The Last 10 Days of Jesus' Life #5

From the Death of Jesus to His ascension and acceptance by God the Father

Fred R. Coulter—March 23, 2019

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Greetings, everyone! Welcome to the Sabbath services!

Since we're getting close to the Passover, and there is always a dispute about whether the bread for the Passover should be on unleavened or leavened. Maybe some of you never heard of that, but that exists.

Remember, every time there may be something a little difficult to understand, someone's going to have the theory to explain it, something other than what it really is. So, our advertisement today, thanks to Ken:

What kind of bread? Article: Christ's Last Passover, Leavened or Unleavened? by Ben Ambrose {truthofGod.org} He wrote this years ago, because it came up. And it's keyed on the sop. Now remember that we covered that. That if today you have unleavened chips and you can scoop in some avocado, (guacamole) or salsa, then that's a sop.

Now, last time we finished up page 304, and we will finish it with this, so that everyone will have everything before Passover. Because it wouldn't be any good to have this as a special series for Passover, and half of it comes after the Feast of Unleavened Bread. That wouldn't work out too well.

Now, I have to make one correction, and that was, I said last time (part 4), that when the vinegar was given to Him. He refused it. That was not correct, He received it. The first time they gave it to Him, He refused it. The last time He received it, and then He died.

Now remember, this was a tremendous event in the world. There was:

• Satan
• the angels
• Christ
• all of the religious authorities

A stark battle going on back and forth! Christ had to die at the right time. That's why the authorities were frustrated in their efforts to get Jesus ahead of time, because it had to happen at the right time.

from A Harmony of the Gospels:

Passover Day Nisan 14—Wednesday afternoon, April 5, 30 AD

Section 362—An Earthquake Opens Some Graves for a Resurrection of Some of the Saints to Another Physical Life as a Sign and a Witness
Matthew 27:51: "…the earth shook..."

How much of a shock was it?

"...and the rocks were split."

Here in California, we have quite a few earthquakes, so we know what it is. Every once in a while, we have an earthquake at night, before you go to sleep and you're laying there and all of a sudden the house starts moving. We have a lot of minor earthquakes that aren't even felt. So, this was a fantastic thing to declare how important His death was.

Verse 52: "So that the tombs were opened.…"

The tombs were different from what we have today. They would, dig a small cave inside the rocks, then—just like Jesus' tomb—they rolled the big stone in front of it. They would have this stone cut and put right alongside the opening. They would have a wedge right under the bottom of it, so it wouldn't move until that wedge was released. These tombs opened, meaning in the front of those caves the stones came off. Now notice what happened:

"…And many bodies of the saints who had died, were resurrected after His resurrection..." (vs 52-53).

They weren't resurrected before Jesus' resurrection. Couldn't be, because the firstborn from the dead was Christ.

Verse 53: "After His resurrection; and they came out of the tombs...."

This happens a lot in the Bible. Make a statement to declare what's going to happen. It says: "...were resurrected…" (v 52). But the question is when? A lot of people think that they were resurrected right away, but they weren't.

Verse 53: "After His resurrection; and they came out of the tombs. Then they entered into the Holy City, and appeared to many."

What if you had one of your relatives just buried the week before, and you were still mourning? Since others were resurrected before, there was no conflict. But after His resurrection, they went into the city, which says then that they didn't stay alive in the tomb for three days. They had to be resurrected after He was resurrected. I think on the day that Christ was resurrected, it's important that He was first. When that happened there was the earthquake

Section 363—The Centurion Acknowledges that Jesus was the Son of God

Verse 54: "Then the centurion and those with him who had been keeping guard over Jesus, after seeing the earthquake..."

Remember what happened with the earthquake. The veil was split in two and opened so that the Holy of Holies was seen. That means, they could not have had any sacrifices at the temple on the day that Jesus died; they would have to move everyone out. Plus whatever damage was done to the temple area.

"...and the things that took place, were filled with fear, and said 'Truly this was the Son of God!'" (v 54).

Now then, notice what has to happen. Whenever you have a scheme, you've got to have some way to make it appear right? Well now, Jesus was buried! You can tie this in with Psa. 63, how Jesus really died. It says He died of a broken heart. That means a heart that was pierced, not emotionally, not that His emotions were broken.

Section 364—The Jews Want Jesus' Body Off the Cross Before the Holy Day Begins at Sunset

John 19:31: "The Jews, therefore, so that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the Sabbath, because it was apreparation day (for that Sabbath...[that is the one coming] ...was a High Day)..."

This tells us this is the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. That's the only day that comes after the Passover Day.

"...requested of Pilate that their legs might be broken and the bodies be taken away. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first one, and the legs of the other who was crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs" (vs 31-33).

Now there's also fulfilled another prophecy: 'not a bone would be broken.' That's why I want you to go through the Twenty-eight Prophecies Fulfilled on the Crucifixion Day (Harmony, pgs 268-273). If you do a little mathematics it's impossible that all of those would have happened coincidentally.

Verse 34 tells you why: "But one of the soldiers had pierced...

that's what it is in the Greek—past tense

"...His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water had come out."

Now the way that that spear was put in, it was put in from the right side and thrust up and got His heart. Because all of His blood had to be shed. He could not have died with blood in His heart. It had to be shed.

Verse 35: "And he who saw this has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that what he says is true, so that you may believe."

This is John telling you that 'What I'm writing is true. I saw it; I was there!'

Verse 36: "For these things took place so that the Scripture might be fulfilled, 'Not a bone of Him shall be broken.' And again another Scripture says, 'They shall look upon Him Whom they pierced'" (vs 36-37).

Section 365—Many of the Women Watch to the End

The women are there; they're watching this. Now think about this. They were hoping, as the two men from Emmaus were, that He was going to be the Messiah. What was the version of the Messiah they were looking for? A man to come and take over the government and raise up an army and get rid of the Romans!

So, when He died they didn't know what to do. They were still blinded, even the disciples. They didn't understand what He meant three days and three nights, and the third day, and being raised from the dead. They were watching a far off, and I imagine a lot of them were really disappointed.

How could it be that the One Who is the Messiah was dying, when the prophecies we read say He's going to save us from our enemies? The answer is, because God has a greater plan than anyone has ever thought of!

Section 366: Just Before Sunset, Joseph Of Arimathea Gets the Body of Jesus and Lays It In the Tomb

John 19:38: "Now, after these things, Joseph (the one from Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but having concealed it for fear of the Jews) asked Pilate that he might take Jesus' body away; and Pilate gave him permission. Then he came and took away the body of Jesus. And Nicodemus, who had come to Jesus by night at the first, also came, bearing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. Then they took Jesus' body and wound it in linen cloths with the aromatics, as is the custom among the Jews to prepare for burial" (vs 38-40).
So, the Shroud of Turin is a complete fake! When they wrapped Jesus' body, what did they do? All of the flesh that was there that was misplaced by the beating, was probably put back in as they wrapped it! You look at the Shroud. If the Shroud was just placed over Jesus, where are all the beaten marks on His chest and on His arm? Not there! So, they wound it!

Verse 41: "Now, there was a garden in the place where He was crucified, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. Because of the preparation of the Jews, they laid Jesus there; for the tomb was near" (vs 41-42).

Then I'll let you read the commentary on the three days and three nights. All of this is very important, because in order to say there were three days and three nights between Friday evening and Sunday morning, to have a resurrection on Sunday, which it wasn't. Some of the commentaries even say that when it was dark, between the sixth hour and ninth hour, that that was the first night. How could it be the first night? Jesus was still on the cross, not in the tomb! So, that could not be it. There is no way, anybody, anywhere at anytime, can get three full days from Friday night to Sunday morning.

Then you go through the whole commentary that we have written there. Now let's come to the two-page map on pages 320-321. I will have to confess to one typo in all the Harmonies. It's one very hard to catch because it's very small. I'll show you what that is in a minute. Look how it's laid out. The Hebrew days of the week:

• 5th day—Nisan 15
• 6th day—Nisan 16
• 7th day—Nisan 17
• 1st day—Nisan 18

Right across the top!

Now notice we have sunset/sunrise, sunset/sunrise, all the way through. Now for there to be three whole days and three whole nights, the only way that could be is with a Passover in the middle of the week. This year, with the way that the Passover is, it's not a week in which that could happen in this sequence.

But next year and the next five years, we will have three Passovers out of five with a Wednesday Passover. So, we've got each day:

• 1st night/1st day
• 2nd night/2nd day
• 3rd night/3rd day

Come to 3rd night/3rd day where it says Mark 16:1, that should read Matthew 28:1.

And you see that? See where it is? Come to Nisan 17. That's on the right hand page—321. Look at the day portion, come down to the very bottom where it says Mark 16:1 See that? That should be Matthew 28:1[transcriber's correction]. And we'll see why in just a little bit.

Now I want to read something important. Now, remember when all of these things were being put together with the Harmony, we didn't have instant search on Google. We had to get the book. We had to get the quote. We had to correctly copy it and everything. But notice this. Even though when you read the apostolic fathers and Ignatius, he was the first one to start out with the Sunday resurrection and coinciding that with the Passover time. But how many years did they understand it was a Wednesday crucifixion?

footnote on pg 321: Knowledge of a Wednesday crucifixion was passed down for at least three centuries after the founding of the apostolic church.

Remember that the Romans had the Julian calendar, and every four years, they would lose a day, which meant that spring was moving closer and closer to winter. And pretty soon, Easter was beyond the spring equinox.

Now that continued all the way down to Pope Gregory, when they finally corrected the calendar. They had to take ten days out of the calendar. Have you ever read that? How did they do that? They saw that they lost ten days so they had October 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th, and the next day was the 15th. They put in the one quarter day accumulated to have a leap year every four years.

The Calculated Hebrew Calendar was always on time. The Catholics couldn't figure out how the Passover was getting further away from their traditional Easter. You look at it this year. Easter Sunday is the day after the first Holy Day. and the first Holy Day is a regular Sabbath, and that Sunday is the 1st day of the count toward Pentecost. Whenever that happens, the Church, the Catholics and the Jews all have Pentecost on the right day. That's the only time!

continue footnote: The Didascalia, which dates from the third century, offers historical evidence that the belief in a Friday crucifixion was a change from the original teaching. The following description of the day of Jesus' crucifixion appears in Book V of the Apostolic Constitutions, which contains the original words of the Didascalia: "For they began to hold a council against the Lord on the second day of the week, in the first month, which is Xanthicus; and the deliberation continued on the third day of the week; but on the fourth day [Wednesday] they determined to take away His life by crucifixion" (Apostolic Constitutions—Didascalia Apostolorum, book V, section I, paragraph xiv)

Now today, you might pop that up in a few seconds on a Google Search. But that shows they knew.

A church historian explains the significance of this record in the Didascalia: "…the only reason can have been that Jesus' passion began on a Wednesday, i.e., the day when He was arrested [and crucified]" (Lietzmann, A History of the Early Church, p. 69).

Let's see what happened after that. When you read these Scriptures the way they should be, let's also understand that the Passover Day was always a preparation for The Night to be Much Observed. Because you have the Passover Day, you began with the Passover at night. Then comes a day portion, and you're preparing for The Night to be Much Observed. When it becomes sunset, that's beginning the 15th day.

That means that whenever the Passover is on a Wednesday, you have Thursday as a Holy Day. Friday is a workday, or preparation day, for the weekly Sabbath. That's where the confusion comes, with people. They can't understand, that in the Passover week when the Passover is on a Wednesday, that the day portion of the Passover is preparation for the Holy Day, which is a Sabbath, and then Friday, the day after is preparation for the weekly Sabbath.

The First Day Of Unleavened Bread Nisan 15—Thursday, April 6, 30 AD

Section 367—On the Holy Day, Guards Are Placed At the Tomb

Matthew 27:62: "Now, on the next day, which followed the preparation day, the chief priests and the Pharisees came together to Pilate, saying, 'Sir, we remember that that deceiver said while He was living, "After three days I will rise." Therefore, command that the sepulcher be secured until the third day; lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, "He is risen from the dead"; and the last deception shall be worse than the first'" (vs 62-64).

They had no idea what was going to happen. Let's think about our petty little trials today. We may have some emotional ups and some emotional downs. But is anyone coming to knock on your door, ready to take you out and throw you in jail? Is anyone ready to thrust of the spear through your stomach and kill you instantly? No!

Our biggest problem is, we have so much of everything everywhere that we have become so blatantly calcified in Laodiceanism, it's hard for anyone to put up with anyone who has any passion or zeal. Oh well, you can't talk like that. You know, just like they do with Trump: 'You shouldn't tweet.' If he didn't, do you think they would tell the truth? Of course not!

Verse 65: "Then Pilate said to them, 'You have a guard. Go, make it as secure as you know how.' And they went and made the sepulcher secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard" (vs 65-66).

What does it mean to seal the stone? Do they put glue around it? No! I suspect they used their fine hard limestone concrete, and sealed the stone, and when that dried there was no way it was going to be opened. Let's go on with that in mind.

The Preparation Day For the Weekly Sabbath Nisan 6—Friday, April 7, 30 AD

Section 368—After the Holy Day Is Over, The Women Buy and Prepare Spices

Mark 16:1: "Now, when the Sabbath had passed..."

the first Holy Day

"...Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James; and Salome bought aromatic oils, so that they might come and anoint Him" (v 1).

Luke 23:56: "And they returned to the city, and prepared spices and ointments...

That was a whole day affair. What was coming on after that day? The weekly Sabbath! It shows here that they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment. This could not be the Holy Day, because the Holy Day, you can have a feast. You can do a lot of things. You can do whatever is necessary in preparing food and so forth. But you can't do that on a regular Sabbath. Because there's a commandment: You shall not do any work. We got that picture with the setting sun to show Sabbath is ending.

Section 370—Toward the End of the Weekly Sabbath, Mary Magdalene and Mary Go To Observe the Tomb

This was quite interesting when I was preparing this, because the Greek does not say when the sun was rising. It says when it was dusking toward the first day of the week. So that also tells us this Sabbath was the seventh day.

Matthew 28:1: "Now, late on the Sabbath, as the first day of the weeks was drawing near, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to observe the sepulcher."

Why did they go to see it? They just wanted to find out... You're wondering:

• What happened?
• Is the guard there?
• How did they seal it?

So they went to look!

You've got all the commentary to read: Events of The First Day of The Week—Wave Sheaf Day To the Ascension.

Let's come all the way through that commentary. I'll leave you to read it, we'll come back to some of it a little later. All of this can become a little confusing, unless you have all four accounts, pg 334, on the first day of the week, and the women coming. Most people have the idea that all the women came together at the same time. But they didn't.

Nisan 18--Sunday Morning, April 9, 30 AD

Section 371—Early the First Day of the Week, Just Before Women Arrive At the Tomb, An Angel Opens the Tomb

Let's see what it took to open the tomb.

Matthew 28:2: "And in the morning suddenly there was a great earthquake..."

It had to have that hard concrete, lime concrete there to seal it!

…for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled away the stone from the door, and sat upon I" (v 2).

The angels are busy, the demons are busy, Satan is busy, everybody's going crazy trying to get this thing done.

Verse 3: "Now, his appearance was as lightning, and his raiment white as snow. And for fear of him, those who were keeping guard trembled, and became as dead men"(vs 3-4).

That had to be revealed to them by Christ a little later on, because no one was there to see it.

Section 372—Early the First Day of the Week, Women Come To The Tomb, But Jesus Has Already Been Resurrected

Let's see the progression. Here's something interesting.

John 20:1: "Now, on the first day of the weeks..."

'ton Sabbaton', that means the first day toward counting the Pentecost—the first day of the weeks. Now, plural in Sabbath otherwise can be {twice saw the coins}. So this is a special, special one.

"…while it was still dark..." (v 1).

So this was say five in the morning? It was still dark!

"...Mary Magdalene..." (v 1).

she comes first alone

"...came early to the tomb; and she saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb" (v 1).

she saw it, and then she left

Verse 2: "Then she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said to them, 'They have taken away the Lord from the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him'" (vs 1-2).

They still didn't understand about the resurrection. So, the first one (John 20), Mary Magdalene—while it was dark.

Luke 24:1: "Now, on the first day of the weeks, they came to the tomb at early dawn, bringing the spices that they had prepared; and certain others came with them."

But not all of them! Let's come to Mark now. So we have before—while it was still dark, we have early dawn. Now let's come here to;

Mark 16:2: "And very early on the first day of the weeks, at the rising of the sun, they were coming to the tomb."

there were these groups of women

Verse 3: "And they were asking themselves, 'Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?' For it was a massive stone. But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away. And after entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right, clothed in a white robe; and they were very frightened. But he said to them, 'Do not be afraid. You are seeking Jesus the Nazarene, Who was crucified. He has risen; He is not here. Look, there is the place where they laid Him'" (vs 3-6).

we will see what that is in just a minute

Verse 7: "'But go, tell His disciples and Peter that He goes before you into Galilee...'"

and so forth! The account in Matt. 28 just summarizes that.

John 20:4: "Now, the two ran together, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and came to the tomb first; and he stooped down and saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not enter" (vs 4-5).

He was wrapped. Saw the linen cloths rising. Does a spirit being need to be unwrapped, or can he just come through the cloths? He can come through the cloths. So they saw the outline where Jesus body was where the cloths were, and then probably dipped in the middle because his body wasn't there.

That's quite a thing to see. Just picture it if you're one of the disciples, and you came down there. Remember, all the women—if you think God is against women—who discovered that He was resurrected first? The women!

Verse 6: "Then Simon Peter came following him, and he went into the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying, and the napkin that had been on His head... [especially covering His head] ...not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself" (vs 6-7).

What does this tell you? Jesus was resurrected out of the linen. It stayed there in the form of His body with a dip in the middle, because his body was gone. But Jesus took the napkin off His head and folded it and put it in a different place. All who do laundry know clothes do not fold themselves! Just think how much you could make if you could have clothes that could fold themselves. This tells you that He's alive! Amazing!

Verse 8: Then the other disciple, who had come to the tomb first, also went in and saw these things; and he believed."

John was the very first one to believe about the resurrection

Verse 9: "For they did not yet understand the Scripture, which decreed that He must rise from the dead. Then the disciples went away again to their home" (vs 9-10).

Now then, no one has seen Jesus, yet. They've only seen the tomb open. They've only seen the linen cloths and the folded up napkin. Mary Magdalene didn't come running with Peter and John. She went and told them, but she probably walked, probably rapidly. Imagine how she was dressed, and the way they dressed then, women are not going to be running.

Mark 16:9. "Now, after Jesus had risen, early the first day of the weeks He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast out seven demons. She went and told it to those who had been with Him, who were grieving and weeping" (vs 9-10)—didn't believe her!

Now we come to the details in John 20. This is quite a thing here. Quite a story! All of these tell us how important that everything about the life of Christ really was. We can't take it for granted like the Protestants do. The whole thing they want to get to, is have your sins forgiven. They think everything is accomplished at that point. But that's only the beginning.

John 20:11: "But Mary stood outside the tombweeping; and as she wept, she stooped down and looked into the tomb."

Double-checking, is His body really gone?

Verse 12: "And she saw two angels in white who were sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been laid."

So, we have some of them who saw one angel, probably got so excited didn't even see that there was another one, so here there are two:

Verse 13: "And they said to her, 'Woman, why are you weeping?' She said to them, 'Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.' And after saying these things, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, 'Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?' Thinking that He was the gardener, she said to Him, 'Sir, if you have carried Him off, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.' Jesus said to her, 'Mary.' Turning around, she said to Him, 'Rabboni'; that is to say, 'Teacher.'" (vs 13-16).

probably more like 'Rabboni'

Verse 17: "Jesus said to her, 'Do not touch Me, because I have not yet ascended to My Father. But go to My brethren and tell them that I am ascending...'"

This is a tremendous understanding of what God is doing!

"'...to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.' Mary Magdalene came to the disciples, bringing word that she had seen the Lord, and that He had said these things to her" (vs 17-18).

(go to the next track)

Now then like every scheme that is crooked, something goes wrong because the truth always prevails. That is the resurrection. However, come to

Section 374—Soldiers Bribed to Lie

Mathew 28:11: "And as they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that were done."

I get a kick out of this. Always in the Harmony in the Gospels, when the Jews want to do something, they have counsel.

Verse 12: "Then, after gathering together with the elders and taking counsel, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, saying, 'Tell everyone that His disciples came by night and stole Him while you were sleeping'" (vs 12-13).

How could that be, if the cement that they had, had sealed it? The earthquake took care of that!

Verse 14: "And if the governor hears of this, we will persuade him to release you from responsibility.' And they took the money..." (vs 14-15).

I bet they were happy; these soldiers must have been happy as a lark!

"...and did as they were instructed, and this report has been spread abroad among the Jews to this day" (v 15)

and even to this day!

He told Mary, 'I'm ascending to My God and your God and My Father and your Father.' That was approximately nine in the morning. Remember: this is the day after the weekly Sabbath during the Feast of Unleavened Bread!

What was commanded by God on that day? The Wave Sheaf Offering symbolic of Christ ascending! Now picture this: Here's the priest and he's waving the sheaf of firstfruits. While at the same time, Christ is ascending into heaven, to present Himself to the Father. After He presented himself, He comes back to the earth, because there's more to be done. So, here are two disciples going to Emmaus. Jesus comes up to them, and they are probably disappointed.

Now, the third day is already over and 'we don't know what happened to Him. We don't know where He is. Oh, if He had just stayed alive.' Jesus comes along and said, 'What are you talking about?' They didn't recognize Him because He could make Himself into whatever form He wanted to make. 'Oh, Jesus of Nazareth, the Prophet.' Oh, really? What happened? 'We were thinking He was going to be the Messiah.' Oh, really? What happened? 'They got Him, arrested Him, tried Him and killed Him.'

They were virtually saying to Him that 'the jig is up.' So, they finally got to Emmaus and they said, 'Come on in and eat with us.' So, they went in, sat down with Him, after He explained a lot of things out of the Scriptures before they got there, and then sat down with them. When He asked the blessing and broke the bread, they knew it was Jesus.

• Can you imagine what they felt like?
• Can you imagine this surge of adrenaline!

So, Jesus disappeared, and they said, we've got to go tell the apostles. So they could get up there and tell them.

Section 375—Jesus Appears to Two Disciples on a Journey to Emmaus

Luke 24:31: "Then their eyes were opened... [v 32]: And they said to one another, 'Did not our hearts burn within us...' [v34]: …'In truth, the Lord has risen!....'"

Section 376—At Sunset, as the First Day of the Week is Ending, Jesus Appears to the Disciples Behind Closed Doors

Now then, they got to the apostles:

Luke 24:34: saying, 'In truth, the Lord has risen!.…' [v 36]: Now, as they were telling these things, Jesus Himself stood in their midst..."

What Scripture proves that a spirit being does not need to have doors open? That which is born in spirit is spirit, and it's like the wind! Nobody's ever seen the wind. You only see the effect of the wind. Here He is! Did He walk through the door? Don't know! Did He walk through the wall? Don't know, but He appeared! Who knows, maybe He just came in came through the roof. Either way He was there.

"…and said to them, 'Peace be to you.' But they were terrified and filled with fear, thinking that they beheld a spirit apparition. Then He said to them, 'Why are you troubled? And why do doubts come up in your hearts? See My hands and My feet, that it is I. Touch Me and see for yourselves; for a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see Me having.'" (vs 36-39).

What does that mean? He did not say flesh and blood! He said flesh and bone!A spirit being does not need blood, but can manifest himself as a human being, to appear as flesh. So, this was special for them so that they could know that this was true.

Verse 40: "And after saying this, He showed them His hands and His feet. But while they were still disbelieving and wondering for joy, He said to them, 'Do you have anything here to eat?' Then they gave Him part of a broiled fish and a piece of honeycomb. And He took these and ate in their presence" (vs 40-43).

Now, for those who are technical, what happens to food that a spirit being eats? Don't ask me, I don't know!

Verse 44: "And He said to them, 'These are the words that I spoke to you when I was yet with you, that all the things which were written concerning Me in the Law of Moses and in the Prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.'"

Not one word of God is ever, ever going to fail! Everything:

• about His whole life
• about His ministry
• about his death
• about his resurrection

You can go back to Psa, 17 where it says, 'I will be satisfied when I awake with your righteousness, or like you.' That was a Psalm of the resurrection.

Verse 45: "Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures."

• How does that happen with us?
• How are the keys given that tell us what we must do?

All of them were:

• Sabbath-keepers
• Holy Day keepers
• keeping the commandments of God

Not like our world living out here in the satanic world!

The first thing we have to start with is to believe God and the Sabbath. You've got to start with the Sabbath. Then when you read the Word of God, what you learn you need to do—you must do. The minute you read it and say, 'Oh well, that's not important; it's probably written by men.' Your mind is shut again! It'll happen!

Betty was talking about some of those who were saying how wonderful you're going to find Sunday-keeping is, if you just open your mind. Well, in order for Sunday-keeping to be wonderful, you've got to close your mind, because no man can tell God what to do! He said to 'remember the Sabbath,' not reject it and forget it. God's Spirit is sent by the Father—seven spirits. He draws us, and our minds are opened. That's how they're opened.

And the only way you understand spiritual Truth—because Jesus said, 'The words that I speak they're Spirit and Life, which includes all the words in the Bible—is to love God and keep His commandments and grow in grace and knowledge. He wants to teach us as much as we can learn before the resurrection. How's that's going to work out? I don't know! Not everybody's going to have the same job. How that's going to work out? I don't know! God does!

Verse 45: "Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, 'According as it is written...'" (vs 45-46).

Whenever you see, "…it is written…" rarely do you say, 'was written,' because the Word of God is always active in the present tense.

"…it was necessary for the Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day. And in His name, repentance and remission of sins should be preached to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. For you are witnesses of these things" (vs 46-48).

Just imagine what it would have been like to be in that room. They've spent three and a half years with Christ in a ministry, seeing all the miracles, seeing everything that was done: tried and crucified. And then:

• He's risen
• He comes to them
• He shows them that He's the One
• He eats food
• He opens their minds to understanding

That must have taken most of the night. But that was easy that night, because it was so filled with adrenaline they couldn't have slept anyway. Here's another one: remember what the lie was? The disciples came and stole the body away! So, the disciples were still afraid of the Jews. Don't you think the Jews would like to come and get them and kill them, as well? Yes!

Section 377—Eight Days Later, Jesus Appears to His Disciples Again

John 20:26: "Now after eight days...

so, you go Sunday-to-Sunday; that's eight days

"...His disciples again were within, and Thomas with them.…" (v 26).

And Thomas said, 'Hey, I'm not going to believe You until I can see Your hands and feet and Your side (v 25)

Verse 26: "...Jesus came after the doors were shut, and stood in the midst and said, 'Peace be to you.' Then He said to Thomas..." (vs 26-27).

Tommy boy, come here

"...Put forth your finger, and see My hands; and reach out your hand, and put it into My side; and be not unbelieving, but believing.' And Thomas answered and said to Him, 'My Lord and My God'" (vs 27-28).

Now, think about that statement, because Jesus was God manifested in the flesh, and after His resurrection, He was God wholly again, or completely. Because don't misconstrue that as Holy meaning Divine, but it is. He was Holy Divine God in their presence in appearing as if He had flesh.

Verse 29: "Jesus said to him, 'Because you have seen Me, Thomas, you have believed; blessed are the ones who have not seen, but have believed.'"

What happened during the 40 days? He was with them on and off for 40 days! Then they had a meeting over in Galilee for over 500 brethren that saw Him at the same time. Here's what John writes:

John 20:30: "Now then, Jesus did many other miracles in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book. But these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing, you may have life through His name" (vs 30-31).

Then we come here to Acts 1:3. This is Luke writing to Theophilus; that means lover of God.

Acts 1:3: "To whom also, by many infallible proofs, He presented Himself alive after He had suffered, being seen by them for forty days, and speaking the things concerning the Kingdom of God."

Now I have quite a few Scriptures here, so we will follow along in the commentary. But putting the Scriptures together, what we have in the Old Testament what we have in the New Testament: What was it like when Jesus Christ was accepted by God the Father as the sin offering for the sins of all mankind?

commentary, pg. 330: Jesus Christ Accepted by God the Father

The ascension of Jesus to God the Father was an awesome event. Jesus Christ had finished the work that the Father had given Him to do. As God manifest in the flesh, He had lived a perfect, sinless life and had died by crucifixion to become the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all mankind. God the Father had raised Jesus back to life, and on the Wave Sheaf Day He was ready to ascend to the throne of God the Father to be accepted as the first of the firstfruits, the firstborn among many brethren, and the perfect sacrifice to propitiate the sins of the world.

So let's see if we can grasp the meaning and feeling of this fantastic day.

As He was ascending to the Father, Jesus must have been filled with great joy and anticipation. He would see the Father face to face for the first time since He had become a pinpoint of life when He divested Himself of His power and glory as God to be born of the virgin Mary. Again, the Psalms help us comprehend some of the thoughts and feelings that Jesus might have experienced as He looked forward to being reunited with the Father: "O God, You are my God, earnestly I will seek You! My soul thirsts for You. My flesh longs for You, as in a dry and thirsty land where no water is, to see Your power and Your glory—as I have seen You in the sanctuary. Because Your loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You" (Psa. 63:1-3).

As previously noted, Psalm 23 foreshadowed the prayers of Jesus after He was resurrected from the dead. The psalm to follow, Psalm 24, is in prophetic sequence and depicts Jesus' ascension to be received of God the Father. When He arrived in heaven, the angels sang and shouted for joy. Perhaps this psalm was sung by the angels as they opened the everlasting doors and announced that the King of glory was entering into the presence of God the Father: "The earth is the LORD'S, and the fullness of it, the world, and those who dwell in it, for He has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters. Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who shall stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to vanity and has not sworn deceitfully [the perfect life of Jesus Christ]. He shall receive the blessing from the LORD and righteousness from the God of his salvation."

Lift up your heads, O you gates; and be lifted up, O you everlasting doors; that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle [He was victorious over human nature, sin, Satan the devil and death]. Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you everlasting doors; that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory" (Psa. 24:1-5, 7-10).

What a magnificent scene of splendor and glory Jesus would have seen when He entered through the everlasting gates of heaven! Standing on the sea of glass, He would have seen the resplendent glory and awesome majesty of God the Father seated on His throne with the heavenly host round about. The apostle John, the one whom Jesus loved, saw a vision of God's throne and recorded it in the book of Revelation. What John recorded is what Jesus would have seen when He ascended to the Father.

"After these things I looked, and behold, a door opened in heaven; and the first voice that I heard was as if a trumpet were speaking with me, saying, 'Come up here, and I will show you the things that must take place after these things.' And immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was set in heaven, and One was sitting on the throne. And He Who was sitting was in appearance like a jasper stone and a sardius stone; and a rainbow was around the throne, like an emerald in its appearance.

"And around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty -four elders sitting, clothed in white garments; and they had on their heads golden crowns. And proceeding from the throne were lightnings and thunders and voices; and seven lamps of fire, which are the seven Spirits of God, were burning before the throne. And before the throne was a sea of glass, like crystal. And around the throne and over the throne were four living creatures, full of eyes before and behind; and the first living creature was like a lion, and the second living creature was like a bull, and the third living creature had the face of a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. And each of the four living creatures had six wings respectively; and around and within they were full of eyes; and day and night they cease not saying, 'Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was, and Who is, and Who is to come.'

"And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanksgiving to Him Who sits on the throne, Who lives into the ages of eternity, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him Who sits on the throne; and they worship Him Who lives into the ages of eternity, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 'Worthy are You, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power because You did create all things, and for Your will they were created and exist'" (Rev. 4:1-11).

Quite a magnificent scene, indeed. Just think what it's going to be like when we're resurrected!

This was the scene that Jesus would have seen as He walked forward to present Himself to the Father as the perfect sacrifice for sin. He was the first of the firstfruits and the firstborn from the dead. As He walked on the sea of glass toward the Father sitting on His throne, the angels, the twenty-four elders and God the Father would see on His body the scars of the lashes that He had received when He was beaten with the cat-of-nine-tails which tore open His flesh. They would see the scars in His hands and feet where the soldiers had nailed Him to the cross. When the Father's beloved Son greeted His Father, They must have opened their arms and embraced each other in profound love and tears of joy. Thus Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, was accepted by God the Father on the Wave Sheaf Day.

After He was accepted of the Father, Jesus was selected to open the seven seals. He and He alone was qualified, because He had overcome all. The apostle John saw this tremendous scene in the vision and recorded it: "And in the right hand of Him Who sits on the throne I saw a book, written within and on the back, which had been sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, 'Who is worthy to open the book and to loose its seals?' But no one in heaven, or on the earth, or under the earth was able to open the book, or to look inside it. And I [John] was weeping greatly because no one was found worthy to open and to read the book, or to look into it.

"Then one of the elders said to me, 'Do not weep. Behold, the Lion Who is of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome to open the book, and to loose its seven seals.' Then I saw, and behold, before the throne and the four living creatures, and before the elders, was standing a Lamb as having been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God that are sent into all the earth; and He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him Who sits on the throne.

"And when He took the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having harps and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, 'Worthy are You to take the book, and to open its seals because You were slain, and did redeem us to God by Your own blood, out of every tribe and language and people and nation, and did make us unto our God kings and priests; and we shall reign on the earth.'

"And I saw, and I heard the voices of many angels around the throne, and the voices of the living creatures and the elders, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice,' Worthy is the Lamb Who was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory and blessing.' And every creature that is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and those that are on the sea, and all the things in them, I heard saying, 'To Him Who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing, and honor, and glory, and sovereignty into the ages of eternity.' And the four living creatures said, 'Amen.' And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him Who lives into the ages of eternity" (Rev. 5:1-12).

This is the glory and majesty that Jesus Christ received when He was accepted by God the Father as the Savior and Redeemer of mankind on the Wave Sheaf Day. Jesus had overcome sin in the flesh and gained complete victory over death, opening the way for the redemption and salvation of all mankind through faith in Him. Now He lives in eternal glory, as the first of many sons of God who will be resurrected at His second coming to share His eternal glory and immortality. Those who are Jesus Christ's are now being perfected through the love, grace and power of God the Father. They will be granted the identical spiritual existence that the Father and the Son have. They will be the sons and daughters of God the Father, and the brethren of Jesus Christ. Jesus shared human existence with mankind in order to become the sin offering for the world so that all who believe in Him may ultimately share His eternal existence and glory in the Family of God throughout the ages of eternity. Amen.

Scriptural References:

• Matthew 27:51-54
• John 19:31-42
• Matthew 27:62-66
• Mark 16:1
• Luke 23:56
• Matthew 28:1-4
• John 20:1-2
• Luke 24:1
• Mark 16:2-7
• John 20:4-10
• Mark 16:9-10
• John 20:11-18
• Matthew 28:8-15
• Luke 24:31-32, 34, 36-48
• John 20:26-31
• Acts 1:3

Scriptures referenced, not quoted:

• Psalm 63:1-3
• John 20:25

Also referenced:

• Article: Christ's Last Passover, Leavened or Unleavened? by Ben Ambrose {truthofGod.org}
• Book: A Harmony of the Gospels by Fred R. Coulter

FRC:po/bo
Transcribed: 3/29/19

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