he replied, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands, put my finger into the place where the nails were and put my hand into his side, I refuse to believe it.” 26 A week later his talmidim were once more in the room, and this time T’oma was with them. Although the doors were locked, Yeshua came, stood among them and said, “Shalom aleikhem!” 27 Then he said to T’oma, “Put your finger here, look at my hands, take your hand and put it into my side. Don’t be lacking in trust, but have trust!” 28 T’oma answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Yeshua said to him, “Have you trusted because you have seen me? How blessed are those who do not see, but trust anyway!”  (John 20)
The world says, “Seeing is believing.” 
Yeshua says, “Believing is seeing!”
Yeshua lived 2000 years ago on planet earth for 33 years, with only 3 years in public ministry.  It all comes down to faith believing through the power of God’s Holy Spirit, which removes the veil of blindness and replaces it with God’s light of truth.
“Better to be (physically) blind and see with the heart than to have two good eyes and (spiritually) see nothing.” Helen Keller
 
 
 

“Worthy is the Lamb”

performed by The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir
 
 
1 After this, Yeshua appeared again to the talmidim at Lake Tiberias. Here is how it happened: 2 Shim`on Kefa and T’oma (his name means “twin”) were together with Natan’el from Kanah in the Galil, the sons of Zavdai, and two other talmidim. 3 Shim`on Kefa said, “I’m going fishing.” They said to him, “We’re coming with you.” They went and got into the boat, but that night they didn’t catch anything. 4 However, just as day was breaking, Yeshua stood on shore, but the talmidim didn’t know it was he. 5 He said to them, 
“You don’t have any fish, do you?” “No,” they answered him. 6 He said to them, “Throw in your net to starboard and you will catch some.” So they threw in their net, and there were so many fish in it that they couldn’t haul it aboard. 7 The talmid Yeshua loved said to Kefa, “It’s the Lord!” On hearing it was the Lord, Shim`on Kefa threw on his coat, because he was stripped for work, and plunged into the lake; 8 but the other talmidim followed in the boat, dragging the net full of fish; for they weren’t far from shore, only about a hundred yards. 9 When they stepped ashore, they saw a fire of burning coals with a fish on it, and some bread. 10 Yeshua said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” 11 Shim`on Kefa went up and dragged the net ashore. It was full of fish, 153 of them; but even with so many, the net wasn’t torn. 12 Yeshua said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the talmidim dared to ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Yeshua came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time Yeshua had appeared to the talmidim after being raised from the dead. 
 
The apostles were led by the Holy Spirit to go fishing; because of their obedience to Yeshua, they cast the net on the right side and had breakfast with the King! 
 
15 After breakfast, Yeshua said to Shim`on Kefa, “Shim`on Bar-Yochanan, do you love me more than these?” He replied, “Yes, Lord, you know I’m your friend.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 A second time he said to him, “Shim`on BarYochanan, do you love me?” He replied, “Yes, Lord, you know I’m your friend.” He said to him, “Shepherd my sheep.” 17 The third time he said to him, “Shim`on BarYochanan, are you my friend?” Shim`on was hurt that he questioned him a third time: “Are you my friend?” So he replied, “Lord, you know everything! You know I’m your friend!” Yeshua said to him, “Feed my sheep! 18 Yes, indeed! I tell you, when you were younger, you put on your clothes and went where you wanted. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” 19 He said this to indicate the kind of death by which Kefa would bring glory to God. Then Yeshua said to him, “Follow me!” 20 Kefa turned and saw the talmid Yeshua especially loved following behind, the one who had leaned against him at the supper and had asked, “Who is the one who is betraying you?” 21 On seeing him, Kefa said to Yeshua, “Lord, what about him?” 22 Yeshua said to him, “If I want him to stay on until I come, what is it to you? You, follow me!” 23 Therefore the word spread among the brothers that that talmid would not die. However, Yeshua didn’t say he wouldn’t die, but simply, “If I want him to stay on until I come, what is it to you?” 24 This one is the talmid who is testifying about these things and who has recorded them. And we know that his testimony is true. 25 But there are also many other things Yeshua did; and if they were all to be recorded, I don’t think the whole world could contain the books that would have to be written!  (John 21)
The Hebrew meaning for the word love is: “I give.”  No one has or will ever give more than Yeshua.  His message of giving to the world was one of freedom from sin and redemption for eternity.  Yeshua’s message of truth and salvation is now the responsibility of His apostles to spread the good news of the gospel message to the entire world.  They cannot accomplish this mission themselves, but only with the leadership of God’s Holy Spirit will it be accomplished!
The #1 question is:  Do you love Me?  Do you love Me more than these (whomever or whatever is more important to you than your mission, the Great Commission recorded in Matthew 28:19-20.)  With God all things are possible! Amen and Amen!
3 For among the first things I passed on to you was what I also received, namely this: the Messiah died for our sins, in accordance with what the Tanakh says; 4 and He was buried; and He was raised on the third day, in accordance with what the Tanakh says; 5 and He was seen by Kefa, then by the Twelve; 6 and afterwards He was seen by more than five hundred brothers at one time, the majority of whom are still alive, though some have died. 7 Later He was seen by Ya’akov, then by all the emissaries; (1 Corinthians 15)
1 Dear Theophilos: In the first book, I (Luke) wrote about everything Yeshua set out to do and teach, 2 until the day when, after giving instructions through the Ruach HaKodesh to the emissaries whom he had chosen, he was taken up into heaven. 3 After his death he showed himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. During a period of forty days they saw him, and he spoke with them about the Kingdom of God. 4 At one of these gatherings, he instructed them not to leave Yerushalayim but to wait for
“what the Father promised, which you heard about from me. 5 For Yochanan used to immerse people in water; but in a few days, you will be immersed in the Ruach HaKodesh!” 6 When they were together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore self-rule to Isra’el?” 7 He answered, “You don’t need to know the dates or the times; the Father has kept these under his own authority.  (Acts 1)
 
 
16 So the eleven talmidim went to the hill in the Galil where Yeshua had told them to go. 17 When they saw Him, they prostrated themselves before Him; but some hesitated. 18 Yeshua came and talked with them. He said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore, go and make people from all nations into talmidim, immersing them into the reality of the Father, the Son and the Ruach HaKodesh, 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember! I will be with you always, yes, even until the end of the age.” (Matthew 28)
The apostles were to baptize in the name of the Trinity: the Father God, the Son Yeshua Messiah Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. They were to go make disciples, baptize and teach God’s Holy Word.  This mission has continued down through the centuries and it is now our responsibility to tell those who do not know Yeshua as personal Savior and Lord.  Yeshua paid the price for you and I.  The least we can do is witness of His love and forgiveness to others.
 
9 After saying this, He was taken up before their eyes; and a cloud hid him from their sight. 10 As they were staring into the sky after him, suddenly they saw two men dressed in white standing next to them. 11 The men said, “You Galileans! Why are you standing, staring into space? This Yeshua, who has been taken away from you into heaven, will come back to you in just the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”(Acts 1)
 

The greatest tragedy resulted in the greatest hope!

Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah

The Royal Choral Society has performed Handel’s Messiah on Good Friday at the Royal Albert Hall every year since 1876. The RCS filmed their performance on 6 April 2012 by kind permission of the Royal Albert Hall and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. This clip features the glorious Hallelujah Chorus. For further information on forthcoming RCS concerts please see http://www.royalchoralsociety.co.uk.

 



30 In the presence of the talmidim Yeshua performed many other miracles that have not been recorded in this book. 31 But these, which have been recorded, are here so that you may trust that Yeshua is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by this trust you may have life because of who He is.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world, through Him might be saved.  (John 3:16-17)
50 Let me say this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot share in the Kingdom of God, nor can something that decays share in what does not decay. 51 Look, I will tell you a secret – not all of us will die! But we will all be changed! 52 It will take but a moment, the blink of an eye, at the final shofar. For the shofar will sound, and the dead will be raised to live forever, and we too will be changed. 53 For this material, which can decay, must be clothed with imperishability, this, which is mortal, must be clothed with immortality. 54 When what decays puts on imperishability and what is mortal puts on immortality, then this passage in the Tanakh will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 “Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin; and sin draws its power from the Torah; 57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Yeshua the Messiah! (1 Corinthians 15)
 

The greatest resurrection resulted in the greatest Victory!!

The war has been won! The Victor is Yeshua Messiah!!







“Alpha and Omega”
Performed by The Gaither Vocal Band
 
 
 
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9 April, 2020

It Is Finished!

This was the battle of the ages for the souls of men. 
Has the darkness of evil won?  
 
Drops of blood splatter the narrow cobblestone pavement in Jerusalem that leads to Golgotha, known as the place of the Skull, on Mt. Calvary.
Yeshua’s flesh was torn to the bone from the scourging and His appearance was disfigured beyond that of any man. His form was marred beyond human likeness.  Brutalities, both physical and mental, were beyond comprehension for they had refused the One who came to save them.  The crown of thorns pierced His brow only to mock and ridicule His answer to Pilot, “My Kingship does not belong to this world’s order of things.”
19 Pilate also had a notice written and posted on the stake; it read, YESHUA FROM NATZERET THE KING OF THE JEWS 
20 Many of the Judeans read this notice, because the place where Yeshua was put on the stake was close to the city; and it had been written in Hebrew, Aramaic, Latin and Greek.
21 The Judeans’ head cohanim therefore said to Pilate, “Don’t write, `The King of the Jews,’ but `He said, “I am King of the Jews.” 
22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.“
26 As the Roman soldiers led Yeshua away, they grabbed hold of a man from Cyrene named Shim`on, who was on his way in from the country. They put the execution-stake on his back and made him carry it behind Yeshua. 
27 Large numbers of people followed, including women crying and wailing over him. 
28 Yeshua turned to them and said, “Daughters of Yerushalayim, don’t cry for me; cry for yourselves and your children! 
29 For the time is coming when people will say, `The childless women are the lucky ones — those whose wombs have never borne a child, whose breasts have never nursed a baby! 
30 Then they will begin to say to the mountains, `Fall on us!’ and to the hills, `Cover us!’ 
31 For if they do these things when the wood is green, what is going to happen when it’s dry?”  Luke 23

“The Via Dolorosa”

The Via Dolorosa (Latin, “Way of Grief” or “Way of Suffering”) is a street, in two parts, within the Old City of Jerusalem, held to be the path that Jesus walked, carrying His cross, on the way to His crucifixion.

Mark 15:25 It was nine in the morning when they nailed him to the stake.   {Other translations of scripture say the third hour both are the same time.}
 
32 Two other men, both criminals, were led out to be executed with him. 
33 When they came to the place called The Skull, they nailed Yeshua to a stake; and they nailed the criminals to stakes, one on the right and one on the left. 
34 Yeshua said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not understand what they are doing.”  Luke 23

 “Amazing Love“

Written and Performed by Chris Tomlin
 
35 The people stood watching, and the rulers sneered at Him. “He saved others,” they said, “so if He really is the Messiah, the one chosen by God, let Him save himself!” 
36 The soldiers too ridiculed Him; they came up, offered Him vinegar
37 and said, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!”
38 And there was a notice over Him which read, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS 
39 One of the criminals hanging there hurled insults at Him. “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” 
40 But the other one spoke up and rebuked the first, saying, “Have you no fear of God? You’re getting the same punishment as He is. 
41 Ours is only fair; we’re getting what we deserve for what we did. But this man did nothing wrong.” 
42 Then he said, “Yeshua, remember me when you come as King.” 
43 Yeshua said to him, “Yes! I promise that you will be with me today in Gan-`Eden.” (paradise). Luke 23
23 When the soldiers had nailed Yeshua to the stake, they took his clothes and divided them into four shares, a share for each soldier, with the under-robe left over. Now the under-robe was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom; 
24 so they said to one another, “We shouldn’t tear it in pieces; let’s draw for it.” This happened in order to fulfill the words from the Tanakh, “They divided my clothes among themselves and gambled for my robe.” This is why the soldiers did these things. 
25 Nearby Yeshua’s execution stake stood his mother, his mother’s sister Miryam the wife of K’lofah, and Miryam from Magdala. 
26 When Yeshua saw his mother and the talmid whom He loved standing there, he said to his mother, “Mother, this is your son.” 
27 Then he said to the talmid, “This is your mother.” And from that time on, the talmid took her into his own home.  John 19
45 From noon until three o’clock in the afternoon, all the Land was covered with darkness (for the sun had stopped shining). 
46 At about three, Yeshua uttered a loud cry, “Eli! Eli! L’mah sh’vaktani? (My God! My God! Why have you forsaken me?)” 
47 On hearing this, some of the bystanders said, “He’s calling for Eliyahu.” 
48 Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, soaked it in vinegar, put it on a stick and gave it to him to drink. 
49 The rest said, “Wait! Let’s see if Eliyahu comes and rescues him.”
50 When Yeshua had received the drink, He called out in a loud voice, “Father, It is finished! Into your hands I commit My spirit.” And, letting His head droop, He delivered up His spirit.
 

 

 
“It is Finished”
Written and performed by The Gaither Vocal Band
51 At that moment the parokhet (veil) in the Temple was ripped in two from top to bottom; and there was an earthquake, with rocks splitting apart. 
52 Also the graves were opened, and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.  
 
54 When the Roman officer and those with him who were keeping watch over Yeshua saw the earthquake and what was happening, they were terrified and exclaimed, “Surely He was the Son of God.”
55 There were many women there, looking on from a distance; they had followed Yeshua from the Galil, helping Him. 
56 Among them were Miryam from Magdala, Miryam the mother of Ya`akov and Yosef, and the mother of Zavdai’s sons. Matthew 27
31 It was Preparation Day, and the Judeans did not want the bodies to remain on the stake on Shabbat, since it was an especially important Shabbat. So they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies removed. 
32 The soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man who had been put on a stake beside Yeshua, then the legs of the other one; 
33 but when they got to Yeshua and saw that he was already dead, they didn’t break his legs. 
34 However, one of the soldiers stabbed his side with a spear, and at once blood and water flowed out. 
35 The man who saw it has testified about it, and his testimony is true. And he knows that he tells the truth, so you too can trust. 
36 For these things happened in order to fulfill this passage of the Tanakh: “Not one of his bones will be broken.” 
37 And again, another passage says, “They will look at him whom they have pierced.”
  
38 After this, Yosef of Ramatayim, who was a talmid of Yeshua, but a secret one out of fear of the Judeans, asked Pilate if he could have Yeshua’s body. Pilate gave his consent, so Yosef came and took the body away. 
39 Also Nakdimon, who at first had gone to see Yeshua by night, came with some seventy pounds of spices — a mixture of myrrh and aloes. 
40 They took Yeshua’s body and wrapped it up in linen sheets with the spices, in keeping with Judean burial practice. 
41 In the vicinity of where he had been executed was a garden, and in the garden was a new tomb in which no one had ever been buried.  42 So, because it was Preparation Day for the Judeans, and because the tomb was close by, that is where they buried Yeshua.  John 19
 
The day is spent. Yeshua’s body is laid to rest. The stone has been secured over the entrance of the borrowed tomb.  The sun sets – darkness again reigns.
62 Next day, after the preparation, the head cohanim and the P’rushim went together to Pilate 
63 and said, “Sir, we remember that that deceiver said while he was still alive, `After three days I will be raised.’ 
64 Therefore, order that the grave be made secure till the third day; otherwise the talmidim may come, steal him away and say to the people, `He was raised from the dead’; and the last deception will be worse than the first.”
65 Pilate said to them, “You may have your guard. Go and make the grave as secure as you know how.” 

66 So they went and made the grave secure by sealing the stone and putting the guard on watch. Matthew 27

“How Beautiful”
performed by Twila Paris
These last hours were filled with the deepest depth of sorrow and injustice beyond belief!  Innocence and truth and love and forgiveness were crucified.
Blood flows.  Oh, the blood, the precious blood of the Lamb, God’s Lamb. There is power in His blood: the power to overcome sin and save us from death and Hell and the power of love that purifies and redeems.  The Lamb is without spot or blemish.  The Lamb that laid down His life, once-for-all, for whosoever chooses, may be washed and justified from sin by faith believing.
The foreshadowing of the Lamb was revealed in Egypt by the placing of the blood of a lamb on the doorpost of the home so that death would pass over.
Blood is life. The blood of Yeshua has the power of life over death and brings eternal life into the hearts of those who receive Him.  The veil separating the Holy of Holies was torn from top to bottom by God, giving man direct access to Him through the Great High Priest, Yeshua our intercessor, having accomplished His mission given by His Father God, fulfilling the law and establishing the new blood Covenant.
No one could see behind the Temple veil except the high priest. Today, the veil of spiritual blindness stands between one’s seeing and believing God’s complete truth.  The crimson cord became crimson by the blood of God’s sacrificial Lamb.
Worthy is the Lamb!!  In Yeshua we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. Ephesians 1:7b
 


Written In Red

Performed by the International Staff Songsters of the Salvation Army
Music by Gordon Jensen @ World Music
 
11 But when the Messiah appeared as cohen gadol of the good things that are happening already, then, through the greater and more perfect Tent which is not man-made (that is, it is not of this created world), 
12 he entered the Holiest Place once and for all. And he entered not by means of the blood of goats and calves, but by means of his own blood, thus setting people free forever.
15 It is because of this death that He is mediator of a new Covenant, because a death has occurred which sets people free from the transgressions committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promised eternal inheritance.  Hebrews 9
 
24 Yeshua the mediator of the New Covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks better things than that of Hevel.  Hebrews 12
 
For there is one God, and there is but one Mediator between God and man, the man Yeshua the Messiah; 1 Timothy 2:5
This is why Yeshua had to become like his brothers in every respect – so that he might become a merciful and faithful cohen gadol in the service of God, making a kapparah for the sins of the people.  Hebrews 2:17
14 Therefore, since we have a great cohen gadol who has passed through to the highest heaven, Yeshua, the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we acknowledge as true. 
15 For we do not have a cohen gadol unable to empathize
with our weaknesses; since in every respect he was tempted just as we are, the only difference being that he did not sin. Hebrews 4
 
13 But now, you who were once far off have been brought near through the shedding of the Messiah’s blood. 
14 For he himself is our shalom – he has made us both one and has broken down the m’chitzah which divided us 
15 by destroying in his own body the enmity occasioned by the Torah, with its commands set forth in the form of ordinances. He did this in order to create in union with himself from the two groups a single new humanity and thus make shalom, 
16 and in order to reconcile to God both in a single body by being executed on a stake as a criminal and thus in himself killing that enmity. 
17 Also, when he came, he announced as Good News shalom to you far off and shalom to those nearby,
18 news that through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.  Ephesians 2
 
11 Now every cohen stands every day doing his service, offering over and over the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 
12 But this one, after he had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, sat down at the right hand of God,
19 So, brothers, we have confidence to use the way into the Holiest Place opened by the blood of Yeshua. 
20 He inaugurated it for us as a new and living way through the parokhet (veil), by means of his flesh. 
21 We also have a great cohen over God’s household.  Hebrews 10
 
1 Here is the whole point of what we have been saying: we do have just such a cohen gadol as has been described. And he does sit at the right hand of HaG’dulah in heaven. 
2 There he serves in the Holy Place, that is, in the true Tent of Meeting, the one erected not by human beings but by ADONAI.
6 Yeshua obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also He is the mediator of a better Covenant. For this covenant has been given as Torah on the basis of better promises.  Hebrews 8
 
The road to Calvary began with God’s Son, born to the Virgin Mary in a stable and laid in a feeding trough, for there was no room the Inn.  The road to Calvary ended on Golgotha’s Hill with God’s Son, the Lamb of God, laying down His life, taking upon Himself the sins of mankind, to provide eternal life to any one who chooses His way. The price has been paid! Provision has been made! Our pardon for sin, PAID-IN-FULL, has been accomplished! Yeshua did all of this for us, now it is your turn to receive this gift, the greatest love gift ever given to man.
Was this price paid for nothing?  May God’s Holy Spirit reveal within your heart and soul the truth of this life-changing event. May each of you be willing to experience this indescribable love and forgiveness, offered to man by Yeshua the Christ, God’s only begotten Son: born to die that those who choose may have eternal life.  How can anyone reject so great a salvation?
Yeshua said, “After three days I will be raised!”
“Next day, after the preparation, the head cohanim and the P’rushim went together to Pilate  and said, “Sir, we remember that that deceiver said while he was still alive, `After three days I will be raised.’ Therefore, order that the grave be made secure till the third day; otherwise the talmidim may come, steal him away and say to the people, `He was raised from the dead’; and the last deception will be worse than the first.” Pilate said to them, “You may have your guard. Go and make the grave as secure as you know how.”  So they went and made the grave secure by sealing the stone and putting the guard on watch.
Can man keep Yeshua from being resurrected? Can Satan?
“Rise Again”
Words and music by Dallas Holm
Performed by Dallas Holm
1 Comment
7 March, 2020

Chapter 3 – The Sacrificial Lamb: Year After Year

 

“The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming – not the realities themselves.  For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship.  If it could, would they not have stopped being offered?  For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins.”  Hebrews 10:1-2a

God began weaving the crimson cord of redemption for man through the shedding of blood in the Garden of Eden.  This shadow of truth is a progressive revelation leading up to the “once-for-all” complete climax of the One perfect Lamb.  
 
One of God’s gifts to man was the freedom of choice.  Eve exercised that freedom when the crafty serpent asked her,  “Did God really say ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’”   The doubt entertained in her mind became a thought, which she considered, consented to, and then acted upon.  Eve took the fruit and ate it.  Eve also gave some fruit to her husband and he ate it.

After eating the fruit they heard the sound of the Lord God as He was walking in the garden in the cool of the day.  They hid from Him among the trees.  God called to them, “Where are you.”  Adam answered, “I heard you in the garden but I was afraid, because I was naked; so I hid.”  God asked, “Who told you that you were naked?   Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”  

 

After the blame-game, the serpent is destined to crawl on his belly and eat dust all the days of his life. Eve is destined for greatly increased pains in childbearing.  Her desire is for her husband and he will rule over her. For Adam, the ground is cursed because of him.  Through painful toil, thorns and thistles, and by sweat, he will eat his own food, and yes, he will surely die – just as the Lord said.  

 
The sentencing was finished; the Lord God made garments of SKIN for Adam and Eve and clothed them.  THE FIRST BLOOD WAS SHED…TO COVER THEIR SIN!

The curse of sin has fallen on all of mankind!  Wrong choices!  This sin now breaks man’s communication with God, for He cannot look upon sin for He is Holy.

 
God banished Adam and Eve from the garden, into a fallen world. Their two sons were born; Cain who worked the soil and Abel kept flocks. Through the course of time, Cain brought fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord.  Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock.  The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering, He did not look with favor.
Genesis 4  Man began with lamb offerings to The Lord God.  This lamb offering is the shadow of good things that are coming- not the realities themselves.
 
Have you ever wondered why Cain’s offering did not find favor with God? Could it be that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin?  What can wash away my sin? – Nothing but the blood of God’s perfect, sacrificial Lamb.  In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. Ephesians 1:7
 
God instructed the people concerning the building of altars, the animals to use in the Festivals, Passover, Tabernacle and Ceremonials.  The lamb is mentioned first in Genesis and the Lamb is mentioned last in Revelation where He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood and His name is the Word of God.  The continuing theme from Genesis to Revelation is the Lamb.  
 
The lamb represents innocence; doing no evil, free from sin or wrong, doing no harm, freedom from guilt, and not transgressing the law.  Just as a young child who is not yet consciously acquainted with evil has done no wrong.  The lamb must be without spot; no discoloration, as white as snow; the lamb without blemish; no bruises, cuts, or deformities.
 
1280px-Domenico_Morelli_Noahs_DankgebetAfter man was banned from the garden, the earth grew so corrupt and violent, that God was grieved He had made man. God had a righteous man that honored and walked with Him, whose name was Noah. God told Noah to build an ark for his family and the animals, birds and creatures living on the earth.  Noah obeyed God, the flood came and after a time the water receded.  Noah’s family and all the creatures came out of the ark.
 

Then Noah built an altar and sacrificed burnt offerings to the Lord.  The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in His heart:
 “Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood.  And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, will NEVER cease.”  B’RESHEET (Genesis) 8:20-22
 
God spoke to another man, Abram, whose name God later changed to Abraham.  God said, “I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.  The whole land of Canaan, where you are now an alien, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendents after you; and I will be their God.“
 
Some time later God tested Abraham.  God told Abraham to take his only son, Isaac to a region of Mt. Moriah and sacrifice him as a burnt offering.  Abraham took the wood and placed it on his son and he carried the fire and the knife.  Isaac asked his father, “The fire and wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”  Abraham answered, “God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.”
 
As we know, Abraham prepared the wood, bound his son and raised his knife, then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven saying,  “Do not lay a hand on the boy, and do not do anything to him.  Now I know that you fear God because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”  Abraham looked up and in the thicket he saw a ram and sacrificed it as the burnt offering.
 
The angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore.  Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”  B’RESHEET (Genesis) 22:15-18
 
The progressive revelation continues as God founds another righteous man to carry out yet another step in bringing together His chosen people to the land of Canaan, God’s promise to Abraham.  God raised up this man, schooled in the Egyptian ways, who killed an Egyptian because he was beating a Hebrew slave, fled Egypt and lived on the backside of the desert for forty years.  This man, Moses, was called upon by God, the great “I AM”, to deliver His people from their slavery in Egypt.  The Isra’elites groaned in their slavery and cried out for help.  God heard their cry and remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  God sent Moses to bring the Isra’elites out of Egypt. 
 
Pharaoh refused to let the people go.  Then the plagues began with the plague of Blood, followed by Frogs, Gnats, Flies, Livestock, Boils, Hail, Locusts and Darkness.  The Lord said to Moses, “I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt and he will let you go.”  So Moses said, “This is what the Lord says:”  “About midnight I will go throughout Egypt.  Every firstborn son in Egypt will die and all the firstborn of the cattle as well.” SH’MOT (Exodus) 11:4-5 
 
THE PASSOVER LAMB passover1

 

In SH’MOT (Exodus) 12, the Lord told Moses and Aaron while they were in Egypt to tell the whole community of Isra’el that on the tenth day of this month, it will be the first month of the year, and each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household.  The animals chosen must be one-year-old males without defect.  On the fourteenth day of the month, all the people of the community of Isra’el must slaughter them at twilight.  Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs.  This is how you are to eat it:  with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the Lord’s Passover.  On that same night, I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt; I AM the LORD.  The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the BLOOD, I WILL PASS OVER YOU.    
 
For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins? But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year.  For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Hebrews 10:1-4


As we look back throughout history, God has raised up righteous men to lead His chosen and set apart people.  God saved humanity through one person, Noah.  God raised up a special people and Nation through one man, Abraham. God gave His elect people the Promised Land, Isra’el through His prophet Moses.

 
God has laid the foundation word upon word; line upon line; building truths, precept upon precept. He is in charge of the past, present and future.  How honored, humbled and grateful should be those whom He called, to be the center of His plan for the ages!
 
Let us read some passages from Psalms 119, which could apply to a person, a people or a nation.  Open my eyes Lord, that I may see you and your complete truth.  Open my ears that I may hear and heed and understand your precepts for my life.

25 My soul cleaves to the dust; revive me according to Your word. 26 I have told of my ways, and You have answered me; Teach me Your statutes. 27 Make me understand the way of Your precepts, So I will meditate on Your wonders. 28 My soul weeps because of grief; strengthen me according to Your word. 29 Remove the false way from me, and graciously grant me Your law. 30 I have chosen the faithful way; I have placed Your ordinances before me. 31 I cling to Your testimonies; O LORD, do not put me to shame! 32 I shall run the way of Your commandments, For You will enlarge my heart. He.

 

37 Turn away my eyes from looking at vanity, and revive me in Your ways. 38 Establish Your word to Your servant, As that which produces reverence for You.

 

40 Behold, I long for Your precepts; Revive me through Your righteousness. 41 May Your loving kindnesses also come to me, O LORD, Your salvation according to Your word; 42 So I will have an answer for him who reproaches me, for I trust in Your word. 43 And do not take the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, for I wait for Your ordinances. 44 So I will keep Your law continually, Forever and ever. 45 And I will walk at liberty, for I seek Your precepts. 46 I will also speak of Your testimonies before kings And shall not be ashamed. 47 I shall delight in Your commandments, Which I love. 48 And I shall lift up my hands to Your commandments, Which I love; And I will meditate on Your statutes. 49 Remember the word to Your servant, In which You have made me hope. 50 This is my comfort in my affliction; that Your word has revived me.

 

65 You have dealt well with Your servant, O LORD, according to Your word. 66 Teach me good discernment and knowledge, for I believe in Your commandments. 67 Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word. 68 You are good and do good; Teach me Your statutes. 69 The arrogant have forged a lie against me; with all my heart I will observe Your precepts. 70 Their heart is covered with fat, but I delight in Your law. 71 It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes. 72 The law of Your mouth is better to me Than thousands of gold and silver pieces.  73 Your hands made me and fashioned me; Give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments. 74 May those who fear You see me and be glad, Because I wait for Your word. 75 I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are righteous, And that in faithfulness You have afflicted me. 76 O may Your loving-kindness comfort me, According to Your word to Your servant. 77 May Your compassion come to me that I may live, For Your law is my delight. 78 May the arrogant be ashamed, for they subvert me with a lie; But I shall meditate on Your precepts. 79 May those who fear You turn to me, Even those who know Your testimonies. 80 May my heart be blameless in Your statutes, So that I will not be ashamed. 81 My soul languishes for Your salvation; I wait for Your word. 82 My eyes fail with longing for Your word, While I say, “When will You comfort me?”

 

89 Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven. 90 Your faithfulness continues throughout all generations; You established the earth, and it stands. 91 They stand this day according to Your ordinances, For all things are Your servants. 92 If Your law had not been my delight, Then I would have perished in my affliction. 93 I will never forget Your precepts, For by them You have revived me. 94 I am Yours, save me; For I have sought Your precepts.

 

103 How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth! 104 From Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way. 105 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. 106 I have sworn and I will confirm it, that I will keep Your righteous ordinances. 107 I am exceedingly afflicted; revive me, O LORD, according to Your word.

 

114 You are my hiding place and my shield; I wait for Your word.

 

129 Your testimonies are wonderful; therefore my soul observes them. 130 The unfolding of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple. 131 I opened my mouth wide and panted, for I longed for Your commandments. 132 Turn to me and be gracious to me, After Your manner with those who love Your name. 133 Establish my footsteps in Your word, And do not let any iniquity have dominion over me. 134 Redeem me from the oppression of man, that I may keep Your precepts. 135 Make Your face shine upon Your servant, And teach me Your statutes. 136 My eyes shed streams of water, because they do not keep Your law.

 

145 I cried with all my heart; answer me, O LORD! I will observe Your statutes. 146 I cried to You; save me And I shall keep Your testimonies. 147 I rise before dawn and cry for help; I wait for Your words.

 

169 Let my cry come before You, O LORD; Give me understanding according to Your word. 170 Let my supplication come before You; deliver me according to Your word. 171 Let my lips utter praise, for You teach me Your statutes. 172 Let my tongue sing of Your word, for all Your commandments are righteousness. 173 Let Your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen Your precepts. 174 I long for Your salvation, O LORD, and Your law is my delight. 175 Let my soul live that it may praise You, and let Your ordinances help me. 176 I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Your servant, for I do not forget Your commandments.

How many times have we turned away from God’s Word and wandered hopelessly because of unbelief?  Now more than ever, we must trust God to give each one the wisdom to know His complete truth.
 
“This is what the LORD says, he who made the earth, the LORD who formed it and established it – the LORD is His name:  ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’” Jeremiah (33:2-3)  
 
This is only one of over 7,000 promises quoted in God’s Word. Dare to believe it!
 
Let us continue forward as we see the foretelling of God’s Lamb through the prophets.  The shadows of the past will soon become reality.
 

 

“God’s Perfect Lamb” performed by Ron Hamilton 
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18 December, 2019

Rejoice, Yeshua Messiah is Born!

 

Come away from the stress and anxieties of life, forget self and focus your mind and heart on being still before ADONAI. 

These passages surpass all others, for they not only foretell of Yeshua’s birth but also reveal its fulfillment. Yeshua is God’s love-gift to mankind.  God’s sacrificial Lamb foretold was fulfilled with the real gift, God’s ultimate love gift.  A gift so priceless, when received, one is willing to give up self and his ways and receive God and His way – life through His Son, Yeshua Messiah.

 

 “When Love Was Born”

performed by Mark Schultz

 
Let us set the stage by looking at the events prior to the birth of Yeshua Messiah.  The Jewish period of independence ended in 63 B.C.  This time also saw the rise of the Roman Empire, which ruled the known world at the time of Yeshua Messiah’s birth.  The world was in the deepest darkness, a cold and penetrating darkness, so extreme that the chosen were doomed without someone to save them.
Adonai commissioned the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah chapter 6.  In Isaiah chapter 7 verse 14, Adonai begins to unfold His plan for the ages 700 years before it was fulfilled!
Therefore the Lord Adonai Himself will give you people a sign: The virgin will be with Child and will give birth to a Son, and will call Him Immanu El. Yesha’yahu 7:14
                       
“Son of God” written and performed by Michael W. Smith
“The virgin will conceive and bear a Son, and they will call Him “Immanu El” (God is with us). Mattityahu 1:23
 

Breath of Heaven performed by Amy Grant
Here is how the birth of Yeshua the Messiah took place. His mother Miryam was engaged to Yosef, but before they were married, she was found to be pregnant from the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit).  Mattityahu 1:18
 
 

“O Come, O Come Emmanuel”
performed by Selah





It’s sad to say that if events do not happen in the logical order that man perceives them then – THEY CANNOT BE! Since there are no boundaries for the One, all knowing, all omnipotent and Holy God, the Adonai of all things cannot and will not be put in a box based on what the mind of man perceives.

We have established how Yeshua was conceived and born of the virgin Mary and how He came to planet earth to show man – God Visible! 


“For a Child is born to us, a Son is given to us; dominion will rest on His shoulders, and He will be given the name Pele-Yo’etz El Gibbor Avi-‘Ad Sar-Shalom {Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace}, In order to extend the dominion and perpetuate the peace of the throne and kingdom of David, to secure it and sustain it through justice and righteousness henceforth and forever.  The zeal of Adonai-Tzva’ot will accomplish this.”  Yesha’yahu 9:6-7 CJB

“For Unto Us a Child Is Born” from Handel’s Messiah

From Malachi to Matthew, a period of 400 years, there was silence from God and the prophets.  This time brought about the rise and fall of the Grecian Empire, a period of Jewish revolt by the Maccabees, and the rise of the Roman Empire.  The genealogy of Yeshua Messiah is the bridge from the old to the new. Upon the stage of mankind, the revelation of the Lamb of God, foretold by Isaiah the prophet, is personified!

bethlehem-at-night-background


Now let us look at the prophecy fulfilled concerning His place of birth.  “But you, Beit-Lechem near Efrat, so small among the clans of Y’huda, out of you will come forth to me the future ruler of Isra’el, whose origins are far in the past, back in ancient times.” Micah 5:2
                       

 

“O, Little Town of Bethlehem”
performed by The Gaither Vocal Band
“Around this time, Emperor Augustus issued an order for a census to be taken throughout the Empire.  This registration, the first of its kind, took place when Quirinius was governing in Syria.  Everyone went to be registered, each to his own town.  So Joseph, because he was a descendant of David, went up from the town of Natzeret in the Galil to the town of David, called Beit-Lechem, in Y’hudah to be registered, with Mary, to whom he was engaged, and who was pregnant.  While they were there, the time came for her to give birth; and she gave birth to her first child, a Son.  She wrapped Him in cloth and laid Him down in a feeding trough, because there was no space for them in the living-quarters.”
                        
 

“In the countryside nearby were some shepherds spending the night in the fields, guarding their flocks, when an angel of Adonai appeared to them, and the Sh’khinah of Adonai shone around them. They were terrified; but the angel said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid, because I am announcing to you Good News that will bring great joy to all the people. This very day, in the town of David, there was born for you a Deliverer who is the Messiah, the Lord.  Here is how you will know: you will find a baby wrapped in cloth and lying in a feeding trough.’ Suddenly, along with the angel was a vast army from heaven praising God: 

‘In the highest heaven, glory to God! And on earth, peace among people of good will!’ ”
                                    
“No sooner had the angels left them and gone back into heaven than the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go over to Beit-Lechem and see this thing that has happened, that Adonai has told us about.’ Hurrying off, they came and found Miryam and Yosef, and the baby lying in the feeding trough. Upon seeing this, they made known what they had been told about this child; and all who heard were amazed by what the shepherds said to them.  Miryam treasured all these things and kept mulling them over in her heart.  Meanwhile, the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen; it had been just as they had been told.”  Luke 2:1-20
                        
 

“Mary, Did You Know?”
written and performed by Mark Lowery
The heavens announced His arrival.  The brightness of the star led the way. The angels followed, praising and glorifying God; announcing peace on earth to the people of good will.  The grand entrance was made, but there was no room in the hearts of men. Sorry, I have no room for you in the living-quarters, but there is a stable you can use.“Adore Him” performed by Kari Jobe
The King had arrived!  He was not dressed in royal robes, but in swaddling cloths. He had no castle, only a stable. He came, as King but became the Savior. What He freely offered was life-saving love freely given to those who chose to follow Him.



 

“O, Holy Night”
performed by Josh Groban


Then came love – the purest of loves, from the very heart of God; a part of Himself wrapped in swaddling cloths of forgiveness, mercy and grace.  Yeshua came to love, forgive, heal and set the people free!  Freedom!  A word the people had only talked about, but very few had experienced… until a babe, innocent and perfect in every way, stepped down from His throne in heaven to become the Savior and Servant to a lost people.  He came to show each one, first hand, of a love so amazing, so divine, so sincere, but only through knowing Him can it ever be experienced.
How? You say. Realize your sinful condition; repent of your sins; ask Yeshua for forgiveness; by faith believing, ask Yeshua to be your Savior and Lord.
Believe and receive God’s Holy Spirit to live within your very soul.  He is the comforter who gives wisdom and direction for your life. Ones’ heart must be ready to meet the King, the Lord Almighty when He returns to set up His Kingdom.
Amazing love! There is no greater love than that of Yeshua or His Father God.  No greater gift has ever, or will ever be given. He came to us, created in His image, to save those willing to humble their hearts and accept His everlasting gift.

 
He Came
 
 music accompaniment “What Child Is This”
performed by Michael W. Smith















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5 July, 2019

Chapter 24: God’s Law Part II: Two Passover Lambs – Two Blood Covenants

God’s Law Part II: Two Passover Lambs – Two Blood Covenants

 

 

Look! Listen! Focus! Pray that Jehovah God will open the eyes of your heart and your ears to hear the truth from His Word that you may experience the complete fulfillment of the prophecies foreshadowed by the Passover lamb in Egypt of the coming of God’s Sacrificial Passover Lamb, Yeshua in Jerusalem in 33AD.

 

The lamb represents innocence; doing no evil, free from sin or wrong, doing no harm, freedom from guilt, and not transgressing the law.  Just as a young child who is not yet consciously acquainted with evil has done no wrong.  The lamb must be without spot; no discoloration, as white as snow; the lamb without blemish; no bruises, cuts, or deformities.

 

 

“Open The Eyes of My Heart Lord”

performed by Mercy Me

 

 

1 ADONAI spoke to Moshe and Aharon in the land of Egypt; he said, 2 “You are to begin your calendar with this month; it will be the first month of the year for you. 3 Speak to all the assembly of Isra’el and say, ‘On the tenth day of this month, each man is to take a lamb or kid for his family, one per household – 4 except that if the household is too small for a whole lamb or kid, then he and his next-door neighbor should share one, dividing it in proportion to the number of people eating it. 5 Your animal must be without defect, a male in its first year, and you may choose it from either the sheep or the goats. 6 “‘You are to keep it until the fourteenth day of the month, and then the entire assembly of the community of Isra’el will slaughter it at dusk. 7 They are to take some of the blood and smear it on the two sides and top of the doorframe at the entrance of the house in which they eat it. 8 That night, they are to eat the meat, roasted in the fire; they are to eat it with matzah and maror. 9 Don’t eat it raw or boiled, but roasted in the fire, with its head, the lower parts of its legs and its inner organs. 10 Let nothing of it remain till morning; if any of it does remain, burn it up completely. 11 “‘Here is how you are to eat it: with your belt fastened, your shoes on your feet and your staff in your hand; and you are to eat it hurriedly. It is ADONAI’s Passover. 12 For that night, I will pass through the land of Egypt and kill all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both men and animals; and I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt; I am ADONAI. 13 The blood will serve you as a sign marking the houses where you are; when I see the blood, I will pass over [Hebrew: pasach] you.” Exodus 12

Blood is life; the life of the flesh is in the blood.  In reading the passage above one sees the action of putting blood on the two sides and top of the doorframe, an exercise of faith to save the life of the firstborn.  By faith, they believed and obeyed.  God is complete truth and cannot lie.  Obedience to God’s next passage, Passover in Jerusalem AD33, is also a matter of life and death.

 

 

7 Then came the day of matzah, on which the Passover lamb had to be killed. 8 Yeshua sent Kefa and Yochanan, instructing them, “Go and prepare our Seder, so we can eat.” 9 They asked him, “Where do you want us to prepare it?” 10 He told them, “As you’re going into the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him into the house he enters, 11 and say to its owner, `The Rabbi says to you, “Where is the guest room, where I am to eat the Pesach meal with my talmidim?” ‘ 12 He will show you a large room upstairs already furnished; make the preparations there.” 13 They went and found things just as Yeshua had told them they would be, and they prepared for the Seder. 14 When the time came, Yeshua and the emissaries reclined at the table, and he 15 said to them, “I have really wanted so much to celebrate this Seder with you before I die! 16 For I tell you, it is certain that I will not celebrate it again until it is given its full meaning in the Kingdom of God.” Luke 22

 

1 It was just before the festival of Pesach, and Yeshua knew that the time had come for him to pass from this world to the Father. Having loved His own people in the world, He loved them to the end. 2 They were at supper, and the Adversary had already put the desire to betray Him into the heart of Y’hudah Ben-Shim`on from K’riot. 3 Yeshua was aware that the Father had put everything in His power, and that He had come from God and was returning to God. 4 So He rose from the table, removed His outer garments and wrapped a towel around His waist. 5 Then He poured some water into a basin and began to wash the feet of the talmidim and wipe them off with the towel wrapped around Him.

12 After He had washed their feet, taken back His clothes and returned to the table, He said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? 13 You call me `Rabbi’ and `Lord,’ and you are right, because I am. 14 Now if I, the Lord and Rabbi, have washed your feet, you also should wash each other’s feet. 15 For I have set you an example, so that you may do as I have done to you. John 13

Yeshua came to serve and this example is the height of humility!

17 Then, taking a cup of wine, he made the b’rakhah and said, “Take this and share it among yourselves. 18 For I tell you that from now on, I will not drink the `fruit of the vine’ until the Kingdom of God comes.” 19 Also, taking a piece of matzah, He made the b’rakhah, broke it, gave it to them and said, “This is My body, which is being given for you; do this in memory of Me.” 20 He did the same with the cup after the meal, saying, “This cup is the New Covenant, ratified by My blood, which is being poured out for you.” Luke 22

The Passover meal has ended.  Now the unveiling of the truth begins as we see the progressive revelation that began as a shadow in Egypt, being fulfilled in the reality of the once-for-all sacrifice of God’s loving Lamb – His Son, Yeshua!

 

Yeshua’s statement says it all:

And Yeshua took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body given for you; Do this in Remembrance of Me.” Luke 22:19

From this time forward, Passover has taken on a full and complete reality of truth; behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world.

17 As Yeshua was going up to Yerushalayim, he took the twelve talmidim aside by themselves and said to them, as they went on their way, 18 “We are now going up to Yerushalayim, where the Son of Man will be handed over to the head cohanim and Torah-teachers. They will sentence him to death 19 and turn him over to the Goyim, who will jeer at him, beat him and execute Him on a stake as a criminal. But on the third day, He will be raised.” Matthew 20

As we’ll see next, these exact events were prophesied by Isaiah hundreds of years before Yeshua’s birth.

13 “See how my servant will succeed! He will be raised up, exalted, highly honored! 14 Just as many were appalled at him, because he was so disfigured that he didn’t even seem human and simply no longer looked like a man, 15 so now he will startle many nations; because of him, kings will be speechless. For they will see what they had not been told, they will ponder things they had never heard.” Isaiah 52

 

Isaiah 53

1 Who believes our report? To whom is the arm of ADONAI revealed? 2 For before him He grew up like a young plant, like a root out of dry ground. He was not well formed or especially handsome; we saw Him, but His appearance did not attract us. 3 People despised and avoided Him, a man of pains, well acquainted with illness. Like someone from whom people turn their faces, He was despised; we did not value Him. 4 In fact, it was our diseases He bore, our pains from which He suffered; yet we regarded Him as punished, stricken and afflicted by God. 5 But He was wounded because of our crimes, crushed because of our sins; the disciplining that makes us whole fell on Him, and by His bruises we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, went astray; we turned, each one, to his own way; yet ADONAI laid on Him the guilt of all of us, and in fellowship with Him 7 though mistreated, He was submissive – He did not open his mouth. Like a lamb led to be slaughtered, like a sheep silent before its shearers, He did not open his mouth. 8 After forcible arrest and sentencing, He was taken away; and none of His generation protested His being cut off from the land of the living for the crimes of my people, who deserved the punishment, themselves. 9 He was given a grave among the wicked; in His death He was with a rich man. Although He had done no violence and had said nothing deceptive, 10 yet it pleased ADONAI to crush Him with illness, to see if He would present himself as a guilt offering. If He does, He will see His offspring; and He will prolong His days; and at His hand ADONAI’s desire will be accomplished. 11 After this ordeal, He will see satisfaction. “By His knowing [pain and sacrifice], my righteous servant makes many righteous; it is for their sins that He suffers. 12 Therefore I will assign Him a share with the great, He will divide the spoil with the mighty, for having exposed Himself to death and being counted among the sinners, while actually bearing the sin of many and interceding for the offenders.”

 

Hebrews 8

4 Now if Yeshua were on earth, He wouldn’t be a cohen at all, since there already are cohanim offering the gifts required by the Torah. 5 But what they are serving is only a copy and shadow of the heavenly original; for when Moshe was about to erect the Tent, God warned him, “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern you were shown on the mountain.” 6 But now the work Yeshua has been given to do is far superior to theirs, just as the covenant he mediates is better. For this covenant has been given as Torah on the basis of better promises. 7 Indeed, if the first covenant had not given ground for faultfinding, there would have been no need for a second one. 8 For God does find fault with the people when he says, “‘See! The days are coming,’ says ADONAI, ‘when I will establish over the house of Isra’el and over the house of Y’hudah a new covenant. 9 “‘It will not be like the covenant which I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by their hand and led them forth out of the land of Egypt; because they, for their part, did not remain faithful to my covenant; so I, for my part, stopped concerning myself with them,’ says ADONAI. 10 “‘For this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Isra’el after those days,’ says ADONAI: ‘I will put my Torah in their minds and write it on their hearts; I will be their God, and they will be my people.

To the mediator of a new covenant, Yeshua; and to the sprinkled blood that speaks better things than that of Hevel. Hebrews 12:24   

The God of shalom brought up from the dead, the great Shepherd of the sheep, our Lord Yeshua, by the blood of an eternal covenant. Hebrews 13:20

 

God is waiting for you to come to Him.  Today, make this personal New Blood Covenant with Him. He has prepared the way, now is the time for you to choose.

 

  1. Know you are a lost sinner and have a need for salvation
  2. Humbly repent of your sins, for which Yeshua has already died.  He has provided the way with His blood.
  3. Through your believing faith, ask Yeshua to save you and forgive you of your sins and become your personal Savior and Lord.
  4. Receive God’s Holy Spirit in your soul to comfort and direct your life.
  5. You are now a child of the King, Yeshua, with the Kingdom of Heaven as your eternal home.

 

24 By God’s grace, without earning it, all are granted the status of being considered righteous before Him, through the act redeeming us from our enslavement to sin that was accomplished by the Messiah Yeshua. 25 God put Yeshua forward as the kapparah for sin through his faithfulness in respect to His bloody sacrificial death. This vindicated God’s righteousness; because, in His forbearance, He had passed over [with neither punishment nor remission] the sins people had committed in the past. Romans 3

 

Several other scriptures relating to the blood of the Lamb are listed below.

18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Yeshua the Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. 1 Peter 1

Therefore, since we have now come to be considered righteous by means of His bloody sacrificial death, how much more will we be delivered through Him from the anger of God’s judgment! Romans 5:9

19 So, brothers, we have confidence to use the way into the Holiest Place opened by the blood of Yeshua. 20 He inaugurated it for us as a new and living way through the parokhet, by means of His flesh.

29 Think how much worse will be the punishment deserved by someone who has trampled underfoot the Son of God; who has treated as something common the blood of the Covenant which made him holy; and who has insulted the Spirit, giver of God’s grace!   Hebrews 10

In union with Yeshua, through the shedding of His blood, we are set free – our sins are forgiven; this accords with the wealth of the grace. Ephesians 1:7

And from Yeshua the Messiah, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead and the ruler of the earth’s kings. To Him, the one who loves us, who has freed us from our sins at the cost of His blood. Revelation 1:5

And they sang a new song, “You are worthy to take the scroll and break its seals; because You were slaughtered; at the cost of blood You ransomed for God persons from every tribe, language, people and nation. Revelation 5:9

“Sir,” I answered, “you know.” Then he told me, “These are the people who have come out of the Great Tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white with the blood of the Lamb. Rev 7:14

11 But when Christ came as High Priest of the good things that are now already here, He went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. 12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. 13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! 15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a New Covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the First Covenant. Hebrews 9

 

 

 

“I Believe In A Hill Called Mount Calvary”

performed by the Gaither Vocal Band

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14 April, 2019

When Darkness Reigns


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“But this is your hour – when darkness reigns.”  Luke 22:53b

Evil permeates the darkness, spreading vicious and depraved shadows of death in the night air. The hours ahead reveal the debased mind of man being led by and corrupted by pure evil. Yet, these are the very ones for whom Yeshua is laying down His life.  The greatest battle of life and time has begun between the spiritual forces of good and evil.  The one who wins this battle wins the war!!! The victory is the saving of the souls of men who choose Yeshua’s way of light and life.
Earlier, Yeshua prayed for Himself to His Father God, then continued to pray for His disciples for protection from the evil one, then lastly, Yeshua prayed for you and me and all who, in the future, would believe and follow His message of salvation.  John 17
When Yeshua had finished praying, He left with His talmidim and crossed the stream that flows in winter through the Vadi Kidron Valley.  On the other side was an olive grove, called the Mount of Olives.  
 
32 They went to a place called Gat Sh’manim; and Yeshua said to his talmidim, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 He took with him Kefa, Ya`akov and Yochanan. Great distress and anguish came over him; 34 and he said to them, “My heart is so filled with sadness that I could die! Remain here and stay awake.” Mark 14
39 Going on a little farther, He fell on his face, praying, “My Father, if possible, let this cup pass from Me! Yet — not what I want, but what you want!” 40 He returned to the talmidim and found them sleeping. He said to Kefa, “Were you so weak that you couldn’t stay awake with Me for even an hour? 41 Stay awake, and pray that you will not be put to the test – the spirit indeed is eager, but human nature is weak.” 42 A second time He went off and prayed. “My Father, if this cup cannot pass away unless I drink it, let what You want be done.” 43 Again He returned and found them sleeping, their eyes were so heavy. 44 Leaving them again, He went off and prayed a third time, saying the same words.  Matthew 26
41 He went about a stone’s throw away from them, kneeled down and prayed, 42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still, let not My will but Yours be done.” 43 There appeared to Him an angel from heaven giving Him strength, 44 and in great anguish He prayed more intensely, so that His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling to the ground. Luke 22
41 The third time, he came and said to them, “For now, go on sleeping, take your rest. . . .There, that’s enough! The time has come! Look! The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners! 42 Get up! Let’s go! Here comes my betrayer!” Mark 14
2 Now Y’hudah, who was betraying Him, also knew the place; because Yeshua had often met there with His talmidim. 3 So Y’hudah went there, taking with him a detachment of Roman soldiers and some Temple guards provided by the head cohanim and the P’rushim; they carried weapons, swords and clubs, lanterns and torches.  John 18
48 The betrayer had arranged to give them a signal: “The man I kiss is the one you want — grab Him!” 49 He went straight up to Yeshua, said, “Shalom, Rabbi!” and kissed Him. 50 Yeshua said to him, “Friend, do what you came to do.” Then they moved forward, laid hold of Yeshua and arrested him. 51 At that, one of the men with Yeshua reached for his sword, drew it out and struck at the servant of the cohen hagadol, cutting off his ear.  But Yeshua answered, “No more of this!”  And He touched the man’s ear and healed him. 52 Yeshua said to him, “Put your sword back where it belongs, for everyone who uses the sword will die by the sword. 53 Don’t you know that I can ask my Father, and He will instantly provide more than twelve legions of angels to help Me? 54 But if I did that, how could the passages in the Tanakh be fulfilled that say it has to happen this way?” Then all the disciples deserted Him and fled. Matthew 26
52 Then Yeshua said to the head cohanim, the officers of the Temple guard and the elders who had come to seize Him, “So you came out just as you would to the leader of a rebellion, with swords and clubs? 53 Every day I was there with you in the Temple court, yet you didn’t arrest Me. But this is your hour — the hour when darkness reigns.” Luke 22
12 So the detachment of Roman soldiers and their captain, together with the Temple Guard of the Judeans, arrested Yeshua, tied Him up, 13 and took Him first to `Anan, the father-in-law of Kayafa, who was cohen gadol that fateful year. 14 (It was Kayafa who had advised the Judeans that it would be good for one man to die on behalf of the people.)  John 18
15 Shim`on Kefa and another talmid followed Yeshua. The second talmid was known to the cohen hagadol, and he went with Yeshua into the courtyard of the cohen hagadol; 16 but Kefa stood outside by the gate. So the other talmid, the one known to the cohen hagadol, went back out and spoke to the woman on duty at the gate, then brought Kefa inside. 17 The woman at the gate said to Kefa, “Aren’t you another of that man’s talmidim?” He said, “No, I’m not.”  John 18
58 A little later, someone else saw him and said, “You’re one of them too”; but Kefa said, “Man, I am not!” 59 About an hour later, another man asserted emphatically, “There can be no doubt that this fellow was with Him, because he too is from the Galil!” 60 But Kefa said, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” And instantly, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. 61 The Lord turned and looked straight at Kefa; and Kefa remembered what the Lord had said, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” 62 And he went outside and cried bitterly. Luke 22
19 Meanwhile the cohen hagadol questioned Yeshua about His talmidim and about what He taught. 20 Yeshua answered, “I have spoken quite openly to everyone; I have always taught in a synagogue or in the Temple where all
Jews meet together, and I have said nothing in secret; 21 so why are you questioning Me? Question the ones who heard what I said to them; look, they know what I said.” 22 At these words, one of the guards standing by slapped
Yeshua in the face and said, “This is how you talk to the cohen hagadol?” 23 Yeshua answered him, “If I said something wrong, state publicly what was wrong; but if I was right, why are you hitting me?” 24 So `Anan sent him, still tied up, to Kayafa the cohen hagadol.  John 18
57 Those who had seized Yeshua led Him off to Kayafa the cohen hagadol, where the Torah-teachers and elders were assembled. 58 Kefa followed Him at a distance as far as the courtyard of the cohen hagadol; then he went inside and sat down with the guards to see what the outcome would be. 59 The head cohanim and the whole Sanhedrin looked for some false evidence against Yeshua, so that they might put Him to death. 60 But they didn’t find any, even though many liars came forward to give testimony. At last, however, two people came forward and said, 61 “This man said, `I can tear down God’s Temple and build it again in three days.'” 62 The cohen hagadol stood up and said, “Have you nothing to say to the accusation these men are making?” 63 Yeshua remained silent. The cohen hagadol said to him, “I put you under oath! By the living God, tell us if You are the Mashiach, the Son of God!” 64 Yeshua said to him, “The words are your own. But I tell you that one day you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of HaG’vurah and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 65 At this, the cohen hagadol tore his robes. “Blasphemy!” he said. “Why do we still need witnesses? You heard Him blaspheme! 66 What is your verdict?” “Guilty,” they answered. “He deserves death!” 67 Then they spit in His face and pounded him with their fists; and those who were beating him 68 said, “Now, you `Messiah,’ `prophesy’ to us: who hit you that time?”  Matthew 26
1 Early in the morning, all the head cohanim and elders met to plan how to bring about Yeshua’s death. 2 Then they put Him in chains, led Him away and handed Him over to Pilate the governor. 3 When Y’hudah, who had betrayed him, saw that Yeshua had been condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the head cohanim and elders, 4 saying, “I sinned in betraying an innocent man to death.” “What is that to us?” they answered. “That’s your problem.” 5 Hurling the pieces of silver into the sanctuary, he left; then he went off and hanged himself…  (His body fell headlong, swelled up and burst open, and all his entrails spilled out. Acts 1) …
6 The head cohanim took the silver coins and said, “It is prohibited to put this into the Temple treasury, because it is blood money.” 7 So they decided to use it to buy the potter’s field as a cemetery for foreigners. 8 This is how it came to be called the Field of Blood, a name it still bears.
9 Then what Yirmeyahu the prophet spoke was fulfilled, “And they took the thirty silver coins, which was the price the people of Isra’el had agreed to pay for Him, 10 and used them to buy the potter’s field, just as the Lord directed me.” Matthew 27
28 They led Yeshua from Kayafa to the governor’s headquarters. By now it was early morning. They did not enter the headquarters building because they didn’t want to become ritually defiled and thus unable to eat the Pesach meal. 29 So Pilate went outside to them and said, “What charge are you bringing against this man?” 30 They answered, “If He hadn’t done something wrong, we wouldn’t have brought Him to you.” 31 Pilate said to them, “You take Him and judge Him according to your own law.” The Judeans replied, “We don’t have the legal power to put anyone to death.” 32 This was so that what Yeshua had said, about how He was going to die, might be fulfilled. 
 
33 So Pilate went back into the headquarters, called Yeshua and said to Him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” 34 Yeshua answered, “Are you asking this on your own, or have other people told you about me?” 35 Pilate replied, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and head cohanim have handed You over to me; what have you done?” 36 Yeshua answered, “My kingship does not derive its authority from this world’s order of things. If it did, my men would have fought to keep me from being arrested by the Judeans. But my kingship does not come from here.” 37 “So then,” Pilate said to Him, “You are a king, after all.” Yeshua answered, “You say I am a king. The reason I have been born, the reason I have come into the world, is to bear witness to the truth. Every one who belongs to the truth listens to me.” 38 Pilate asked Him, “What is truth?” Having said this, Pilate went outside again to the Judeans and told them, “I don’t find any case against Him.  John 18
5 But they persisted. “He is inciting the people with His teaching throughout all Y’hudah — He started in the Galil, and now He’s here!” 6 On hearing this, Pilate asked if the man was from the Galil; 7 and when he learned that He was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him over to Herod, who at that time happened to be in Yerushalayim too. 8 Herod was delighted to see Yeshua, because he had heard about Him and for a long time had been wanting to meet Him; indeed, he hoped to see Him perform some miracle. 9 He questioned Him at great length, 10 but Yeshua made no reply. However, the head cohanim and the Torah-teachers stood there, vehemently pressing their case against Him. 11 Herod and his soldiers treated Yeshua with contempt and made fun of Him. Then, dressing Him in an elegant robe, they sent Him back to Pilate. 12 That day Herod and Pilate became friends with each other; previously they had been enemies. 
13 Pilate summoned the head cohanim, the leaders and the people, 14 and said to them, “You brought this man before me on a charge of subverting the people. I examined Him in your presence and did not find the man guilty of the crime you are accusing Him of. 15 And neither did Herod, because he sent him back to us. Clearly, He has not done anything that merits the death penalty. 16 Therefore, what I will do is have Him scourged and release Him.” Luke 23
For most of us in today’s modern society, the term scourge has no relevant meaning or point of reference.  Scourge means to beat, to flog, to punish severely with a leather whip imbedded with sharp pieces of bone and metal.
The perfect example of Yeshua’s scourging is prophesied in Isaiah 52:14…
14 Just as there were many who were appalled at Him— His appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and His form marred beyond human likeness—
15 It was the governor’s custom during a festival to set free one prisoner, whom ever the crowd asked for. 16 There was at that time a notorious prisoner being held, named Bar-Abba. 17 So when a crowd had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to set free for you? Bar Abba? or Yeshua, called `the Messiah’?” 18 For he understood that it was out of jealousy that they had handed Him over.
19 While he was sitting in court, his wife sent him a message, “Leave that innocent man alone. Today in a dream I suffered terribly because of Him.” 20 But the head cohanim persuaded the crowd to ask for Bar-Abba’s release and to have Yeshua executed on the cross. 21 “Which of the two do you want me to set free for you?” asked the governor. “Bar-Abba!” they answered. 22 Pilate said to them, “Then what should I do with Yeshua, called `the Messiah’?” They all said, “Put him to death on the stake! Crucify Him! Crucify Him! 23 When he asked, “Why? What crime has He committed?” they shouted all the louder, “Put Him to death on the stake!” Crucify Him! 24 When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water, washed his hands in front of the crowd, and said, “My hands are clean of this man’s blood; it’s your responsibility.” 25 All the people answered, “His blood is on us and on our children!” 26 Then Pilate released to them Bar-Abba; but Pilate had Yeshua scourged, and handed Him over to be crucified. 27 The governor’s soldiers took Yeshua into the headquarters building, and the whole battalion gathered around Him. 
28 They stripped off his clothes and put on him a scarlet robe, 29 wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head, and put a stick in his right hand. Then they kneeled down in front of him and made fun of him: “Hail to the King of the Jews!” 30 They spit on Him and used the stick to beat Him about the head. 31 When they had finished ridiculing Him, they took off the robe, put his own clothes back on Him and led Him away to be nailed to the cross to crucify Him. Matthew 27
Yeshua’s last 12 hours began with His betrayal by Judas Iscariot as he left the Passover meal to collect his 30 pieces of silver from the head cohanim and lead their armed guards to Yeshua on the Mt of Olives. Yeshua had revealed the complete meaning of Passover.
22 While they were eating, Yeshua took bread and gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to His talmidim, saying, “Take It; this is My body.” 23 Then He took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 “This is My blood of the Covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” He said to them 25 “I tell you the truth, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until I drink it anew in the Kingdom of God.” Mark 14   “This is My body given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”  Luke 22:19b
 
On this night, the new Passover Lamb, the once-for-all sacrifice of God’s only Son, fulfilled the shadow of the old Passover.
Even when the darkness of evil reigns – the Light of Truth is not extinguished!  Amen and Amen!
Peter (Kefa) saw the light of truth through the eyes of Yeshua when he denied knowing his Lord.  Peter went out and wept bitterly.  He truly repented.
Pilate’s wife saw the light of truth revealed in a dream and sent a note to Pilate while he was sitting on the judge’s seat saying “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.” Matthew 27:19
Pilate saw the light of truth while questioning Yeshua.
13 Pilate summoned the head cohanim, the leaders and the people, 14 and said to them, “You brought this man before me on a charge of subverting the people. I examined Him in your presence and did not find the man guilty of the crime you are accusing Him of. 15 And neither did Herod, because he sent Him back to us. Clearly, He has not done anything that merits the death penalty.  Luke 23
Judas Iscariot, the betrayer and one of the talmidim, saw the light of truth, but too late. 3 When Y’hudah, who had betrayed Him, saw that Yeshua had been condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the head cohanim and elders, 4 saying, “I sinned in betraying an innocent man to death.” “What is that to us?” they answered. “That’s your problem.” 5 Hurling the pieces of silver into the sanctuary, he left; then he went off and hanged himself. Matthew 27
The greatest testimony of the light of truth is from the source of all truth, for Yeshua and His Father are one; therefore they cannot lie.
33 So Pilate went back into the headquarters, called Yeshua and said to Him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” 34 Yeshua answered, “Are you asking this on your own, or have other people told you about me?” 35 Pilate replied, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and head cohanim have handed you over to me; what have you done?” 36 Yeshua answered, “My kingship does not derive its authority from this world’s order of things. If it did, my men would have fought to keep me from being arrested by the Judeans. But my kingship does not come from here.” 37 “So then,” Pilate said to him, “You are a king, after all.” Yeshua answered, “You say I am a king. The reason I have been born, the reason I have come into the world, is to bear witness to the truth. Every one who belongs to the truth listens to me.” 38 Pilate asked him, “What is truth?” Having said this, Pilate went outside again to the Judeans and told them, “I don’t find any case against him.  John 18
Yeshua’s last hours were filled with betrayal, arrest, verbal abuse, being bound, blindfolded, beaten, ridiculed, mocked, spat upon, judged, scourged, crowned with thorns and then condemned to die. 
If I had been in the crowd that morning, would I have shouted “Crucify Him!!”  “Crucify Him!!” ?
If you had been in the crowd that morning, would you have shouted “Crucify Him!!”  “Crucify Him!!” ?
If each of us has not chosen Yeshua to be our personal Savior and Lord of our life, then it is sad to say, the answer would be yes: Crucify Him!!
 
Prayerfully watch this powerful video of the David Meece song as performed by Avalon:
 

 

 
… We were the reason that He gave His life
We were the reason that He suffered and died
To a world that was lost He gave all He could give
To show us the reason to live…
 
 
Pictures and movie arrangement from the 2004 Mel Gibson movie
The Passion of the Christ.
 
 
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