Belief Underlies It All ...

God can do anything, or He can’t.  There is no middle ground.  Jesus is God, or He is not; again there is no middle ground.  Ultimately one thing will make the distinction about your life, and that is the belief you have one way or the other.  Your own belief will not change facts, but it can change them for you.  What you believe may start with a great degree of uncertainty, but it will not remain in that state.  Over time belief begins to solidify.  You will recognize events that occur (or don’t) that will strengthen and harden the position you have chosen to take; i.e. to believe or not to believe, as for you, that is the only question that matters.  The choice is a grave one, and the path it leads to is graver still, for the consequences impact the entirety of your life, not just the end of it, or its disposition post death.  Salvation is not just about determining your place in the afterlife, it is about determining how great a life you can have in the here and now.

Peter recalled an event that tested the importance of belief, the question he and the others faced, was no different than the one you and I face today.  As a part of the gospel of Jesus, he thought it important that you and I could benefit from the events that transpired, so we have a record of it, as John Mark transcribes in his gospel, in chapter nine, and picking up in verse 14 saying … “And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them.”  It is important to understand the context for this event as in the context we find the problem.  Jesus is approaching His disciples, in the midst of a great multitude of people.  In times past when the phrase “great multitude” was used in this gospel we had 5,000 men, then 4,000 men (plus women and children) as an indicator of how big a crowd this might have been.  The scribes were part of the ruling-class conspiracy to kill Christ, they could better be described as lawyers, who used scripture (which they spent hours transcribing) to prove any theory the Sanhedrin wanted proven.  When directly confronting Jesus, they had been humiliated with zero success, but once again they had decided to confront His disciples.  The disciples had little scriptural education and would be far easier prey, and they were.

What later texts will also reveal in this study, is that as a part of their challenge to the disciples, was the request to cast out a demon from a young man brought to them for this purpose.  The disciples had failed at it.  So the scribes were challenging the identity of Christ mis-using scriptures to prove their point, and the disciples were failing to cast out a demon, in effect proving their own belief in the identity of Jesus was being shaken by what the scribes were saying.  Keep in mind, ALL of this theatre, was being done in the sight and hearing of yet another “great multitude” of onlookers.  To this point, the plan of the scribes and of the Sanhedrin, and the wider conspiracy against Jesus was indeed working. 

John Mark continues recording in verse 15 saying … “And straightway all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed, and running to him saluted him.”  Jesus was returning to His disciples, He had likely been alone again praying and fasting in the mountains that He did nearly every night.  Jesus was in close contact with His Father, who sent Him to correct this problem.  His face still glowed.  When the people saw it, they were amazed.  The scribes would recall that Moses glowed too, when He came down from Sinai, as Jesus does now.  The people knew that story.  When they see it, they salute Jesus, or show a sign of deference to His presence, perhaps bowing, or nodding their heads in respect.  Already the situation is turning away from what the scribes were intending to accomplish.

John Mark continues in verse 16 saying … “And he asked the scribes, What question ye with them? [verse 17] And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit;”  The subtlety here is important.  Jesus asks the scribes to know what questions they have been asking His disciples.  He is clearly prepared to answer them.  The scribes know it.  They know that if they pose these questions to Jesus, He will humiliate them once again with the truth, the same way He has done in the past.  So they are silent against His query.  Since they are not speaking up, the father of the possessed young man speaks up.  This father is not there to show that Jesus is not real, He is there only to see his own son be healed.  He had hoped for healing already, but the failure of the disciples was fresh in his mind and heart.  If the disciples could not heal in the name of this man, why should any believe?  Is it any different in our day?  If the lives of Christians look just like the lives of those who do not believe, is there any reason for others to seek a better life, knowing His own disciples have not found one yet?

The Father continues describing his problem in verse 18 saying … “And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not.”  This demon is actively destroying the life of this man’s son.  The demon cuts him, makes him foam at the mouth and gnash his teeth.  The demon throws him down involuntarily.  The demon, it would seem, has proven his own identity as a supernatural force in league with Satan.  The demon is real.  But your disciples, after listening to the questions of the lawyers and scribes, have fallen short.  The disciples were unable to answer the scriptures word for word, and text for text.  That, after all, was not the training they were receiving from Jesus.  Jesus did not spend countless hours with them teaching them to be scribes, or for that matter Pharisees.  Jesus spent all that time teaching them what it means to love others.  In that quest, He hoped to make them experts.  Jesus hoped to make the faith of His own disciples unshakeable because of how He loved.  Scriptures would always prove the truth Jesus already knew.  But a physical demonstration of love was supposed to have meant more, and offered more to them, and despite everything, it did not.  Belief had been shaken by a twisting of the word.

Jesus is dismayed by what He sees.  He has proven the truth from scripture many times, and yet it seems to be forgotten on this day.  He has proven His identity many time in the miracles of the love of the Father God for those here on earth, yet it has been forgotten on this day.  He responds in verse 19 saying … “He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me.”  There is enough evidence based on the teachings, and actions of Jesus for this Father to know who he was dealing with.  Yet his own faith and belief is nearly gone.  If even in the presence of Christ, and with Him there in person, people refuse to believe, how will they believe later when He is gone, when He has returned to heaven.  Like in our day.  But despite the frustration of Christ, there is still one in need.  So Jesus asks that the demon possessed young man be brought to Him.

John Mark records the events in verse 20 saying … “And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming.”  This demon did not ask for mercy, or loosen the tongue of this boy to say anything.  The demon was intent on showing his own power and staying put right where he was.  The demon intended to maintain the people’s belief in his own identity and cause doubt in the identity of Christ.  Jesus asks the father more about the boy in verse 21 saying … “And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. [verse 22] And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.”  The father explains this condition occurred when the young man was just a child.  He explains that the demon has tried a few times to kill the son by throwing him into fire or water.  Then the father poses a question to Jesus saying … “if” thou canst do anything … have compassion on us and help us.  The father is not at all certain Jesus is capable.  The father is not at all certain of who Jesus is.  The father knows the demon is real, but not Christ.

Keep in mind this is all continuing to play out in front of a great multitude of people.  So Jesus addresses the core problem that has taken hold at this event, not only for the father’s sake, but for all who are listening, and all who are reading this story as it continues in verse 23 saying … “Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.”  First and once again, you will note Jesus does not ask for belief from the demon possessed boy; at this point, the boy is incapable of true belief.  How many drug addicted children fall into this category?  How many mentally ill people fall into it?  How many drunks, and how many addicted to sin, and need healing fall in there as well?  Jesus asks for faith from the father, not the son.  If the father believes, the son can be saved.  If the disciples had not had their faith in the identity of Christ shaken by the scribes twisting the scriptures they too might have been successful.  If we, the modern disciples of Christ, were not so uncertain in our own belief, what might we accomplish? 

Next notice the promise of Jesus, He does not say that those who believe can do “some” things, “sometimes”, in some limited fashion.  He promises the believer that ALL things are possible to him that believeth.  No restrictions, no limitations, no small quantities or limited revelations, but literally ALL things possible.  God is either God or He is not.  Jesus either speaks the truth or He does not.  Have we gotten so comfortable in our lack of testing our own belief and His power, that we dare not even ask any more in our prayers, lest the lack of faith we have be publicly displayed?  If we believe, why do we not do more with it?  How can we sit still knowing we can make a difference, yet do nothing?  Under the model of this story, a believing parent could pray for a child, and see that child’s life find Jesus and turn around, no matter the hold of drugs, or alcohol, or sin of any kind.  Not even full on demon possession is a match for belief in Christ, and a simple prayer in His name. 

The father sees in himself what too many of us fail to see in ourselves.  The father responds in verse 24 saying … “And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.”  Even our unbelief can be restored by Jesus Christ if we simply submit our will to His.  It is in this that Christ is both author and finisher of our faith itself.  This father has made the choice to believe, but he also knows that to save his son, he will need so much more belief that what he has.  So he cried out to Jesus in tears with a recognition of how great the task is to save anyone, to help his own unbelief.  That is us folks.  To save us will be a monumental task, we are addicted to sin, full of doubt, and slave to loving only ourselves.  To save us will be a huge undertaking at which we have failed repeatedly.  Only Jesus can do for us, what we will never be able to do for us, to bring our motives in line with His and His Fathers.  Our salvation is not just about having the self-will to restrict our actions, it is about having our motives overcome the need for restrictive self-will.

Having begun the salvation of the father, Jesus now turns His attention to the son as the story continues in verse 25 saying … “When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him. [verse 26] And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.”  The people came to see what would happen now, as the disciples had only failed recently, and they wondered if Jesus could do what they could not.  Jesus calls out the evil spirit and tells him he can never re-enter this young man.  Our salvation is not just a temporary thing, when we submit to Jesus He can change our desires and our lives forever.  The demon has no choice but to comply.  He cuts the young man once more, and leaves him.  The trauma of demon has left the young man nearly lifeless, it appears so bad that the observers begin to think he is dead.  But Jesus knows better.

Events continue in verse 27 saying … “But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.”  What the world thinks is dead, is alive in the hands of Christ.  Our old lives may pass away, and it is what we will want when once we have been transformed by Jesus, but our new lives in Christ are possible when He takes our hand in His.  Imagine the gratitude of the father when now his son is healed.  Imagine the shame of the scribes when now their plans have failed again in front of the great multitude.  Imagine the chagrin of the disciples as they realize they failed at something Jesus could do.  They needed an answer about this as verse 28 continues saying … “And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out? [verse 29] And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.”  Jesus had likely just come from His nightly routine of praying and fasting with His Father.  He knew the disciples would face tougher foes in the supernatural world, and He wishes for them to see the value and know the strength that comes from seeking the presence of God the Father even above the physical needs our bodies have.

Belief underpins the entire process of our salvation.  We choose to believe in something greater than ourselves when we accept the idea that a God could exist.  We choose to believe that if a God exists He must surely be one of love that longs to restore His proximity and relationship with us.  We choose to believe that if we are ever to be made pure and in alignment with a love like His, it must be by His power through the transforming love of Jesus Christ.  We choose to believe that even though we have failed at changing ourselves, He will succeed where we have failed.  We choose to have Him help, even our doubts and lingering unbelief.  And ultimately He does what He has promised and saves us beyond all doubt.  When our belief is established there is nothing we cannot do through His power.  Are we willing to test this promise? …

 

To Know What Is Coming ...

Peter is concerned for the state of the early church.  He has opened his second letter and introduced the idea that following the path of Grace requires daily renewal, that to hold back any part of ourselves from God introduces the possibility of a fall from grace.  While our God longs to save us from ourselves, He cannot force Himself upon us and still call it love.  Peter is concerned, for he can see the early warning signs of those who would deny the power of the gospel.  Forgiveness being so easy, and reform looking so difficult, could the church decay into just another ideology with flowery words, and no real meaning to them?  Perhaps his concern is amplified, because while he is not thought of as a prophet, yet Peter reveals he knows what is to come.  And to make his point, and offer counsel to the church, he reveals to us what he already knows about the future in his own day.

Peter begins in chapter 1 of His second letter starting in verse 12 … “Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.”  Peter is aware that he has shared the truth of the gospel before with those to whom he writes.  And he even realizes that what he says now could be seen as ‘nagging’ or repeating himself again and again.  But he is compelled to say it once more.  To have believers “established” in the “present” truth must supersede all other concerns about how he might be perceived by those he offers counsel to.  They must remember that the gospel is “present” truth.  The term present does not refer to immediacy of the Lord’s return, but to the immediacy of the Lord’s ability to save us from our slavery to self, and bid us entry into the Kingdom of God – which Christ had said was “already” come.  For truth to be “present” it must be here and now, in our reality, in our day-to-day.  The gospel is not some distant future message of hope, it is a present message meant for us now.  No matter how it looks, or how often he must repeat it, Peter will remind us and his readers of this fact.

He then continues in verse 13 … “Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance; [verse 14] Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me.”  Peter is going to die.  He will be killed.  He will be crucified by the Romans for his passion to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.  At his own request he will be hung upside down thinking it too great an honor to die exactly as his Lord did.  And ALL of this he has been shown AHEAD of it happening to him.  As long as Peter occupies his body in this world, that is to say his tabernacle, he will consider it his duty to remind us of the present truth of our gospel.  His concern and desire for us compounded by the imminent knowledge of his death, He must remind us once again.  Notice that knowledge of his death is not something he rebels against.  He does not ask for prayer to change the fate he will suffer.  He does not beg the Lord to extend his life in this world.  Instead Peter has reached such an absolute point of trust in Jesus, that if Jesus says it is time to die, Peter is OK with that.  The vision of Peter’s physical fate is not offered to him to scare him, but instead to remove all fear from him when it occurs.  Peter can meet his end boldly, and preach Jesus Christ boldly throughout his coming ordeal, for his death is known by himself and His Lord.

Peter then understands, SO much better than we do, our earthly existence, no matter how long or short it is, is nothing in comparison with our larger destiny.  Our lives, our existence, are meant to be eternal in a place where death, pain, and slavery to self, exist no more.  We all fear for our lives.  We do everything we can to extend them.  Peter did to.  But despite our reservation and reluctance to accept it, death comes to us all.  Peter could accept his own pending demise, not because he wanted to die, but because he wanted to live – like our God intended that he live.  He no longer wished to be bound to the shackles of this world, but instead be free to be wholly remade, including in the tabernacle of his body, the way the Lord always intended.  His only regret now, his only remaining concern, is that the church does NOT forget, the source of love and salvation they have been introduced to.  The foreknowledge of his death has helped Peter get his priorities in order, and laser focused.  Peter will soon sleep the sleep of death until his Lord returns, the centuries between himself and us are a blink of an eye to him.

Peter continues in verse 15 … “Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance. [verse 16] For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.”  The foreknowledge of his demise, causes Peter to want to make sure the church will have certainty once he has gone and is deceased.  Peter does not intend to accomplish this reminder after he is gone, by returning as a ghost or spirit.  There is no opportunity for Peter to continue to testify to the church once he is dead and gone.  He knows this.  There is no consciousness after the grave, until the day of resurrection.  So whatever Peter is going to say, he must say now.  Peter is not looking for believers to repeat the mistakes of Saul and attempt to conjure what will only be a demon in human form after he is gone.  Peter instead will say what he has to say now, while he is alive and able to say it.  When he is dead, no more will follow from him.

He reminds the church that the gospel is NOT a set of wisely devised lies, and a set of tall-tales, or fairy tales, or a story of moral interpretation and not a real one.  Jesus Christ was a real man, of that not even Atheists question.  But for those who never met Him, for those who never looked into the eyes of God made man incarnate, there may be a lingering doubt if Jesus was truly more than a man.  Peter stands as a personal witness, one of many, who can personally attest to the “power” of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Peter can attest personally to the “majesty” of our Lord Jesus Christ.  The power of our Lord, was not in His armies, for He had none.  So Peter was not describing the greatest military leader of all time.  Military and political power belonged to others.  The Power of our Lord, was in his ability to love us.  Through that love He was able to heal what choice, sin, inheritance, and the malice of others had broken in us.  He cast out demons, whose power exceeded our own will and allowed them to inhabit their victims.  But their supernatural power was NO match for the power of Love.  He healed the lame and blind, not just straightening what was crooked, but recreating what was missing.  In the same way, He frees us from our brokenness in sin.

The Majesty of our Lord, was not defined in His earthy kingship, for He had no crown other than the one made of thorns thrust upon His head.  He had no robes of state other than the ones the Romans used to mock Him with.  He owned no gold.  He owned no lands, not even a single house.  He was homeless His entire adult life.  He accepted no earthy inheritance from his family.  Instead He gave everything He owned to the poor, the downtrodden, the less fortunate, and to anyone He saw in need.  He not only kept a bag (which Judas held) for the poor with means of coin in it, He gave them the physical, mental, and spiritual healing they needed so desperately more than that.  His majesty would not be defined in traditional terms, but to Peter and ALL those who met our Lord, His majesty exceeded any other king that had ever, or would ever rise to power.  The church needed to remember this.

Peter continues in verse 17 … “For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. [verse 18] And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.”  At the baptism of Jesus, the voice from God the Father was heard as the Spirit descended upon Him as a dove.  Andrew and John were there to see this, Peter was not.  But Peter was present at the end of the ministry of Christ where in the mount of Olives, Christ was transfigured as He communed with Moses and Elijah and received divine strength to uphold Him for the horror that was to come.  It was at this place, where Peter heard for himself, that affirmation that God the Father said of His only beloved Son.  Peter was an eye-witness to the voice of God the Father with respect to Jesus Christ, His only Son.

This was the ultimate witness to the divinity of Christ, that is an affirmation by His Father God.  God would not have done this, for just anybody.  Peter knew that.  He knew this could be done for only one, for only the Messiah.  And he Peter, had seen it, had heard it, had experienced it in the here and now as one who was there.  It was more than just a vision, more than just a dream, it was a real world experience in 3D and with every sense filled to capacity.  It does not get more real than that.  For Peter it does not get more certain than that.  This is the testimony he is trying to convey to the early church.  This gospel is real.  Jesus Christ is real.  And He is really the Son of God.  Jesus is not just a good man, a good Rabbi, a good teacher, or an accurate prophet.  Jesus Christ is not just a healer with power blessed by God.  He is the Son of God, as God Himself has testified to audibly, for the benefit of Peter, James, and John.  This is not even some delusion Peter might have concocted on his own, there were 2 other witnesses there for the same event.  This is the certainty Peter wants to convey before the foreknowledge of his own death catches up with him.

 Peter then moves father in verse 19 … “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:”  Peter now adds to the already heavy weight of his impassioned argument, to all that he has seen and bore witness to, he adds a “more sure word of prophecy”.  This is not only a reference to all the men of old who foretold the coming of the Messiah, since the first promise of Him that Moses recorded of the Genesis experience between Christ and Adam and Eve.  It is also a reference to the contemporary servants of Jesus Christ alive in the days of Peter and in the early church.  Jesus Christ had offered prophecy and foretold the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple within it.  As such not a single Christian died in that horrific Roman siege.  Instead, when they saw the signs, they did not return to their homes to gather supplies, but left immediately and were gone with the Roman legions arrived.

John too, would now add his own Revelations of Jesus Christ, to the growing volumes of prophecy in guiding the early church.  Peter was confident that all prophecies inspired of God, would NOT lead away from Jesus Christ, but instead would lead to Jesus Christ.  Peter was absolutely certain of this.  The Truth of Jesus Christ would be a consistent truth, and would find no other interpretation, or alternative path to God.  The Father had given us His Son, it was everything He had to give, there would be no greater gift He could offer.  And it would be the only means by which we could be remade and come back into the presence of our God.  Peter knew he was worshipping the right God, and the only God.  Peter knew His Son was His only Son, and Peter would stipulate that all true prophecy could only have one author, therefore only have one outcome.  There would be no prophecies inspired by God that would point to Mohammed, or Buddha, or any other purported deity.  The only prophecies inspired by God would always and only point to Jesus Christ.

But Peter here too offers us a glimpse of what the goal of the gospel is to be in our lives … ‘until the day star arise in our hearts’.  The goal of prophecy and of accepting the gospel, is not to make us scholars in the Word.  We are not to be oracles of the future where men come to gain advice of how to obtain their next desire.  We are to allow prophecy and the acceptance of the gospel, to enable Jesus Christ the day star, to arise in our hearts.  We are to live the messages of prophecy.  We are to live the love of the gospel.  We are to reflect Jesus Christ as the source of light in our lives, not believe we have become the source of its origin.  To become like Jesus, because we allow Jesus to remake us to love others like God loves others is the entire point of both the gospel and the sure word of prophecy.  Any other use or goal is meaningless.

Peter does not attempt to use the knowledge of his own death to alter that outcome.  He does not beg God to change it.  Instead he uses his foreknowledge to remind and reinforce in the minds of his readers, the importance of living the salvation experience.  He reminds them at risk of looking like an old man who cannot stop repeating himself, that this gospel is the most important thing on planet earth.  It is more important than life and death, even when that life and death is your own.  Many of his readers will die in Roman stadiums to the blood thirsty cheers of the crowd and the roar of lions starved into a demonic rage.  They will face this fate singing hymns of praise to Jesus Christ.  They will die like sheep following their shepherd, not because they do not value life, but because they value the life their Lord intends for them far more.  Peter’s example will be remembered when they face their own horrific end.  Peter’s foreknowledge of what would happen to him, did not deter him from the gospel, instead it deepened him in the gospel.  His impassioned pleas to the Romans who would put him to death, carried even more weight because he knew the Truth of Jesus Christ, and because he trusted both his life and his death into the hands of Jesus Christ.

Peter knew he would die.  In your own heart, you know you will to.  Peter hoped for the Lord return before he died, as do you.  But Peter met his end, with the certainty of the truth of our Lord Jesus Christ.  That Truth caused Peter to live every moment before his death with the priority of the gospel as front and center.  Will we do the same?  Can we learn to re-measure the quality of our lives not by how long they last, but by how much love we show to others before they end?  Can we allow Christ to so remake us, that every moment is a brand new opportunity to do something for someone else?  It is in showing love to others that we most resemble our Lord.  To live this way, is to truly live.  When once we embrace this path, our death will only be a brief interruption in a lifestyle we will carry into a perfect world, where all lingering chains and weakness will once and for all be removed.  In that world, what we started here by loving others, will be amplified by the perfection He will have completed in us.  In that world, our experience will be something we can hardly imagine in this one.  This was the goal of prophecy, and of the gospel, to see us live a life like this, that begins in the here and the now, and sees only a completion in the next one.

And Peter had more yet to say …

Seven Angels [part three] ...

So far in our study of the proclamations and work of this second set of seven angels, three messages have been conveyed to the earth.  First, that salvation is come, and it comes on a global scale in the final hours of earth’s history.  Second, that Babylon has fallen has fallen, the lament warns us not to trust our historical greatness because it has been overcome by greed and avarice and is no longer what it once was.  And Third, that our motives and our actions, can reveal if we are willing to trade in our identity as followers of Christ for commercial expediency in the world of the last days.  Should we declare as the third beast wishes accepting the compulsion of our conscience, or should we remain silent yet also having not been willing to have our hearts transformed by the power of Christ, we will have taken on the mark of this beast.  In so doing we forever distance ourselves from Christ and the salvation He alone can offer to us.

These messages are delivered in sequence, in order.  They are delivered AFTER the rise of the third beast.  It is after all the mark of the third beast we are trying to avoid.  So from a timing perspective, it is to us who John writes.  It is to us, who John is trying to reveal Jesus Christ, and our Lord’s plans for our salvation.  If we read the preceding revelations with dread, it is perhaps because we have not yet come to a place in our lives where we are willing to be fully rid of sin.  Perhaps some cherished idea, or current habit, still takes a priority in our hearts.  The way in which we greet these three messages, delivered against the finality of our existence, should help us see what spiritual condition we are in, in these last days.  While there is no such thing as being “ready”, there is the real condition of being in “transformation” by the power of the love of Christ.  Our submission of our will, and our desires, to Christ allows Him to alter them.  He can alter how we think, what we want, and therefore what we do.  This is the basis of salvation, to be saved from the slavery of self-service we have embraced.  The revelations of John of these final events were NOT meant to scare us, but to bring us joy.  If we have faith in the ability of Christ to save us from ourselves, despite our own inability to conceive of how He could do it, we can remain followers of Christ.  Our identity confirmed in the book of Life and records of heaven.

Despite the warning nature of the previous message, what follows next is an event of great joy.  Keep in mind there are 7 angels who have a work in this sequence of events and so far, we have only heard from three of them.  John continues in chapter 14 of his book of Revelations of Jesus Christ in verse 14 saying … “And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.”  What follows the emergence of the mark of third beast is a new work of the Son of Man, or Jesus Christ.  In this instance He is situated on a white cloud.  The imagery itself is reminiscent of how He ascended back to heaven on His first coming, and so may represent His second.  John continues in verse 15 … “And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.”  The fourth angel in this sequence bears a message to Jesus, informing Him that the time has come to reap the harvest of this world.  And so in verse 16 … “And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.”

This series of events announced by the proclamation of the fourth angel could be interpreted in 2 ways.  The most likely first interpretation is that the reaping described and performed by Jesus Christ is brought about by His physical return.  It should however be noted that once before the idea of “cleansing” the sanctuary was interpreted as the physical second coming of Christ and caused a great disappointment.  If the reaping described here in this sense, is the second coming, then the Mark of the Beast would have been implemented on a global scale and as such, the only thing left to do is to come back and claim those faithful few who have not taken up this mark by “reaping” the harvest.  However, if this interpretation is correct, the work yet to come of the fifth angel makes a bit less sense.  And the entire sequence of plagues described in the next chapter of Revelation also makes less sequential sense.  Why pour out plagues on a world that has already been destroyed?

The alternative interpretation might be that the “reaping” of the harvest of souls, is more about the work Christ performs in those who refused the mark of the third beast.  Humanity has so long waited to see the work of the transformation of Christ fully completed in our lives while we yet live them.  Successive generations have gone into the grave still under the process of transformation.  Even the apostles never claimed to have seen the work completed in themselves.  Only Enoch appears to have seen it done prior to the grave that we are aware of.  But in these last days of earth’s history, there is to come a declaration of finality, proclaiming let he who is holy be holy still.  We are the farthest things from holy in our current state.  But, if the work of transformation is completed within us, while we are still alive, and prior to His return, He may well create holiness where none existed before.  In this sense, the final “reaping” of this world may occur after the warnings of the mark of the third beast, but prior to its universal implementation.  This may represent the time of the final outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the world of those who continue to follow Christ.  This may represent the latter rain poured out upon the earth before He returns to take us home.

Imagine for a minute the effects upon this world of having a broad spectrum of Christians in every denomination, in every country around the world, in every language, finding themselves with the work of transformation of the perfect love of others completed within them.  No more hidden agendas.  No more attempts to take credit for benevolent actions performed for others.  Motives that are pure.  Actions performed for the joy of loving others without thought of reward or credit.  Imagine too the words of Christ that one day we, His final servants, would perform actions and miracles greater than He did on a global scale before He returns.  This was not idol flattery by Christ to His followers.  It was a promise that one day, after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, that we would be honored to join with Christ in the mission of the redemption of mankind.  These final actions would indeed “seed” the earth and cause the final harvest to be plentiful.  God does not desire that wicked men and women be lost for all eternity.  These revelations are designed to counter that notion at every turn.  Perhaps the better interpretation of this fourth angel’s work is see a great number of “former” wicked people redeemed at the final hours and brought into the sheepfold of Christ.

Consider also the imagery of the sickle in gathering the wheat of the harvest.  In order be gathered, the wheat must be cut from its roots.  It must be separated from the ground in which it grew up, from the nature of the earth that birthed it.  But as Christ harvests the wheat, He separates it from what it used to know, and then alters it for a greater purpose than it knew before.  We cannot be transformed while we cling to what we once knew, and loved.  We must be separated from the love of self.  We must be transformed for a higher purpose, to serve others and love others.  What we offer of ourselves after our transformation feeds others, not ourselves.  The act of cutting us away from what we once knew might seem frightening at first.  How will we survive being cut away from our roots, from everything we ever knew?  But Christ tells us to trust Him, that in His hands what we will become is greater than anything we ever knew before.  Trusting in Him, despite our fears, or apprehension, is what leads to our transformations in the first place.

Whether the work of the fourth angel is in the announcement of His second coming, or in a great outpouring of transformation that will change the world; the news remains happy to all who retain their identity as followers of Christ.  Hope has not been lost, it has been amplified.  These series of messages and events are not designed to “scare” us into a false submission.  They are presented to enlighten us as to the mission of redemptive love we are to see poured out in our each of our lives, by the transforming power of Jesus Christ.  If the message of the fourth angel heralds the second coming of Christ, so be it, we are to return with Him to be with Him forever.  If the fourth angel describes only a massive harvest of our world of souls that were once lost, to now find Him and entrance into His kingdom, then so much the better.  In the latter version, we find ourselves gathered by Christ for a greater purpose, and throughout eternity we will be overjoyed to find those around us, who are there because the redemptive love of Christ was reflected through us in these final days.  In either version of events, the joy is overwhelming.

John then continues in verse 17 … “And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.”  The fifth angel emerges from heaven also carrying a sharp sickle, apparently there is another harvest yet to come.  John continues in verse 18 … “And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.”  The sixth angel enters the scene, coming from the altar of God, and noted has having power over fire.  He proclaims to the fifth angel that the earth’s clusters are ready for harvest.  They are in fact fully ripe.  John continues in verse 19 … “And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. [verse 20] And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.”

So if the work of the fourth angel was to announce the second coming of Christ, then the work of the fifth and sixth angels could be interpreted as being the destruction of the wicked who remain at the second coming.  First note that the fifth angel emerges with another sickle to perform another harvest.  But in contrast with the wheat who are fitted for a higher purpose, the grapes are ultimately to be “cast” into the great winepress of the wrath of God.  This harvest is not conducted with a spirit of joy and hope, but instead appears to be punitive.  Further the location of the winepress is outside the city, in this version of events perhaps outside the city of heaven.  When the winepress is engaged, it is not wine that springs forth (grape juice), instead it is blood deep enough to stand all the way up to a horse bridle.  By estimation that may be as deep as 5-6 feet.  The area of this product of blood covers a space of 1,600 furlongs or roughly 200 miles.  We do not know if John’s intent was to mean 200 square miles, or 200 miles by some other measurement of width.  But regardless, this a quite a measure of blood.

If following the first interpretation that the fourth angel heralds the second coming, then the work of the fifth and sixth angel may be a fulfillment of the promise of God, that those who take the mark of the beast will drink the wine of the wrath of God from the cup of His indignation.  This imagery described here is certainly to be seen as the winepress that creates the blood drink to be given to those who took the mark of the third beast.  In any event the destruction of the wicked will occur at the second coming so this series of events could support that interpretation of the revelation.

Another interpretation might be found in what occurs to those “Christians” who claim the name of Christ but who have no love for others within them.  The division between the wheat and the tares will become more apparent at the end of days.  While the transformation is poured out and completed in those who submit their lives to Christ.  It is fully rejected by those who do not wish it to occur in themselves, choosing rather to retain sins, than give them all away.  These keep the name “Christian” but reflect no love of Christ through them at all.  For love of others is not inherent, because no transformation has taken place, only the love of self is evident in their lives.  These “Christians” will be genuinely surprised at the return of their Lord, expecting fully to partake of His kingdom, without ever having known how it works beforehand.  They go as far as to work miracles in the name of Christ, but have never visited the sick, met the needs of the needy, or seen to those in prison.  In His commission for us to love others, Christ did not limit us to love only our own families, or other “deserving” peoples.  Instead He intended us to love those who did NOT deserve our love.  We were to love our enemies, not just those who love us.

Perhaps the winepress of the wrath of God has been reserved to stamp out of these purported Christians, the results of the love of self.  Perhaps what is revealed from the engagement of the winepress is the blood of those who have been hurt and abused by those who bore the name of Christ.  Throughout history, those who truly love others as Christ loves, have been systemically killed by others who carried the name of Christ, but knew nothing of His love.  Purported “Christians” in every denomination have by omission, or direct negative action, seen those who truly loved, put to death for their dissent with the majority.  The Catholic church of the dark ages is not unique in this.  Puritans were no less forgiving in earlier ages.  And our modern churches are content to watch the suffering in the world around them and do nothing to relieve it.  We give our money, but not our time, or personal energy.  We would prefer to buy ourselves free time, while others actually engage in ministry using our means.  Modern Christians are all eager to enact laws of “morality”, and attempt to compel the conscience of those with dissenting beliefs.  In so doing they align with the beast and the dragon behind him.  As this course will end in only one outcome, the same one it has always followed, the death of those who would dissent.

Perhaps what is seen emerging from the winepress of this harvest is the produce of blood that is inevitable when sin is embraced, when love of self, triumphs over transformation offered by Christ.   If the work of the fourth angels heralds not the second coming, but rather the final outpouring of the Holy Spirit and transformation of all who will yet hear before it is too late, then the work of the fifth and sixth angel must begin after the probation of God has expired in our world.  The time to decide must have ended as now the choices of the wicked are to be allowed to fall upon them.  The mark of the third beast is in full universal effect.  No more will the protective hand of God, keep the wicked from bearing all the consequences of their own evil actions.  Instead the winepress will engage, and the blood resulting from the deeds of the wicked will be seen, mixed with that of their own. 

Every attempt at avoiding this fate has been made in this series of revelations and the work of these angels.  But as in the days of Noah, evil will not be permitted to go on indefinitely.  It will come to an end, if not of choices to find the salvation offered by Christ, then by the final edict that time has expired by a God who will not see us live in torture forever.  The work of the seventh angel begins in chapter 20 of this book.  We will study its description in more detail later, however it centers around the millennia between the second coming of Christ, and the last great judgment and end of evil that occurs after that final thousand years.  What occurs next is the final seven last plagues that are poured out upon the earth.  The sequence of these events is important to the understanding and interpretations we can gather from what is presented here by John.

The work of this second set of seven angels begins AFTER the rise of the third beast.  What happens AFTER the work of the fifth and sixth angels are the final seven last plagues.  Perhaps it makes more sense then, that the work of the fourth angel described here is more about the transformations completed in our lives, than about the second coming of Christ.  If taken in context, and in sequence with what follows in chapter 15, this interpretation seems to make more sense.  However as stated before, in either interpretation, the news for those who have retained their identity as followers of Christ, the news is good either way.  The relevancy and immediacy with which we should take these final messages cannot be understated.  For we live now in a world where compulsion of the conscience is considered acceptable, even by those who carry the name of Christ, let alone by those who oppose Him.  Given the time in which we live, the messages and works of these angels could not be more relevant to us.  Our salvation is here.  Our Babylon has fallen.  And our world is nearly ready to enact a mark of the third beast, intended to deny us commerce if we do not submit and declare against Christ.  This is the time in which we live.  It is not intended to be a time of fear, but rather one of hope.

Our salvation is here.  This is the great hope we should center our attention upon.  Submission to Christ is our key to finding perfection in the here and now.  A transformation of how we love others, is to see reflected in us, His perfect love.  We, the broken tools of His mission, are to be used to help point others to Him, and see salvation spread across our world.  As we love others without limit, or precondition, or restraint, there can be no other result.  This is the message of hope and the revelation John offered to those of us who live in our day.

And the revelations were not completed yet …

 

144,000 First Fruits ...

 

John has described many visions thus far that contain a sequence of seven things, or events.  All of them are relevant in a particular time span, and what follows seems to again continue that pattern.  The preceding vision of the three beasts and battle plan of the enemy of souls revealed a three pronged attack upon God and men.  The final assault would be waged using finances to control the hearts and minds of men.  Those who would not submit to the Beast and receive his mark through a simple acknowledgement of his power, were to be forbidden to buy or sell.  Without the ability to conduct commerce in our modern world, starvation and death are soon to follow.  The final assault on our conscience was to challenge our identity as followers of Christ.  If our words were not to be consistent with our hearts, we might find ourselves bearing the mark of the last beast, and otherwise counted in his kingdom.  To avoid this fate, we must remain steadfast in our submission to Jesus Christ, following only His leadership; not the dictates of men in power, or in the church, or in the mirror.  Jesus Christ alone is to be our savior.  It is He alone who will save us from ourselves and the evil within us.  It is this gift He brings, as we allow Him to place our names in His book of life.

As John begins this next vision of seven angels who play a key role in the unfolding of events, and messages to our world, it is with the knowledge of what it means to have been marked by the third and final beast.  This indicator places the timeframe of relevance in our day, in the last days, when the United States is reaching its pinnacle of power, its ability to exert control over the finances around the world.  In short, as we look around us, we find ourselves in the very midst of the prophecy John is about to reveal.  He begins in verse one of chapter 14 of his book of Revelations of Jesus Christ saying … “And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.”  This passage could be interpreted in 2 ways with respect to the location of this event.  First, it could be concluded that the Lamb (Jesus Christ) is standing with the 144,000 especially redeemed first fruits on “the mount Sion” meaning in heaven.  If heaven is the location of this revelation then it stands to reason that the 144,000 were a selection of those who had died in the hope of the Messiah, and were raised at his first coming, ascending with Him to heaven as the first fruits of the mission of our redemption.  However if this location is the correct interpretation it tends to negate the special mission in the last days of this number of saints that appeared to be indicated earlier in his book.

The second interpretation for the location associated with “the mount Sion” is the symbolic center of the church, where the true followers of Christ assemble.  In this context, and you will note, there are no other indicators in the texts that follow of scenes with “heavenly” characteristics regarding location, Christ is seen “standing” with His people.  The followers of Christ have never been deserted through all of time and history in this world.  No matter what the severity of the attacks of His enemy, Jesus remains standing with those who seek Him out.  It is His divine power that thwarts the plans of the enemy and sees good come from all things.  It is no different in our day, than it has been when those who followed Christ faced danger in any age.  From Adam, to Noah. to Jacob, to Moses, to David, to Daniel, to the Disciples, to the Church fleeing in the wilderness, to us in our modern age; Jesus Christ has always stood with His followers, and His church.  As we enter these final days John sees Him yet again affirm His closeness to those who seek to follow Him alone.

Then John contrasts those in the previous chapter who had received the mark of the final beast, with these who Jesus is standing with.  As opposed to those who have received the mark of the beast in their hands or foreheads, these group of followers have … “his Father's name written in their foreheads”.  It is the very name of God the Father whose mark we bear.  Instead of the “666” numerical symbolism of those who would compel the conscience of men to forever be slaves; we have chosen to receive the Name of His Father God into our minds and hearts freely, to forever be made free from the slavery of self-service.  This is about as stark a contrast as is possible to make.  It compares those who are truly free in Jesus Christ (free from the evil within themselves), with those who are forever marked with the chains of slavery (powerless to follow any course but that of pure self-service).  This contrast also supports the time element of this vision.  The relevance of the third beast and his forced mark are more aligned with events that occur in the last days.  While this could have been a symbolic battle between good and evil in any age, it has more relevance in the days of the third beast, when his power and the conflict he presents to the world are at their highest.

John continues in verse 2 … “And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: [verse 3] And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.”  John’s attention is now drawn from mount Sion, to heaven where he hears a voice that carries the sound of many waters.  The heavenly courts begin playing their harps as the 144,000 begin to sing a new song of praise.  This song is unique.  This song is singular in nature.  It is not impossible to learn, or so musically complex that only Andrea Bocelli could pull it off.  However the words of this song have a meaning only the 144,000 can truly identify with.  The connection between singer and lyric can only be fully appreciated by those who have had this experience.  Those who have been “redeemed from the earth” are the only ones who “get it”.  During the time of greatest conflict, when man is forced to choose between the bonds of slavery to self, under the pressure of the edicts of men, or the freedom that comes from choosing to follow Christ alone – it is only then when this level of redemption is fully understood.  To be made free from the evil within us, by the power and love of the Lamb, is something only few have had happen while still living in this world of sin.  Enoch discovered it.  And now the 144,000 know what this freedom is like.  The redemption they have experienced is so full and so unique, only they can sing about it.

Notice the 4 beasts in front of the throne of God are named specifically, the 24 elders are again named specifically.  While other sentient life forms and representatives of our own species have a special place and mission in our redemption, while they serve God in places of honor, and are before Him day and night – they remain unable to make the special connection with this particular song of redemption the 144,000 are able to sing.  No one, no man or woman, who has not personally experienced the freedom from evil that Jesus Christ alone can offer will ever be able to sing this song.  It has a special poignancy in the age in which it appears.  Our worship and gratitude for the gift of freedom from self, begins immediately upon experiencing it.  We cannot remain silent when this transformation occurs because it is so life altering.  The special experience of being made free from self is unique.  It is what drives the meaning of this song, and what makes it so special even when the courts of heaven can only accompany its melody.

John continues in verse 4 … “These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. [verse 5] And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.”  The characteristics of the 144,000 continue to be revealed.  John describes them as those who were not defiled with women, or as being virgins.  These people did not attempt to find God by pursuing alternate ideas, or paths to God, but instead through Jesus Christ alone.  They did not rely upon themselves for salvation.  They did not look to eastern philosophies, or new age mantras, cult leaders, or even the head of their local churches.  Instead they looked only to Jesus Christ for their redemption and salvation.  The followers of Christ were once symbolically represented as a woman in vision, so too, the followers of the dragon are represented by an evil woman akin to Jezebel the mother of harlots.  As opposed to Jezebel’s pursuit of any ideas of God mixed with self-service, the virgin church follows only one leader, and one idea.  Jesus Christ is at its head, and love for others is its guiding principle. 

The 144,000 have experienced redemption from sin and self as first fruits, or ahead of the remainder of humanity.  Many fall asleep in Christ having not quite reached the fruition of the freedom from self He began in them.  When they awake in the resurrection of the righteous they will be instantly fully transformed from who they were, not just physically, but spiritually, and emotionally as well.  As those who slept in Christ arise, they arise as new creatures, or new creations.  It is then when their minds finally experience the freedom from sin, the destination their journey was headed towards while they yet walked this earth.  Only then do they know what it is like to be completely free from self. 

The 144,000 however are the first fruits.  They experience this phenomenon prior to death, and if this timeframe holds true, they experience it prior to His second coming.  They stand as those proclaimed to be “Holy still”.  They do not lie, and are without fault, before the throne of God.  It is not a false proclamation they make of serving Christ, but a genuine transformation they have experienced through Him.  To be without fault before God, after having been translated to heaven seems like a more “normal” condition.  After all, no one with sin, could stand in His presence to begin with.  The whole point of our redemption is to rid us of sin, so that we can stand before Him without fault or guile.  But to stand before Him ahead of time, while still located in a world of sin, but without participation in that sin, is truly an accomplishment.  It can only be conceived of through the transforming power and love of Jesus Christ alone.  These first fruits are able to stand before God, not just forgiven, but reformed.  They are able to stand in His presence because they have been transformed by the power of His Son.  They represent the countless millions who will soon join them in this place and in this condition of freedom from self.

The beauty of the message of this revelation of Jesus Christ, is that we, you and I, can be a part of this number.  You and I can find ourselves fully transformed by the love and power of Jesus Christ.  We can submit the whole of who we are to Him, and find ourselves part of the perfection of the 144,000 first fruits before God.  We need NOT wait until after the grave.  We need NOT wait until some magical time in the future.  We already live in the last days.  We already live under the threat of the third and final beast, and the forced mark he is soon to put upon the world.  We have a unique opportunity to receive the Holy Spirit ahead of that day, and find ourselves fully transformed to stand before God and His throne without fault.  More than just forgiveness.  More than just a desire to be like Christ.  Instead the full on transformation of every thought, motive, and action to be in harmony with His will and His law.  This is the promise He offers.  This is the revelation John was revealing, the offering of perfection wrought by Christ within us and to the entire world.  How sad only 144,000 were willing to be fully set free.  Will you be one of them? Will I?

And more revelations were quick to follow …

 

Proof of Death ...

Before one can come back to life, one must have first lost their life in the first place.  CNN carried a story recently of a man who was pronounced dead for 45mins and after a prayerful declaration by his teenage son, his pulse rate resumed, and he was quite literally brought back to life.  The man appeared on television with his family.  He had no stories of bright lights, or ascending over his body, or seeing departed loved ones.  His testimony was only that he fell asleep at home and awoke several days later in the hospital without any knowledge of what took place in between.  His doctor conducted research and to the best of his knowledge has never heard of anything like this in the medical / scientific community.  So is this a modern day resurrection, akin to Lazarus in the past?  Skeptics will dismiss this story, as being mistaken, facts incorrectly relayed, timing’s being in question.  Perhaps the man in question was never “really” dead.  But skeptics will always find a way to discount that in which they refuse to believe by choice.   There were those I am sure who dismissed the story of Lazarus who spent four days in a grave before being called back to life.  And now, John was to record the final events of the life of Christ, those events that led up to His death.

 

John begins in chapter 19 of his gospel in verse 16 saying … “Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him away.”  Pilate had finally given up his efforts to spare the innocent blood of Christ, and had acquiesced to the fervor of the religious zealots who demanded Christ be killed through the power of the state.  From a human perspective, all hope was gone for Christ.  The hate of the Pharisees, combined with the muscle of Roman power, was a combination that no man could overcome.  But therein lies the irony.  This was no ordinary man.  Christ, with the power of His divinity, could have at any time removed himself from this situation.  He had done so on every occasion where the people intended to make Him their earthly King.  But while He exercised divine power to escape fame and earthly glory, He used none of it to escape His own torture and death.  He chose to submit through each agonizing moment, all the way to His death.  It is why He had said that no man takes His life, that He alone must lay it down.  All the power of hate and Rome was nothing against His own will, should He have willed it, He could have stopped the process in an instant.  But He did not.

John continues in verse 17 … “And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha: [verse 18] Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.”  No sense in wasting an execution, Pilate determined to go ahead and execute two other captured criminals with Christ.  In yet another Roman expression of efficiency, the criminals were to carry the heavy load of the instrument of torture they were to be put to death upon.  They carried their own crosses (though we know this burden at some point in the journey became too much for Christ, and another was tasked to help Him with it).  Crucifixion was not the same as beheading, or a bullet to the head, or a mortal wound from a sword or spear.  It was intended to be a slow death.  The victim must hold themselves up in order to keep breathing properly.  When the muscles in their legs finally give out, they become unable to breathe, and die of asphyxiation.  Their last ounce of strength would be spent trying to stay alive for just one more moment, with a knowledge that at some point, they would lose strength and die.  Christ had already exhausted Himself, in the beating He had taken that nearly had Him bleed out.  He had been mocked, spat upon, lost more blood from the crown of thorns placed in His head, and again exhausted from trying to carry His own cross.  He would not last long.

Pilate however, had one parting shot at those religious zealots who had refused to listen to reason.  Pilate knew that the Jews believed their Messiah was to be their king.  So John records in verse 19 … “And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS. [verse 20] This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin. [verse 21] Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but that he said, I am King of the Jews. [verse 22] Pilate answered, What I have written I have written.”  Pilate did believe Jesus was indeed the Messiah of the Jewish prophecy, his brief encounter with Truth taught him that.  So, Pilate gave to Christ the title the common belief in that prophecy warranted.  In effect, Pilate was saying to the Jews, whether you see it or not, you have asked me to crucify your only hope.  And Pilate remained firm in keeping this title posted in every common language, near to Jerusalem during a Passover, a year of Jubilee, and a time when every worshipper would be heading into the city.  This was something the Pharisees could not stand, but were forced to endure.

Modern artistic renderings of Christ always show Him clothed during this final torturous death.  It is hard enough for us to bear that He died in our place, but to add the humiliation of seeing our God on earth naked, and exposed for all to see, for His enemies to further mock, is too much for most artists to represent.  But scripture tells us in verse 23 … “Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. [verse 24] They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did.”  His clothing was divided among the soldiers (spoils of war), and He would have no further need of it.  His robe however, was decided by dice as it was a garment woven without seam.  Even in the details of their greed, scriptural prophecy was fulfilled.  The Pharisees were present during these events.  They knew the prophecies.  They had spent their lives debating the scriptures and their meaning.  These events were not lost on them, but they simply did not choose to care, or to truly see their own error and repent.

In another act of cruelty, the Romans freely permitted the women related to the victims of crucifixion to attend these events.  The women who loved these victims would openly grieve for them, pleading for mercy which would not come.  The victims seeing the pain of their loved ones, would struggle harder to survive, thus extending the torture of their own inevitable death.  All of this spectacle only added to the pain and torture for everyone concerned.  The men who were friends of the victim would largely stay away, as they did not want to risk a confrontation with the attending soldiers, or risk being associated with the victim and perhaps find themselves the subject of further Roman prosecution in coming days.  So no matter what the motivation may have been, the remainder of the disciples of Christ were not recorded as being present at His death.  Perhaps they were there and unnoticed, or perhaps they had already fled to the upper room.  In any case, John does record who had come in verse 25 … “Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.”  Four women had come to grieve and spend what little time there was left, with the One who they had all come to love.  I do not know, if the sister of the mother of Christ may have been the mother of John the Baptist or not, but at least Mary had some family present with her. 

Death was now very near.  Strength had given way to the exhaustion of human limits.  For most of us, our thoughts would have been centered on living, on keeping alive just a bit longer.  But even unto death, despite everything that has happened to Him, and all the pain He has personally endured.  The thoughts of Christ are on the pain of those He loved.  Instead of crying out for His own agony, He looks to address the concerns of His family.  John records in verse 26 … “When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! [verse 27] Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.”  Widows were the poorest of Jewish society, without a male to earn, and buy, and manage affairs, a woman could do little to preserve her own life.  So Christ first thinks of us once again, and in so doing affirms that we are family by choice, as much or more, as we are family by blood.  To His mother, He offers yet another son.  To His most loved friend, He offers the care and love of yet another mother, His very own mother.  To care for the widows, and orphans, is not just a lesson to be preached in the Temple, but to be lived by example, even at the point of death.  Even at the door of death itself Christ is thinking about us, trying to care for us, looking out for our best interests.  With all the divine power at His disposal, He does not make miracles to insure the wealth and ease of the life of His mother.  Instead He asks John to love her and care for her.  He asks Mary to treat John as her own son, and to love and care for Him.  It is not miracles that are needed to make our lives filled with wealth and ease, it is only love.  It is love that is truly important.  It always was, it will always be.

Now there was only one more prophetic scripture to be fulfilled.  John records in verse 28 … “After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. [verse 29] Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth. [verse 30] When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.”  Every prophecy of scripture regarding the true mission of the Messiah had been fulfilled.  Christ had died.  He had yielded up His own life.  He had laid it down for us.  He had died of a broken heart.  But I do not believe we were the direct reason for His so great sadness.  There was something else going on, something of far more significance, and caused Christ far more sadness.  The burden of our sins were upon Him.  As such, for the first time in His existence (which is without time and space to measure), He was forced to be separated from His Father.  This separation constitutes the very definition of hell itself.  To be pulled away from the source of love and life and be hidden from its view, was more than the heart of Christ could bear.  Sin could not exist in the presence of God the Father.  Therefore though He Himself was sinless, the weight of our sins that He carried, forced a separation between Himself and His Father.  This was just too much for Him.  This separation was more than even His own divine nature could endure.  It would be this separation that would cause Him to yield up His own life, and see His heart broken because of it.   This was the ultimate sacrifice on His part for us; to be willing to endure separation from His Father in order that we might not suffer that fate.

But there was even more at stake for Christ than the separation that was causing His eminent demise.  What if, having been stained with the weight of our seemingly endless evil, He could no longer return to the presence of His Father?  What if this separation was to be permanent?  What if the sacrifice He was making was simply not enough to redeem mankind, or be removed from His being?  He was not just risking a human life in the sacrifice of His life with taking on our sins.  He was risking divine existence as the universe had come to know it.  He was risking everything for us.  He was giving up everything for us.  The scale of His sacrifice was not to be measured in merely His mortal human existence, but in His divine eternal one as well.  This was the question the atheists delight to ponder, could God create a rock so big He could not move it?  But of more eternal significance, could Christ carry the sins of us all, and still return to the side of His Father, having once been stained with the evil of our species from time and memorial?  This answer was not visible from the cross.  Jesus would have to die first, and find out if it was enough later.  His divinity could not answer this mystery before He experienced it.  Thus everything was at risk for our God.  And the pain of separation was that which would cause His own heart to break.  And still He went forward with it.  Still He submitted, and did the will of His Father, without a guarantee it could be undone, or overcome, only a faith that this is the road He must take, and the choice He must make … for us.

And while the fate of the universe itself hung in the balance, the Pharisees had larger concerns, they must insure that preparation for the religious rituals they were to perform would not be distracted by the death of Love and Life itself on a cross outside their city.  These men firmly believed that holiness was achieved through their own actions, not through simple submission.  As such they must “do” what they needed to do in order to be made “pure” before the day of rest and atonement.  John records the height of hypocrisy in verse 31 … “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 Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.”  The religious leadership of the only one true religion on planet earth, the one established by the Man hanging on the cross, was determined that their murder of their founder would not distract from the ceremonies they had been directed to perform.  Thus they wished to accelerate the deaths of those hanging there, in order to wrap things up by Sabbath.  Ironically there was not even need of this where Christ was concerned, He was already resting.

John records the events in verse 32 … “Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. [verse 33] But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: [verse 34] But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. [verse 35] And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe. [verse 36] For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken. [verse 37] And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced.”  Now even after He was dead, scriptural prophecy was still being fulfilled.  But beyond this, a lethal spear wound was inflicted JUST to make SURE Christ was dead.  It was already visibly evident.  The darkness as nature refused to witness the death of her creator was unearthly and unprecedented.  The thunder and earthquake that occurred when Christ had given up the ghost, which had woken some of the dead from Adam to Christ and would now bear witness of His divinity until His first ascension in three days, would rock Jerusalem to its core.  And most interesting, the rip from top to bottom of the heavy curtains that separated the Most Holy place from the rest of the temple, allowing EVERYONE to stare straight at the Ark of the Covenant without death.  All of these miraculous events testified at the death of Christ, of His divinity, of the magnitude of His sacrifice. 

But skeptics are not convinced by the miraculous, only by the practical.  So a mortal spear wound through the ribs of Christ would have to suffice for proof of death.  After all, a Roman soldier knew how to kill if nothing else.  They had plenty of practice at it.  And there has never been any dispute that Christ was killed in these events.  There has only ever been a dispute about whether He emerged from death.  The proof that He died seems to have been sufficient for even the most die-hard atheist who examines this record.  Indeed there seems to be ample evidence that He died.  But as said in the beginning, the only way to prove a resurrection is to first prove a death has occurred …