Sin vs Sin, This Is Not A Play On Words Part-7

The Conclusion

Many believers use some type of dictionary to aide them in their studies.  In an attempt to gain a better understanding of certain words, we have used Strong’s Concordance, Smith’s Bible Dictionary, Easton’s Bible Dictionary, and Vine’s Expository Dictionary.  Normally, what the dictionary defines a word to be is what we tend to accept and believe that word to be.  But have you ever wondered how a word gets into the dictionary?  We discovered that the dictionary is not designed to tell us what a word means.  The dictionary is designed to give us the correct word spelling, to tell us the history of a word, to tell us how that word has been used throughout the years, and to tell us when it first appeared in the language.

Sin vs Sin, This Is Not A Play On Words Part-6

So, God has taken the sinless Christ and poured into him the sins of the world.  And in exchange, God poured his goodness into us.  Therefore, it is with Christ, the same as it was with Adam.  The independent actions of each of these men affected the entire human race.  First, there was the principle of imputation that reduced all men to the same ultimate condition, making all men sinners, because of the offense of one man.  Then, there was the principle of imputation that provided for all men the same ultimate answer, giving all men the opportunity to become the righteousness of God, because of the obedience of another man.

Sin vs Sin, This Is Not A Play On Words Part-5

Death came into the world because of what man (Adam) did, and it is because of what this other man (Jesus) has done that now there is the resurrection from the dead.

Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned (Romans 5:12).

We have already found that because of what one man, Adam did, sin entered the world and death spread throughout the world.  We know that everything began to grow old and die.  But now we want to look at the contrast between the one who started all of this and the one who end all of this.

Sin vs Sin, This Is Not A Play On Words Part-4

Yes, it dawned on us that there could be another definition or meaning for the word sin.  We now believed the phrase; All have sinned referred to a point in time when everyone sinned.  The only time that this could be referring to had to be back in the beginning, in the beginning of God’s creation.  The phrase actually points to the very moment when all were in one man, Adam.  You see, when Adam fell, the entire human race was constituted or formally established as sinners.

For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous (Romans 5:19).

Sin vs Sin, This Is Not A Play On Words Part-3

Adam is the one who started all of this.  When Adam sinned, sin entered the world and affected the entire human race.  With the sin, death entered the world and it too affected the entire human race.  Therefore, through the one man sin entered into the world and death caught a ride, both affecting the entire human race.  Adam’s sin spread death throughout all the world, so everything began to grow old and die (for sin entered into the world and death followed sin into the world).

We know that it was Adam’s sin that caused this because according to the scriptures, people were sinning from the time of Adam until Moses and God did not judge them guilty of death for breaking his laws, because he had not yet given his laws to them, nor had he told them what he wanted them to do.  We also know from the scriptures that when their bodies died it was not for their own sins since they themselves had never disobeyed God’s special law against eating the forbidden fruit, as Adam had.

Sin vs Sin, This Is Not A Play On Words Part-2

After defining the word all, to mean all-inclusive or everyone, the group was asked another set of questions:  How does that definition apply to this scripture, For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin?

For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him (II Corinthians 5:21).

For God took the sinless Christ and poured into him our sins.  Then, in exchange, he poured God’s goodness into us (him who knew no sin, he made sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in him).

Sin vs Sin, This Is Not A Play On Words

In a recent discussion among fellow believers, one of the believers posed several questions to the group.  The first set of questions posed to the group was:  Define the word all in the scripture; For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23)?  Does all mean all inclusive?  The initial response by all who were asked these questions was one of two responses; All means all-inclusive or All means everyone.  The group of believers was then asked the following question; Does that mean everyone without exception?  The response from the group was collectively; Yes, all means all-inclusive without exception.

A Third Class – Part III

According to our earlier examination of Romans 8:1, we saw that there was therefore no condemnation for anyone who is in or belongs to Christ Jesus.  We determined that there were two groups, those who where in Christ Jesus, them being the believers, the saved, or the Christians and those who were not in Christ Jesus, them being the non-believers or the unsaved.  We also found that many translations omitted this part of the passage, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.  Up on further examination, we discovered this omitted text to be vital in the understanding and interpretation of this passage.  We can see from the omitted text that there be a qualifier for them which are in Christ Jesus.  A qualifier is something that has the ability to restrict, limit, alter, or modify the meaning of something else.  Imagine that, something in the word of God that actually restricts, limits, alters, or modifies the meaning of them who be in Christ Jesus.  It appears that there just might be another group amongst those that are in Christ Jesus.

A Third Class – Part II

Let us quickly summarize what we have discovered thus far.  In our initial examination of Romans 8:1, we determined that there appeared to be two groups, those who where in Christ Jesus (the believers) and those who were not in Christ Jesus (the non-believers), even though the passage only mentions one group.  We also placed these two groups or classifications on a finite line with two extreme endpoints, with those in Christ Jesus to the extreme far right and those not in Christ Jesus to the extreme far left.  We placed everyone else somewhere in between, depending on their association to the two extremes.  We also determined that Satan would go after those toward the extreme far right; them who be in Christ Jesus, the believers because them toward the extreme far left had already committed themselves to him.

We re-examined Romans 8:1 to discover that there are some who are in Christ Jesus that believe there is nothing they can do to lose their salvation and be plucked from the hand of Christ.  They live a lifestyle of their choosing and regardless of what they do; they believe they will always be forgiven as long as they get on their knees and confess their sins.  The phrase, carnal Christian was coined to define the believer who confesses and believes in Christ Jesus, but lives a lifestyle that does not appear to glorify God while claiming the forgiveness and acceptance of God.  Could this be that other group, that third classification we discussed earlier?

A Third Class

Many years ago, we read a passage that forever changed how we viewed and accepted those facts surrounding the one everyone claims to know and worship.

For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect (Matthew 24:24).

According to what we have just read, we see that false Christs will rise up and the false prophets will rise up as well.  We see that these false Christs and false prophets will show great signs and do wonderful miracles.  In doing these great signs and wonderful miracles, which will be so realistic that if it were possible, they, the false Christs and the false prophets would deceived, tricked, or even seduced the very elect.  This means that whatever these great signs and wonderful miracles be, they be good enough to fool the very elect, if that were possible.  And since that is not possible, then what is possible is for these great signs and wonderful miracles to deceived, tricked, or even seduced everyone who is not one of the very elect.

So the question that you have to ask yourself is; Are you, by definition, one of the very elect?  We suggest that you think very carefully before you answer this question, because this could be a matter of life and death.

A Contract

Have you ever entered into a contract? Did you thoroughly read the contract before you signed it? Did you understand all the conditions, terms, and provisions of the contract? Did you read through all the fine print of the contract? It seems that everything you try to do involves some type of contract. Whether it is verbal and written, you enter daily into some type of contract. There is a contract every time you make a purchase or a trade of any kind. There is a contract whenever you have something built or repaired. Almost any time there is money involved; there is a contract that is attached.

According to Webster’s Dictionary, a contract is defined as a formal or legally binding agreement, e.g. one for the sale of property, or one setting out terms of employment; a document that records a formal or legally binding agreement; to make a formal or legally binding agreement with somebody to do something, especially work; an agreement or arrangement, either written or verbal and sometimes enforceable by law; and a situation in which everyone accepts the same terms or has the same opinion.

The Church, The Bride, And You – The Conclusion

Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me.  For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy:  for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.  But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ (II Corinthians 11:1-3).

We have also heard this passage used to support the church is the bride ideation.  Because of what Paul stated, many believe the bride (the body) is betrothed to one husband and is to be presented a chaste virgin to Christ.  Paul is speaking about himself, speaking about what he has done, and speaking about what he wants to do.  Paul betrothed the church at Corinth to Jesus when he converted them and taught them about the gospel of Jesus.  Paul wants to present them as pure, natural, and clean in thought and deed to Christ, not having their minds corrupted with false doctrines by false teachers.  He is truly concerned that they may lose that which they have received from him and their minds could be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ by one preaching another Jesus (II Corinthians 11:4-33).  Basically, Paul wanted the Corinthians to be true to their first love; Jesus like a chaste virgin should be to her future husband.  Since we, being the bride, do not fit this example, then who or what is the bride?

The Church, The Bride, And You

God has made Christ the supreme head of the church.

And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all (Ephesians 1:22-23).

The church represents the body of Christ.  When you look at human anatomy, you find the head attached to the body and the body attached to the feet.  The head (Jesus) is attached to the body (the church) which is attached to the feet.  But what is the body of Christ?  Just as the human body is comprised of many parts working together as one, so it is with the body of Christ.  In fact, the members are baptized by one Spirit to form one body, nourished by the same Spirit so there is no disunion in the body.  You are the body of Christ and member of the body, individually.

A Different View Of An Old Classic (concluded)

Now, we would like to share one more substitution.  With this substitution, we would like to combine all that we have discovered thus far.

In the beginning was the Word (the Logos, the Son, and the one called Jesus), and the Word (the Logos, the Son, and the one called Jesus) was with God (the Father), and the Word (the Logos, the Son, and the one called Jesus) was God (the Father).  The same (the Word, the Logos, the Son, and the one called Jesus) was in the beginning with God (the Father).

As you can see, this substitution makes for a very complex interpretation of the Word, who has been label the Logos, the Son, and the one called Jesus.  While the Trinitarians are not the only ones who have made this passage the cornerstone of their belief system, the substitutions appear to present more questions than answers.  It would appear that we are no closer to solving the mystery than before.

A Different View Of An Old Classic (con't)

Recently, we examined two very controversial verses.  At the center of the controversial verses is the interpretation of the phrase, the Word, translated from the Greek word logos.  We have been taught that this Greek word logos, which was translated into English as the Word, was later made flesh (John 1:14) and came to be known as Jesus the Christ.  However as the Strong’s Complete Greek and Hebrew Lexicon pointed out, this Greek word was first used by a Greek philosopher named Heraclitus.  At the end of the 6^th century B.C., Heraclitus made the word logos a central concept of his Greek philosophy where he believed the term was the underlying substance of the universe, the power behind the order in the world, and the order itself.  He was the first to believe that this logos or a rational divine intelligence gave life to the world.  He believed this rational divine intelligence, which today is referred to as being the mind of God in some scientific circles, produced the order and pattern in the things we encounter every day.  He believed this divine force was similar to human reasoning where no man had a soul of his own, but each shared in a universal soul-fire.  He even believed his own thoughts partook of this rational divine intelligence.  He became famous for his doctrine of change being central to the universe and the unity of opposites where existing things were characterized by pairs of contrary properties.  He believed that all things existed in accordance with this logos that was the coordinator of the changing universe.

A Different View Of An Old Classic

There exists a passage that has been interpreted to imply that Jesus was there in the beginning with God when he created all that was created.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  The same was in the beginning with God (John 1:1-2).

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  The same (the Word) was in the beginning with God.  These two verses have created more controversy than any other verses in the Bible.  While it is true that there are many misinterpreted passages from the Bible, many have their foundations based on the interpretation of these two verses.  At the center of the controversy is the phrase, the Word, translated from the Greek word logos.  This word has been analyzed, examined, investigated, scrutinized, evaluated, questioned, explored, considered, and reconsidered resulting in no concrete determination as to the true interpretation or meaning of the phrase.  Below is an insert taken directly from the Strong’s Complete Greek and Hebrew Lexicon.  Examine the many different definitions and see if you can determine the true interpretation or meaning of the phrase.

Do You Believe Jesus Was Tempted? (concluded)

To be tempted in all points as we are, with every temptation known to man and not give in to a single one is simply amazing.  The scriptures tell us that he was without sin.  To endure two major battles at the same time in a forty-day span is just too difficult to wrap one’s mind around without completely being mesmerized by the details.  First, the earthly battle between his spirit and his flesh and then the spiritual battle between his spirit and the devil, in which he was victorious in both.  Now, how impressed are you with the awesomeness of our high priest, Jesus Christ?  We have discovered that the level of awesomeness totally depends on whom or what a person believes Jesus to be.  While many claim to believe in Jesus, the controversy surrounding his identity has made it more and more difficult to separate the fact from the fiction.  And while we understand that you may know Jesus, bear with us as we share with everyone else some of the descriptions we found for the one every claims to know.

We found some who believe him to be God himself.  Some who believe him to be part of the three-in-one trilogy called the Trinity.  Some believe him to be only a man.  Some say he was just a myth, that he never existed.  Some believe him to be some combination of God and man, both one-hundred percent God and one-hundred percent man; or fifty percent God and fifty percent man; or some in between combination.  Some say he has no beginning because he always existed.  Others say he has always existed because he created the universe and all that we see while some say he helped the Father with creation.  Some say he has a beginning but he was, at some point created before the universe.  Still some say he has a beginning but not until he was brought forth, created in the womb of Mary.

Do You Believe Jesus Was Tempted? (continued)

So how awesome does this make our high priest, Jesus Christ?  To know that he was tempted with every temptation common to man and yet he was without sin is simply amazing.  Let us continue our examination into the temptations of our high priest.

And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost (Holy Spirit) returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being forty days tempted of (tested by) the devil.  And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered (was hungry).  And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.  And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.  And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, showed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.  And the devil said unto him, All this power (authority) will I give thee, and the glory of them:  for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.  If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.   And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.  And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence:  for it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee:  and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.  And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt (test) the Lord thy God.  And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season (Luke 4:1-13).

Do You Believe Jesus Was Tempted?

Here is some food for you to digest.

For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15).

Did you know that we do not have a high priest who cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities?  No, we do not.  What we do have is a high priest who can be touched with the feeling of our infirmities and one who was tempted in one point as we are.

Did we say one point?  We are terribly sorry.  We meant to say is that we do have a high priest who can be touched with the feeling of our infirmities and one who was tempted in two points as we are.

Wait a minute, what did we say?  Two points?  Again, we are so sorry, but we think we got it this time.  We do have a high priest who can be touched with the feeling of our infirmities and one who was tempted in several points as we are.

It Is All In The Tense – Post 3

In life, there is but one divided highway, with two directions on which you can travel.  One direction is on the path where you choose to listen to the voice of the Lord and do all that he has commanded.  For simplicity sakes, let us call this direction north.  The other direction is on the path where one chooses not to listen to the voice of the Lord and not do all that he has commanded.  Let us call this direction south.  Along this divided highway, there be many median crossings that allow you to change directions any time you choose.

Now to understand the concept of something coming upon you and overtaking you, image yourself traveling north on this highway.  You look in the rear-view mirror and see this tractor-trailer coming up the highway.  As you drive further up the highway, you notice that this tractor-trailer has now come upon you and is about to overtake you.  As the tractor-trailer overtakes you, the rear doors of the trailer open up and all of these blessings begin to pour out upon you.  And as long as you drive on this road in this direction, these blessings will continue to pour out upon you.  You see the only way for this tractor-trailer, these blessings, to come upon you and overtake you is for you to be going in the same direction as it is going.  If you are going in the other direction, this particular tractor-trailer will never come upon you and overtake you.

Please understand that you can cut through the median and change directions any time that you choose.  This is totally up to you.  God allows you to make that decision, that choice.  But keep this in mind that once you start traveling south on this highway, the only tractor-trailer that can come upon you now is the one that that is traveling in that direction, which is the one that contains the curses and you know what happens when it overtakes you.  As long as you drive on this road in this direction, the curses will continue to pour out upon you.  The direction that you go will always be yours to choose and yours alone.  Now that you have this knowledge, we pray that you will choose your direction wisely.

It Is All In The Tense – Post 2

And while we have never been one to suggest or advocate changing anything that is written in the Bible, there are a few terms we want to introduce to you that just may change your mind, as it did ours when we discovered them.  However, we would like to caution you and give you fair warning that every word of God has been established as truth, therefore, do not add to or make any additions to his word, for you will be rebuked and found to be a liar (Proverbs 30:5-6).  And definitely do not take anything away from his word.

The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times (Psalm 12:16).

But here is the thing, if you be one who believes that the Bible is the inerrant word of God, then you may want to stop reading here.  What we are about to share with you will go against all that you believe the Bible to be and our intent is not to offend but to inform.  However, if you believe differently, then please continue.

The first thing you need to do is to determine what is the word of God.  Then, you will need to be able to tell the difference between the words of God and the words of others.  And by the words of others, we are referring to the original writers of The Scriptures.  We would also like to include all of the interpreters, all of the scholars, all of the translators, and anyone else, who has had a hand in putting together the words of old in the format that we use today called the Bible.  While the Bible says that all scripture is given by inspiration of God (II Timothy 3:16), it does not mean that every word in the Bible is that of God.  God inspired men to write all that is recorded but not every word recorded is that of God.  And while we believe that God would not allow his words to be misrepresented, this does not mean that the men who were given the task of interpreting and translating those inspired words did not interject, at times, some of their beliefs, some of the things that they were taught, or their own interpretations of what they were translating.  We believe this is why God tells us to study to show ourselves approve unto him, that we may righty divide the word of truth (II Timothy 2:15).  With that being said, let us move forward.

It Is All In The Tense – Post 1

There are many people who have been taught and lead to believe that God is responsible for all the tragedy in the world.  They believe he is responsible for the earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, tidal waves, volcanic eruptions, and all the other natural disasters that take place.  Most often in those situations where such disasters occur, you will quite often hear the phrase, an act of God associated with them.  In legal terms, the phrase, an act of God is defined as any extraordinary interruption caused solely by the effect of nature or natural causes that no one can reasonably foresee or prevent; it is a natural catastrophe caused without any interference by humans whatsoever.

Then there are those who believe God is responsible for the daily struggles that so many go through every day, such as depression, fear, worry, anxiety, confusion, doubt, discouragement, low self-esteem, poverty, sickness, and death.  They have been taught and truly believe that everyone suffers these things because this is the will of God.  That old cliché, God will not put more on you than you can bear, appears to fall in line with the old teachings that God is responsible for the things that happen to us.  They also believe that God uses these things so that he can chasten his children.  They are convinced that there is some type of life lesson that God wants his children to learn through these experiences.

NAIVETY

Naivety is and will always be a part of life, but at some point, you have to grow.  And the only way to grow is to seek.  You have to seek knowledge.  Knowledge is power, misinformation destruction.  Think of it as if you were planting a sapling.  You would dig a hole and plant the sapling in the soil.  Once planted in the soil, the sapling would be surrounded by minerals, nutrients, and water that would enable it to grow.  But it is the sapling that must take up root in the soil so that it can start to grow.  It must reach out with these roots so that it can have an opportunity to grow.

And once these roots are extended, they will serve as support for the sapling, drawing in minerals, nutrients, and water from the surrounding soil.  And as the root system of the tree develops, the tree grows from one stage to the next; for example from the infancy stage to a youth stage.  And with each stage of growth, it is the roots that have to continue to seek more and more minerals, more and more nutrients, and more and more water from the soil, if the tree is to continue to grow.  As the roots seek more and more the tree will grow more and more.

It is the same way with you.  When you come to God, God plants you in the soil.  Yes, that is right.  God digs a hole and plants you in the soil of his word.  Once planted in the soil, you are surrounded by knowledge, wisdom, and discernment – all the things that will enable you to grow.  God has provided for you knowledge through his word, wisdom through understanding, and discernment through perception to encourage you to grow.

Why We Be A Kingdom Worker

Once, we were asked why we chose to do what we do.  We wanted to share, just in case someone else had the same question.

After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and (by) two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come (was about to go).  Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth laborers into his harvest.  Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves.  Carry neither purse, nor scrip (bag), nor shoes (sandals): and salute (greet) no man by the way (along the road).  And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house.  And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it: if not, it shall turn to you again.  And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the laborer is worthy of his hire (wages).  Go not from house to house.  And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you:  and heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto (near to) you.  But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say, even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on (clings to) us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto (has come near) you (Luke 10:1-11).

In this passage, we see that the Lord chose seventy other disciples and sent them ahead in pairs to all the towns and villages he planned to visit later.  More importantly were the instructions that he gave to seventy other disciples.  We believe these instructions were given to us as well.

The Truth Behind Good Friday 11-11

We know that after Jesus’ arrest, he was tried, convicted, and nailed to the cross, where he died somewhere around the ninth hour that same day.

When the even (evening) was come, there came a rich man of Arimathea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple:  he went to Pilate, and begged (asked for) the body of Jesus.  Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered.  And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulcher, and departed (Matthew 27:57-60).

We know that after his death, some time towards sunset, there came a man of wealth from Arimathea, whose name was Joseph and who was one of Jesus’ followers that went to Pilate to make a request for the body of Jesus.  Pilate issued an order, releasing Jesus’ body to Joseph, who took the body, wrapped it in clean linen, and placed it in a new tomb.  It was supposed to be Joseph’s resting place, a rock-hewn tomb, cut out of the solid rock.  When Joseph finish, he rolled a great stone in front of the entrance and went away.

Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.  Command therefore that the sepulcher (tomb) be made sure (secure) until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error (deception) shall be worse than the first.  Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch (guard): go your way, make it as sure (secure) as ye can.  So they went, and made the sepulcher sure (secure), sealing the stone, and setting a watch (guard) (Matthew 27:62-66).

The Truth Behind Good Friday 10-11

Here is a list of the Feasts Of The Lord.

The Passover of the Lord:

In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the Lord’s Passover (Leviticus 23:3).

The Festival of Unleavened Bread:

And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the Lord: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.  In the first day ye shall have a holy convocation: ye shall do no servile (laborious) work therein.  But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord seven days:  in the seventh day is a holy convocation:  ye shall do no servile work therein (Leviticus 23:3-8).

The Festival of First Fruits:

And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest unto the priest:  and he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted for you:  on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.  And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf a he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the Lord.  And the meat (grain or meal) offering thereof shall be two tenth deals of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto the Lord for a sweet savor (sweet or pleasing aroma):  and the drink offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of an hin.  And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God:  it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings (Leviticus 23:9-14).

The Truth Behind Good Friday 9-11

And although we have established the three days and three nights following the death and burial of Jesus, we have yet to verify biblically, the correct timeline following his death.  It is one thing to make a suggestion as to the interpretation of a scripture; it is another thing to have evidence to back the interpretation up, especially having biblical evidence.  So we guess in order to alleviate some of the confusion surrounding the actual timeline following his death, we need to identify the events for the particular days in question.  Let us see if we can identify a timeline that will correspond to our suggested three days and three nights.  Afterwards, we will add this information to our table.

In order to get started, we need to make sure we define and understand several of the phrases or terms that were used in some of the passage that we have already examined.  One of the first phrases that we need to define and understand is the day of preparation or the preparation day phrase.  Now the day of preparation or the preparation day was the day prior to the weekly Sabbath, where everything was taken care of in advance, so that the law regarding the Sabbath could be followed without exception.  We find an example of this preparation day in the book of Exodus.  This particular passage of scripture deals with the children of Israel when they were in the wilderness and the Lord provided for them quail and manna, which they went out into the fields daily to gather.

The Truth Behind Good Friday 8-11

This brings us to another problem, especially for those who believe in the Friday crucifixion and death.  As was stated earlier, they have claimed that in that day, any part of a day was considered to be a full day.  So, since Jesus was in the tomb for part of the day on Friday, all day Saturday, and part of Sunday, then they conclude that he was in the grave for three days, fulfilling what the scriptures had said about him coming back to life again.  However, at this point it does not appear that any part of a day constituted a full day as those who believe in the Friday crucifixion and death have claimed.  It looks like we will still need to have a full evening and a full morning for it to be considered one day.

With that being said, then there is no way, or should I say that it is impossible for them to get three evenings and three mornings from Friday evening, after sunset through Sunday morning, just before sunrise.  It cannot be done.  The best that they can do is two evenings and one morning, consisting of Friday evening, Saturday evening, and Saturday morning.  This is actually a total of one and a half days, which is not even close to the three day that has been spoken of in the scriptures.  Maybe this is why Richard Francis Weymouth (Weymouth New Testament) decided to use the phrase, after two days instead of after three days to describe the length of time before Jesus would be raised from the dead.  It was closer to the actually amount of time that had passed, but even this did not help the cause of those who believe in the Friday crucifixion and death.  For the longest time, there has been a problem trying to understand how those who believe in the Friday crucifixion and death were able to get three days from Friday evening to Sunday morning.  We even tried to find an employer who would give me three days of pay from Friday evening through Sunday morning before sunrise and have yet to find a willing employer.  The best that we could find were ones who would give me two days of pay for that time period.  With all that has been discussed thus far, do you think that it is possible for Jesus to have died on another day other then Friday?

In order to answer the question, we need to re-examine some of the evidence that we have discovered thus far.  Let us place this information into our table and see what we have.  In our last table, we showed Day 6 as Good Friday, which we labeled in accordance with those who believe in the Friday crucifixion and death.  We know that Day 6 went from Thursday evening after sunset through Friday evening before sunset, which would have covered the time period surrounding the crucifixion, death, and burial of Jesus.  We discovered however, that it was impossible for them to get three evenings and three mornings from Friday evening, after sunset through Sunday morning, just before sunrise.  Therefore, let us remove that information from our table.

Day	Actual Definition	Identifying Event for the Day
Day 5	Wednesday evening after sunset Thursday evening before sunset
Day 6	Thursday evening after sunset Friday evening before sunset
Day 7 Last day of the week	Friday evening after sunset Saturday evening before sunset	The Sabbath Day
Day 1 First day of the week	Saturday evening after sunset Sunday evening before sunset	Saturday evening would have been the next evening following the Sabbath.  When the women arrived at the tomb early Sunday morning before sunrise, they found the rock blocking the entrance to the tomb had already been rolled away and that the tomb was empty.

Here is what our table looks like with our additions and the one deletion.  As you can see, we now have a total of three full days and three full nights available to which Jesus could have stayed in the belly of the earth as he claimed he would.  Or should we say a total of three nights and three days, since a day was counted from the evening after sunset of one day to the evening of the next day before sunset.  We have the first night that he would have been in the heart of the earth, which began on Wednesday evening after sunset; the second night, which began on Thursday evening after sunset, and the third night, which began on Friday evening after sunset.  And we have the first day that he would have been in the heart of the earth, which began on Thursday morning after sunrise; the second day, which began on Friday morning after sunrise; and the third day, which began on Saturday morning after sunrise.  The three days that Jesus spoke of in the twelfth chapter of the gospel according to Matthew, would have ended on Saturday evening, at sunset.  Now, we know that Jesus was not there when the women arrived at the tomb early Sunday morning to anoint his body with the spices that they had brought, because according to the scriptures, it was still dark and before the sun rose.  Now technically speaking, Sunday morning before sunrise is actually Saturday evening, just after sunset continuing until just before sunrise.  This means that Jesus actually rose sometime on Saturday evening, sometime just after sunset and just before sunrise, which was still known as the first day of the week.

Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.  Command therefore that the sepulcher (tomb) be made sure (secure) until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error (deception) shall be worse than the first.  Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch (guard): go your way, make it as sure (secure) as ye can.  So they went, and made the sepulcher sure (secure), sealing the stone, and setting a watch (guard) (Matthew 27:62-66).

In this passage we see something that once created a serious conflict for us.  Because we once subscribed to the philosophy that Jesus was crucified and died on Friday, we had been taught that Jesus died and was buried on the same day, which was the day before the day before the Sabbath.  You know that day was where everyone was required by law to rest.  However, in this passage, the scripture mentions that it was the next day, that followed the day of preparation, when the chief priest and Pharisees went together to Pilate and made their request.  From this passage, one gets the sense that the on next day following Jesus’ death; these men went to Pilate to make their request.  But what happened to the next day being the Sabbath day?  Now, this was somewhat confusing to us when we first discovered this passage.  Was this the correct interpretation of this passage?  What was this day of preparation about?  Was this day of preparation the actually day that Jesus died?  Let us see if we can determine when this day of preparation actually occurred and what role did it play in the death of Jesus.

And now when the even (evening) was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, an honorable counselor (prominent council member), which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved (asked for) the body of Jesus (Mark 15:42-43).

And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulcher that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid.  And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on (near) (Luke 23:53-54).

When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha.  And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King!  But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him.  Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King?  The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar (John 19:13-15).

The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought (asked) Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.  Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him.  But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs:  but one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith (immediately) came there out blood and water (John 19:31-34).

Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound (bound) it in linen clothes (strips) with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.  Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulcher (tomb), wherein was never man yet laid.  There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews' preparation day; for the sepulcher was nigh at hand (nearby) (John 19:40-42).

In the above passages, it appears that the day the scriptures are referring to is not the same day that Jesus died.  And yes, just like you, we were taught that he died the day before the Sabbath, which would had been on Friday because Saturday would have been the Sabbath.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

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The Truth Behind Good Friday 9-11

The Truth Behind Good Friday 7-11

If we were to insert the word "on" into the previously examined passages, then they would say something like, Jesus would be raised "on" the third day.  This addition somewhat agrees with the philosophy of those who truly believe that Jesus was crucified and died on Friday, where they claim that Jesus was in the tomb for part of the day on Friday, all day Saturday, and part of Sunday and that he rose "on" this third day from the grave.  The problem with this interpretation is that the thirty-first verse of the eight chapter of the book according to the gospel of Mark, tells a slightly different story.

And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again (Mark 8:31).

Please note that this passage did not use any words that would imply that Jesus was to be raise in three days or that he would be raise on the third day.  This passage clearly states that after three days Jesus would be raise again, which is somewhat different from what the earlier passages that we examined appeared to imply.  They appeared to suggest that Jesus would be raised again "on" the third day.  But what if the meaning of the earlier passages were intended to be interpreted as after the third day, instead of "on" the third day?  If this interpretation was used of the earlier passages, then they would all be in agreement with this passage, which would show that intent was to say that Jesus would be raised after three days or after the third day.

The Truth Behind Good Friday 6-11

Now, according to our research, we discovered that there was darkness upon the land from the sixth hour until the ninth hour.  We also discovered that the sixth hour translated to be the noon hour and the ninth hour translated to be the three o’clock hour.  This means that there be a very high probability that sunset would be around the twelfth hour or the six o’clock hour.

Now there are some who argue that we do not know how they accounted for their time during those days.  They argue that there is no way to determine that there was only twenty-four hours in a day.  They argue that there could have used any number of hours to determine what constituted a day back then.  They say that no one can know for sure.  But according to the scriptures, Jesus states exactly how many hours there were in a day.

Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day?

If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world (John 11:9).

In this passage, Jesus poses the question, Are there not twelve hours in the day?  One could safely assume that if there be twelve hours in the day, then there would equally be twelve hours in the night.  But Jesus goes on to say that if the man walk in the day, he will not stumble because he can see by the light of this world.  So, what do you imagine the light of this world to be?  Could he possibly be talking about the twelve hours of daylight that is provided by the sun?

The Truth Behind Good Friday 5-11

We have also established that the next evening following the Sabbath would have been Saturday evening after sunset.  This day would have continued to Sunday evening before sunset.  Now according to the scriptures, upon the first day of the week, very early the next morning, Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome carried the sweet spices that they had gathered to anoint the body to the tomb.  Since we know that the women rested on the Sabbath as was required by law and the scriptures say that they went early the next morning, while it was still dark just as the new day was dawning, then we can deduce from this description that the next morning had to be Sunday morning before sunrise.  We know that as they arrive at the tomb, they found the rock blocking the entrance to the tomb had already been rolled away and that the tomb was empty.

Day	Actual Definition	Identifying Event for the Day
Day 7 Last day of the week	Friday evening after sunset Saturday evening before sunset	The Sabbath Day
Day 1 First day of the week	Saturday evening after sunset Sunday evening before sunset	Saturday evening would have been the next evening following the Sabbath.  When the women arrived at the tomb early Sunday morning before sunrise, they found the rock blocking the entrance to the tomb had already been rolled away and that the tomb was empty.

The Truth Behind Good Friday 4-11

According to what was written in the Gospels, it was about the sixth hour and all of the land was dark for the next three hour, until the ninth hour.  Now some scholars say that the sixth hour was actually noon.  And if this be true, then the ninth hour would actually be three o’clock in the afternoon.  And it was in the ninth hour that Jesus gave his famous loud cry, saying Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?  These words have been translated to say, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?  Eventually, Jesus bowed his head, breathed his last, and gave up his spirit.

The scriptures tell us that it was the day of preparation and the Jewish leaders did not want the victims hanging there on the cross the next day, which was the Sabbath; a very special Sabbath at that, for it was the Passover so the Jews made a request of Pilate, asking him to place an order that the legs of the men broken.  This would hasten their deaths and then their bodies could be taken down and taken away.  So, the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first of the two men, who were crucified with Jesus.  Then they came and broke the legs of the second man.  But when they came to Jesus, to break his legs, the found that he was already dead at that time, so they did not break his legs.

The Truth Behind Good Friday 3-11

Now that we have found out information surrounding the resurrection of Jesus and we have found out how days were counted during this time period, let us see if we can determine when Jesus actually died and was buried as it is told according to the gospel of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.  As stated earlier, tradition has Jesus’ death and burial occurring on the Friday before his Sunday resurrection.  Let us see what the scriptures have to say.

Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour (Matthew 27:45).

Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas (Clopas), and Mary Magdalene.  When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!  Then saith he

to the disciple, Behold thy mother!  And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home (John 19:25-27).

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?  that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?  Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias (Elijah) (Matthew 27:46-47).

The Truth Behind Good Friday 2-11

There has been much discussion and much controversy surrounding what many Christians celebrate as Good Friday.  This has traditionally been the Friday before Easter Sunday that is traditionally used to commemorate the day Jesus was crucified and died at a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull (Matthew 27:33).

According to what was written in the Gospels, the next evening, which was after the Sabbath had ended, Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome, went out and purchased some sweet spices that they might anoint the body of Jesus.  It is important to remember that the Sabbath during this time went from Friday evening at sunset to Saturday evening at sunset.  By keeping this fact in mind, we know that when the scriptures uses the phrase the next evening, which was after the Sabbath, the scriptures are actually referring to Sunday evening, just after sunset.  Now we know that this may become a little confusing, especially trying to keep the days straight in one’s mind using this method of counting, but this was how the days were counted when Jesus rose from the grave.

After examining the first chapter of the first book of Genesis you can see from the very beginning, from the very first day until the sixth day, God determined that each day would begin in the evening, continue through the next morning, and end at the beginning of the next evening.  This is slightly different from how we presently refer to and count a day.  We start at midnight, calling that the morning, and consider that to be the start of the day.  We continue through the evening, considering that to be the end of the day until we get to midnight again, which begins the next day.  You can also see from those passages that God did not name the actually day, just the method by which a day was referred to and counted.

The Truth Behind Good Friday 1-11

This is an eleven part series designed to discover the truth behind one of the most discussed events in the history of religion, the crucifixion of Jesus the Christ.  While we have focused our efforts on what many call and celebrate as Good Friday, our intent is to provide you enough information that it will add to your understanding of the events surrounding the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.  Please know that this is a slimmed down version of the original text, however we trust that there will be enough information to stimulate your thought processors so that you can think outside of the box of our earthly reality and come to a spiritual understanding of the truth as this story unfolds through the word of God.  By the end of this series, we will have will have explored the resurrection of Jesus, the crucifixion of Jesus, and many of the points in between, just to discover the truth behind Good Friday.  So grab your Bible and let us begin the journey.

We start with the story of the resurrection of Christ as it is told according to the gospel of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Thinking, Who Would Have Thought? – Part Finale

The chances are pretty good that the foundation of your belief system has been adversely affected because it was more than likely built on the thoughts, ideas, and suggestions of others.  And if the foundation of your belief system has been built on the thoughts, ideas, and suggestions of others, then is it possible that all of that knowledge that you have gained over the years from others to have misled you?  And if the foundation of your belief system were based on the thoughts, ideas, and suggestions that you received as a child, then is it possible that all of that knowledge that you have gained over the years to have misguided you?

And if the foundation of your belief system has been built on false premises, then could the conclusions that you draw be false as well.  From the time that you have been able to understand, others have presented thoughts, ideas, and suggestions to you and those thoughts, ideas, and suggestions have been instilled in your mind as absolute truths.  And you have followed these absolute truths your entire life, without question.  And the really sad part is that those who offered you the thoughts, ideas, and suggestions, merely passed on what was passed on to them because they were taught the exact same thing in the exact same manner.

But we have found out something since then, since we were first taught, something that was and still is very important.  For us, we found out something since then that has changed our lives.  Believe it or not, we found out the things we had learned were not all that we were taught they were supposed to be.  We found out the knowledge we were given then was not all that we were led to believe it was supposed to be.