(I apologize in advance for the weird font going on here. My site was giving me a hard time.)
Today is Good Friday. The time, as I write this; 2:15 pm. Jesus was on the cross nearing death. The sun went dark at noon. Jesus would give up His spirit a 3:00 pm.
Each breath He drew was agonizing. His body was a mangled mess, barely recognizable, due to the beatings and flogging He endured,
"Father forgive them, for they know not what they do."
Throngs of people passed by the three crosses jeering, taunting, challenging, even the Pharisees. "If you are the Son of God then come down from the cross and we'll believe."
Jesus' mother stood at the foot of the cross, with John at her side. "Woman, behold your son," Jesus said to his mother, referring to John. Then, to John. "Behold your mother." While our Savior hung on the cruel cross, suspended between earth and heaven, he made certain his sweet mother would be taken care of for the rest of her life, and He trusted one of His dearest friends with this honor.
It's now 2:25. The time is drawing close.
His body screamed in pain. For the first time in eternity Jesus and God are separated. Jesus had become sin...our sin! The pain He endured was far more than the physical abuse to his earthly body. He felt sin! He felt forsaken! "My God. My God. Why have you forsaken me?!" This was the one time Jesus called God, God. Not Father.
The clock is ticking.
Jesus is suffocating to death.
The Roman executioners were experts in crucifixion. They seemed to take great delight in mastering the most horrendous form of death possible.
The clock ticked. The time had come. 3:00.
"Father into your hands I commend my spirit.!" Jesus cried out.
The curtain of the temple was torn from top to bottom. The earth rumbled and shook. Tombs were opened. The bodies of many holy people who had died came to life.
Wait. Really?
Yes. Really.
"And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs after Jesus' resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people. When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and what happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, "Surely he was the Son of God." Matt. 27:50-59.
Most of us know the details of Christ' crucifixion by heart. And yet, many of us, myself included, never caught this fact. If I'm reading this correctly the tombs were opened during the earthquake upon Jesus' death, and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.
According to this scripture these people came out of their tombs after Jesus' resurrection and went into the holy city, Jerusalem, and appeared to many people. Can you imagine?!
There will come a day, soon and very soon, when the trumpet will sound and graves will once again open and the dead in Christ will rise. Then, those of us who are alive and believe Christ is our Savior, will also rise. Jesus will meet us in the air! We, the Bride of Christ, will be gathered to Jesus, our Groom.
There is one very big difference between the holy people rising at Jesus' death and those who will rise at the rapture.
The people who were raised from the dead at Jesus' death had to face death once again. (I think. Unless they ascended when Jesus did, and are part of the numbers of saints John saw in heaven in Revelation.) Those who will be raised from the dead during the rapture will never experience death again. We who are alive at the time of the rapture will not see death.
We will all be with our Risen Lord for all of eternity.
If we believe.
Do you believe?
My clock now reads 3:05. It is finished.
Today is Friday.
But...Sunday is coming!
Today is Good Friday. The time, as I write this; 2:15 pm. Jesus was on the cross nearing death. The sun went dark at noon. Jesus would give up His spirit a 3:00 pm.
Each breath He drew was agonizing. His body was a mangled mess, barely recognizable, due to the beatings and flogging He endured,
"Father forgive them, for they know not what they do."
Throngs of people passed by the three crosses jeering, taunting, challenging, even the Pharisees. "If you are the Son of God then come down from the cross and we'll believe."
Jesus' mother stood at the foot of the cross, with John at her side. "Woman, behold your son," Jesus said to his mother, referring to John. Then, to John. "Behold your mother." While our Savior hung on the cruel cross, suspended between earth and heaven, he made certain his sweet mother would be taken care of for the rest of her life, and He trusted one of His dearest friends with this honor.
It's now 2:25. The time is drawing close.
His body screamed in pain. For the first time in eternity Jesus and God are separated. Jesus had become sin...our sin! The pain He endured was far more than the physical abuse to his earthly body. He felt sin! He felt forsaken! "My God. My God. Why have you forsaken me?!" This was the one time Jesus called God, God. Not Father.
The clock is ticking.
Jesus is suffocating to death.
The Roman executioners were experts in crucifixion. They seemed to take great delight in mastering the most horrendous form of death possible.
The clock ticked. The time had come. 3:00.
"Father into your hands I commend my spirit.!" Jesus cried out.
The curtain of the temple was torn from top to bottom. The earth rumbled and shook. Tombs were opened. The bodies of many holy people who had died came to life.
Wait. Really?
Yes. Really.
"And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs after Jesus' resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people. When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and what happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, "Surely he was the Son of God." Matt. 27:50-59.
Most of us know the details of Christ' crucifixion by heart. And yet, many of us, myself included, never caught this fact. If I'm reading this correctly the tombs were opened during the earthquake upon Jesus' death, and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.
According to this scripture these people came out of their tombs after Jesus' resurrection and went into the holy city, Jerusalem, and appeared to many people. Can you imagine?!
There will come a day, soon and very soon, when the trumpet will sound and graves will once again open and the dead in Christ will rise. Then, those of us who are alive and believe Christ is our Savior, will also rise. Jesus will meet us in the air! We, the Bride of Christ, will be gathered to Jesus, our Groom.
There is one very big difference between the holy people rising at Jesus' death and those who will rise at the rapture.
The people who were raised from the dead at Jesus' death had to face death once again. (I think. Unless they ascended when Jesus did, and are part of the numbers of saints John saw in heaven in Revelation.) Those who will be raised from the dead during the rapture will never experience death again. We who are alive at the time of the rapture will not see death.
We will all be with our Risen Lord for all of eternity.
If we believe.
Do you believe?
My clock now reads 3:05. It is finished.
Today is Friday.
But...Sunday is coming!
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