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Sabbath During the Days of Unleavened Bread
Fred R. Coulter - March 30, 2002
And greetings, everyone. This is the regular Sabbath during the feast of
Unleavened Bread. And it’s very unusual how this sequence in the calendar
runs. It’s in a five-year period. We had two years with the Passover in the
middle of the week, and then we have one year with the Passover on a
Tuesday. And then two more years where the Passover is in the middle of the
week. And that’s all according to the calculated Hebrew calendar. And I’m
happy to report that Carl Franklin and Dwight Blevins have been working on
the calendar situation, and they are ready to answer Frank Nelte. And we
have absolute, unequivocal, historical, and scriptural proof that the
calculated Hebrew calendar is the calendar that God gave to His people, and
the one that we should use.
And we need to understand this: just like the Scriptures are of no private
interpretation to any man, so likewise, any man who takes upon himself to
change the calendar that God gave for his own version of the calendar, is
taking upon himself, very presumptuously, something that God never gave them
to do. So you can be happy, you can be reassured; you can have full
confidence that the calculated Hebrew calendar is the calendar that God has
given to His people. Now it just stands to reason when you think about it,
would God commanded us to keep the holy days and not provide a means, or a
method, whereby we know when to keep them?
Now, you see, with even all the calendars in the world, God made it
absolutely clear that Saturday, the seventh day, is the Sabbath. Now men are
trying to change some of those things by trying to portray Sunday as the
seventh day of the week. And as a matter of fact, in Europe they portray
Sunday as the seventh day of the week. So it’s going to be very hard for
some of those people when they start coming to understand about the Sabbath,
to realize that it’s not Sunday.
But you see, that’s how sneaky that Satan the devil is. He will twist, he
will turn, he will malign, he will destroy, all to get the people of God
confused. And the reason that he wants them confused is so that they will
not meet on the days where God puts His presence. And if he can accomplish
that, then he can gradually wean them away from God. Because the whole
lesson of the feast of Unleavened Bread is what? A little leavened leavens
the whole lump. And I’ve seen it happen over and over again. When you start
messing with the calendar, then other things take place. Other difficulties
come in. Sooner or later false doctrines follow. And that’s just the plain
result of going against God - to be presumptuous, to do human will instead
of the will of God.
Now on this Sabbath, we’re going to cover the things concerning this
Sabbath and also the Wave Sheaf Offering day, which is tomorrow. But let’s
begin first on the Sabbath before this Sabbath in the chronology of the life
of Jesus Christ, leading up to the crucifixion. Now let’s come to John
12:20. And we’re going to read some things here, and as I have it outlined
in The Harmony of the Gospels, this is on Sabbath. And this Sabbath
it is the 10th of Nisan. And the 10th
of Nisan is the day in which God commanded the Israelites to select their lamb
for their Passovers. And to keep it up until, that is, the beginning of the
14th, and then to slay it. So here then on the 10th of
Nisan, we find that God selected Jesus Christ as the Passover lamb, with a
special message from heaven.
Let’s begin in John 12:20 (Harmony of The Gospels, Authors
Translation, p. 221), “Now there were certain Greeks…” And these are really
Hellenistic Jews. “…Certain Greeks among those who had come up to worship at
the feast. And these [they] came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of
Galilee; and they asked him, saying, ‘Sir, we desire to see Jesus.’ [And]
Philip came and told Andrew, and Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus. But
Jesus answered them, saying, ‘The time has come for the Son of man to be
glorified. Truly, truly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the
ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit’”
(John 12:20-24, AT). That is, it grows and produces the fruit.
“‘The one who loves his life shall lose it, and the one who hates his life
in this world shall keep it unto eternal life.’” Now, I’m reading out of my
translation from the Harmony, so that we can follow along in the time
sequence here. Verse 26 (p.221), “‘If anyone will serve Me, let Him follow
Me;…’” Now that’s very important. We have to follow Christ wherever He leads
us. And following Him means walking in His footsteps. Following Him means
going through the trials and difficulties that we’re confronted with.
Following Him also means that we may have to follow Him unto death. Because
we’re going to see that He’s talking about His crucifixion. So this is a
very profound thing. And that’s why when we die the death at baptism, as we
covered on the first holy day, that our lives are dead and they’re hid in
Christ. And so therefore, whether we live or whether we die, we are the
Lord’s. So whatever God has in store for us, whatever the circumstances may
be that confront our lives, we must follow Christ. Regardless of what it is.
Now continuing in verse 26, “‘…And where I am, there shall My servant be
also.’” And of course, Jesus Christ, we can say, comes spiritually, and
Christ is with us on the Sabbath. So therefore He is here. We ask His
blessing, we ask His presence, and Christ is dwelling in us. Now also, we
have this that wherever Jesus is, there will His servant be. And they will
be teaching the way of God. Verse 26, “‘…And if anyone serves Me, him shall
the Father honor. Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? Father,
save Me from this hour? But for this very
purpose I have come to this hour’” (vs. 27-27, AT).
Now, verse 28 (p.223), “‘Father, glorify Your name.’ Then a voice came from
heaven, saying, ‘I have both glorified it and will glorify
it again.’” Now, this is a message from God the Father, as we will see.
Because He says, “Father glorify Your name,” and then comes the answer from
the Father, which then was probably communicated by an angel.
Verse 29, “Then the people standing there, who heard it,
said, ‘It thundered.’” And of course, thunder - remember when God gave the
ten commandments at Mount Sinai? There was thundering, there was lightning,
there were the dark clouds. And so the thunder here is indicating that this
comes directly from God. “Others said, ‘An angel spoke to Him.’ [And] Jesus
answered and said, ‘This voice did not come because of Me, but because of
you’” (vs. 29-30, AT). Because He was going to die for their sins.
This is His selection to be the Lamb of God. Now let’s see, because He goes
right on showing here in the context that He is going to be crucified.
Continuing now, verse 31, “‘Now is the judgment of this world. Now
shall the prince of this world be cast out. And if I be lifted up from the
earth, I will draw all to Myself.’ But He said this to signify by what death
He was about to die.” In other words, that He would be crucified on a cross.
“The people answered Him, ‘We have heard out of the law that the Christ
lives forever, and why do You say that the Son of man must be lifted up? Who
is this Son of man?’” (vs. 31-34,
AT). Because they understood that being lifted up means that you were
nailed to the cross while it’s down here and then the cross is raised up,
and you are lifted up. So they didn’t quite understand what was going on. So
here we have on Nisan 10, we have Jesus selected by God the Father as the
Passover lamb.
Now let’s understand something very important. Now this is not a doctrine,
but it’s very interesting concerning numbers. Now we know that we have, with
the Feast of Tabernacles, we have seven days and then one more day, which is
the eighth day, don’t we? Now we know the eighth day pictures the second
resurrection. So number 8 signifies a resurrection. Now when you count from
Sabbath, Nisan 10, inclusive counting, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, you
have eight days. And Christ was resurrected on the eighth day after He was
selected.
Now another thing - we’ll just jump ahead just a little bit to Pentecost to
show you how number 8 and the resurrection are connected. Now we know that
in counting for Pentecost, which will start tomorrow, the Wave Sheaf
Offering day, will be day number one. And remember, to count Pentecost, it’s
always beginning with the first day of the week during the days of
unleavened bread. So you count seven weeks and then you come to the 50th
day. But when you look at that last week, and you count the seven days for
the week, then you have the 50th day. You also have the eighth day of that
last week. And since Pentecost pictures the first resurrection, here we have
number 8 associated with it. Now this is not a doctrine, or it is nothing
cast in stone. But it’s just analyzing the numbers and figures that God has,
so it’s interesting that number 8 is associated with new beginnings. Number
8 is associated with the resurrections, and let’s look here at Christ’s
resurrection again.
We know that Christ was crucified on a Wednesday in the middle of the week.
He died at approximately the ninth hour. Now let’s go ahead and see this.
Let’s look at this and let’s look at the scriptures. Let’s come to Matthew
27:46. And what we are going to find is that Jesus died at the ninth hour,
being about 3:00 p.m. in the afternoon. And we know, as we’ll see, He was
not put in the grave until just right at sunset. So Jesus was dead three
hours before He was put in the tomb, then He was in the tomb three days and
three nights. So here we have three full days and three full nights, plus
three hours. Which means that from the time Jesus died until He was
resurrected, that happened on the fourth day. Which is one-half of eight.
Which may be significant, because Christ being the Son of man, would be
resurrected in, as we would say, in half the time. But those are just
interesting things to look at in the way that the calendar falls.
Now let’s begin here, Matthew 27:46 (p. 304). “And about the ninth hour,
Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?’ That
is, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’” Now we’ve already covered
that, Christ and the Passover, and so we’re just reviewing here just a
little bit. “And some of those who were standing there heard and
said, ‘This one is calling for Elijah.’ And immediately one of them
ran and, taking a sponge, filled it with vinegar and put it on
a stick, and gave it to Him to drink. But the rest said, ‘Let
Him alone! Let us see if Elijah comes to save Him.’ Then another took a
spear and thrust it into His side, and out came water and blood. And after
crying out again with a loud voice, Jesus yielded up His spirit. And
suddenly the veil of the temple was ripped in two from top to bottom…”
(Matt. 27:46-50, AT). And of course, we know that that was a
tremendous event to take place. We’ve already covered that, so I’m just
reviewing it here.
“…The earth shook, and the rocks were split, and the tombs were opened, and
many bodies of the saints who had died arose. And after His resurrection,
they came out of the tombs and
entered into the holy city, and appeared to many. Then the centurion and those
with him who had been keeping guard over Jesus, after seeing the earthquake
and the things that took place, where filled with fear, and said,
Truly this was the Son of God!’” (vs. 51-54, AT, p. 305).
Now I’m sure they could see the effects of the earthquake. You could hear
the effects of the earthquake. Now I know what that’s like, because I live
in earthquake country down in Hollister, California. And just before the
ground shakes, there’s a tremendous “pop.” Sometimes it’s like a loud
bang, and then you see everything move. And I remember one time I was
driving down the street and there was an earthquake. I didn’t know it was an
earthquake at the time. But my car started going like this, and I thought,
“Boy, I’ve got a flat tire.” And then I looked up and I saw the electric
wires that were going from pole to pole were swaying back and forth. And I
knew that it was an earthquake. So he saw the earthquake. He saw the veil
rent in two, tore from top to bottom, as well as heard it. So this was a
tremendous thing, indeed, that took place.
Now here in Mark 15:39, he said the same thing, that “Truly this man was
the Son of God.” Now isn’t this interesting - isn’t it interesting the Jews
rejected Christ as the Son of God. Here is this centurion guarding Christ,
the soldiers there. Their mission was to kill Him. Crucify Him. And yet,
they testified that He was the Son of God. Very interesting, isn’t it? That
God would have a Gentile do that for the Jews.
Ok. Let’s continue on here. So Jesus was dead three days, three nights,
plus three hours, being a total of 75 hours. And that brings us into four
days, which is half of eight. Now let’s come down here to John 19:31. Were
going to go ahead and just carry it forward to the burial of Christ, and
with Him being put in the tomb. Verse 31 (AT, p. 305), “The Jews
therefore, so that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the Sabbath,
because it was a preparation day (for that Sabbath was a high day),…”
Just like we had this week. We had Passover, we had Night Much To Be
Remembered, we had the holy day. The holy day is the Sabbath. Same sequence
of time during the week when Jesus was crucified and was buried. Then we
have the Passover day here, the day portion of the Passover, was the
preparation for the high day, or the Holy Sabbath. Being the first day of
the feast of Unleavened Bread.
“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;
but one of the soldiers had pierced…” Because that’s an error - it’s past
tense in the Greek, “…had pierced His side with a spear, and immediately
blood and water had come out. 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.” Now that’s a very interesting thing, isn’t it?
Because this is part of the canonization of the New Testament. John was the
only apostle to stay and witness the whole thing. All the others left. All
the others fled. All the others went to take care of themselves. But John
stood there and watched the whole thing. 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. 31-36, AT). And so we have the death of Jesus.
Now let’s continue right on in verse 38 (AT, p. 307), “Now after
these things, Joseph (the one from Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus,
but having concealed it for fear the Jews)…” Now it’s a political thing. He
undoubtedly decided at this time, now’s the time to get rid of being
political. So he made himself openly known as a disciple of Jesus, “…Asked
Pilate that he might take Jesus’ body away; and Pilate gave him
permission. Then he came and took away the body of Jesus.” Now I’ve often
wondered what it must have been like for him to take the body of Jesus. Now
we don’t know how the cross, if the cross were put down on the ground again
after He died, or whether he had to get a ladder to climb up there and take
Him down or what. I would assume that the cross was down. So he came and
took the body.
Verse 39, “And Nicodemus, who had came to Jesus by night…” Also a little
political, wasn’t he? He didn’t want to come in the daytime and be seen. So
here now with the tragedy of Christ dying, politics comes to an end. And I
think it’s interesting that John mentions both of these, because I think
later that they become very important in preaching the gospel, either in
Jerusalem - and we know Joseph of Arimathaea, if the traditions are true,
was an importer of tin from England. And he also had a residence there in
the British Isles. There’s even a lot of tradition which says Jesus went
there, and there’s even more tradition which says that the apostle Paul went
there. Now we don’t know if the apostle Peter went there, or the other
apostles, but it’s very likely that they did. Because that was one of the
ways they could get around quickly and to getting into Europe. So just a
little side-note here.
So Nicodemus, the one who came by night, “…also came, bearing a mixture of
myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds [weight]. Then they took Jesus’ body
and wound it in linen cloths with the aromatics,…” (vs. 39-40, AT).
Now the way they would do the bodies was this: they would have the
aromatics, or whatever the herbs were, and then they would start winding at
the feet, and as they would wind it, they would put the aromatics in and so
it was wrapping it with, I would say, about this wide of linen cloth. And
wrap the body. So this absolutely precludes that there was ever a shroud.
Have you ever heard of the Shroud of Turin? Well, the Catholics claim that
that was Jesus’ burial cloth. That is a hoax; that is a fraud; could not be.
Because Jesus did not have one big piece of linen laid over the top of Him.
He was wrapped. It says right here - He was wrapped and wound in linen
cloth, so they wound it around Him, all the way around Him. We’ll see a
little later on that He also had a napkin, which was a separate covering for
the head.
“…As is the custom among the Jews to prepare for burial. 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. [And] Because of the preparation of the
Jews, they laid Jesus there; for the tomb was near” (vs. 40-42, AT).
And that ends the Passover day. The first day of Unleavened Bread begins,
and Jesus then begins His three days and three nights in the tomb. So we
find, just this little review, because this will help us understand the
events that will take place on the Wave Sheaf Offering day.
Now let’s also understand something very important. The death of Jesus was
the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all mankind. Because as we have seen,
as the Creator, He came and was made in the likeness of sinful flesh. And
for sin, the sins of the world, died. Now then, it is not sufficient just to
have a death. Because there is more that needs to be done. There is more
that needs to be accomplished. Yes, you have your sins forgiven. But what
has to happen after that? You have to be put in right standing with God. So
Christ had to be resurrected to present Himself as that sacrifice. And He
had to become the High Priest in heaven above so that we can have our sins
not only forgiven, but be made justified before God the Father.
Now let’s come to Romans 4, and let’s see this. Let’s see how it talks
about here concerning Abraham, and how righteousness was imputed to him. Now
we’ve already covered that on the first day of Unleavened Bread, about the
imputed righteousness that God gives to us; which He makes us in right
standing before Him. And everywhere in the New Testament where Paul is
talking about righteousness, this is the kind of righteousness that he’s
talking about.
Now let’s come here to Romans 4 please, and let’s pick it up here in verse
21. Now again, I’m going to read out of my translation. And this is talking
about Abraham. “And he was fully persuaded that what He had promised, He is
also able to do. As a result, it was also imputed to Him for righteousness”
(Rom. 4:21-11, AT). Now this is very important for us to understand.
When you go before God and repent and ask for your sins to be forgiven, do
you believe and know they’re forgiven? Do understand that they are forgiven?
Now, when you’re done praying, don’t get up off your knees and say, “Well, I
wonder if God forgave me?” Because, see, that’s not belief. That is doubt.
Now we have a High Priest in heaven above, Jesus Christ, Who came to this
earth to be the perfect sacrifice, Who rose and ascended to the Father, was
accepted as that sacrifice, and now is seated at the right hand of God as
our High Priest to propitiate, or bring forgiveness, of our sins. So we need
to believe as Abraham believed, and then that is imputed to us for
righteousness.
Now, verse 23. Here’s the key. “But it was not written for His sake alone,
that it was imputed to Him; rather, it was also written for
our sake, to whom it shall be imputed; to those who are believing on Him Who
raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, Who was delivered for our offenses
[for our sins], and was raised for our justification” (vs. 23-25, AT).
That’s why He was raised. He is a living Savior, a living High Priest. And
we have a living relationship with God. And we have a living justification
that we have imputed to us. And therefore, therefore as chapter 5:1 says,
“Therefore, after having been justified by faith,…” Because we believe in
the sacrifice of Christ, we believe in the resurrection of Christ. “…We have
peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ; by Whom also we now have
access by faith into this grace in which we now stand, and we ourselves are
boasting in the hope of the glory of God” (Rom. 5:1-2, AT).
And so this is meant to let us know that we have the greatest, absolutely
the greatest relationship that can be. We, brethren, have a superior
covenant, as we are going to learn, as we finish up the series on the book
of Hebrews. We have a superior covenant, a superior High Priest, a superior
way of worship, of faith, of truth, of love. Not of religious works of law
of “Do this, do that, and don’t do the other.” But faith in the living God.
Faith in His Son Jesus Christ as our living Savior in heaven above, Who is
there to intercede for us, as we have seen. And it’s really a fantastic and
marvelous thing that Jesus has done to make all of this possible.
Now we know that when Jesus prayed, just before He was arrested, He said,
“Father, give Me the glory that I had with You before the world existed.”
And so when He was resurrected, He ascended to the Father. Yes, He came back
to the earth and was here for 40 days showing many miracles and signs to the
apostles. And then when He ascended back into heaven He was fully glorified,
and now is our High Priest sitting at the right hand of God. And so we’re
going to see the Wave Sheaf Offering day is a most profound and important
day for what took place.
Now we know that He was in the tomb three days and three nights. And we
know the first part of Matthew 28, that the women went down just as the
weekly Sabbath was drawing to a close to look at the tomb. Now they went
down there to see if anything had happened. They went down there to see if,
maybe the soldiers took the body away, or whatever. Because they were going
to come the next morning, and they were going to, again, anoint the body of
Jesus and put spices and so forth and take care of the body of Jesus even
more.
Now when Jesus was raised from the dead toward the end of the weekly
Sabbath, He was raised just right as the Sabbath was ending, but before the
first day of the week began. Now let’s look at some scriptures which give us
an indication of some of the things that Jesus thought when He was raised
from the dead. Now we know that He could not have stayed in the tomb very
much longer after He was resurrected; but rather He had to leave as quickly
as possible, otherwise He would of been in the heart of the earth more than
three days and three nights.
Now let’s come to Psalm 16 and let’s see, maybe these are the words of
Christ. You know, because He went and did what He did. Christ divested
Himself of being God to become a human being, because He trusted in the
Father. They made a covenant. One of them would become the Son, and one of
them would become the Father. And the two of Elohim had this agreement. Now
if you don’t have my series, “The Prophecies of Jesus in the Old Testament,”
by all means write for it. We’ll be happy to send it to you. It’s about 12
or 13 tapes. But there was a day when one of Elohim became the Father, and
the other of Elohim became the Son.
Now let’s come to Psalm 2 just to cover this, just to show that Christ
believed and trusted in God the Father. And they had this covenant. That,
since He was going to become human and die for the sins of the world,
because He was the one Who created mankind, He was the one Who gave them the
law of sin and death within every human being so that we have human nature,
He took the same thing upon Himself. He was conceived in the womb of the
virgin Mary by God the Father.
Now let’s read it here in Psalm 2, and let’s begin in verse 6. “Yet have I
set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.” That is, Christ. Christ is the king.
“I will declare the decree:…” And so God the Father decreed it. “…The LORD
hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.”
And that was literally fulfilled on the very day that Jesus was begotten in
the womb of the virgin Mary. Now then, it goes in and shows how this is
going to result in the Kingdom of God coming to the earth when Christ comes
a second time. So it moves on ahead very rapidly. Verse 8, “Ask of Me [that
is, ask of Me, God the Father], and I shall give
thee the heathen for thine inheritance,…” He’s going to rule the
world, right? Yes. “…And the uttermost parts of the earth for thy
possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them
in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” And of course, that’s exactly what it
says in the book of Revelation that Christ is going to do. He’s going to
rule them with a rod of iron. “Be wise now therefore, O ye kings:…” That is,
when Christ returns. Don’t come and fight Him. “…Be instructed, ye judges of
the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the
Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is
kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in
him” (Psa. 2:6-10,
KJV).
Now this was the covenant that they had. Christ died, and He willingly
went. We know in the book of Hebrews that “…He endured the shame of the
cross for the joy that was set before Him” (Hebrews 12:2, paraphrased). Now
that’s something. And it also says there in that same chapter of Hebrews 12,
that none of us have resisted sin unto the shedding of our blood, yet. And I
think that that is a truism we need to understand.
Now let’s come to Psalm 16. After Jesus died, now He’s resurrected. You
know immediately He’s going to communicate with the Father. You know
immediately He’s going to thank God. You know immediately that these things
are going to be on His mind. Now, I am sure that He praised God for this
promise that we find here in Psalm 16. Now let’s begin here in verse 5. “The
LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: Thou
maintainest my lot. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant
places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.” And so He could look forward to
everything now because He came back to life.
Now let’s come down here to verse 9. “Therefore my heart is glad…” And I
imagine so. I imagine that there was such joy when Christ was resurrected,
not only joy of God the Father and the angels, but also of Christ after
going through all of that. “…And my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall
rest in hope.” Because this was the promise, the hope that God the Father
would resurrect Him. He had to believe that. They had to have a covenant.
And of course they could believe that, because you see God never lies. So
that covenant was sure and true.
Verse 10, “For Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither will Thou
suffer [allow] Thine Holy One to see corruption.” Now when Peter preached
the sermon in Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost, he quoted this and applied it
directly to Christ. So I’m sure that Christ claimed this promise and thanked
God that He fulfilled His promise. “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in
Thy presence is fullness of joy;…” And of course there would be,
being in the presence of God the Father after being resurrected. Great joy.
“…[And] At Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (vs. 10-11).
Now let’s look at Psalm 17, because here it gives us another indication of
maybe some of the words of Jesus Christ after He was resurrected. Let’s pick
it up here in verse 13. “Arise, O LORD, disappoint him, cast him down;
deliver my soul from the wicked, which is Thy sword.” Now this is
talking about the crucifixion. And did God cast them all down? Yes. Boy, He
sure confounded them, didn’t He? You know some of the things that took place
right after the resurrection, and then right after Pentecost, and the things
that the apostles preached, and how they stood right before the Sanhedrin
and just told them things right to their face, that “Christ is the only one,
Whom you crucified.” So yes, that’s a fulfillment of it.
“From men which are Thy hand, O LORD, from men of the world,
which have their portion in
this life, and whose belly Thou fillest with Thy hid treasure: they
are full of children, and leave the rest of their substance to their
babes. As for me, I will behold Thy face in righteousness: I shall be
satisfied, when I awake, with Thy likeness” (vs. 14-16). Now these had to be
some of the words of Christ after He was resurrected, claiming the promises,
thanking God, praising God, coming before Him and just… I’ve often wondered
this: where did He go after He left the tomb? See, He didn’t have to have
the stone rolled away to get out of the tomb. Because He could walk through
matter.
Now we know He did not ascend to the Father until about 9:00 in the morning
on the Wave Sheaf Offering day. So where did Jesus go? Well, it doesn’t tell
us. But perhaps, we could say, do you suppose that He went back to the
garden of Gethsemane where He prayed, the same place where He prayed the
night before He was arrested, or the night that He was arrested, rather?
Because He resorted there often for prayer.
Now you can be sure it was desolate that night because the disciples
weren’t there. And no one else would be there, so it would be interesting to
contemplate that Jesus probably went to the garden of Gethsemane. And when
He went there - let’s come to Psalm 23 now. And I’ve likened this Psalm to
the “Resurrection Psalm” because Psalm 22 is the “Crucifixion Psalm.” Now
Psalm 23 is the Resurrection Psalm. And I wonder if His prayer followed
along the lines of Psalm 23. So let’s read it with that in mind. Christ is
there in the garden of Gethsemane, maybe by that ancient olive tree that we
have a picture of in the Harmony of the Gospels. It is well over 2000
years old. So it may have been right there. We don’t know. But it’s
possible. And let’s look at this as the prayer of Christ.
“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” That means, “I shall
not lack anything.” Of course He wouldn’t, because He now has fullness of
everything, doesn’t He? Yes. “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He
leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul...” Which He did
through the resurrection, didn’t He? “…He leadeth me in the paths of
righteousness for His name’s sake” (Psa. 23:1-3, KJV). And of course,
Jesus was righteous and faithful to the Father in everything that He did.
And remember, twice the voice came and said, “This is My Son, in Whom I am
well pleased.”
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear
no evil…” And yes, He did. He walked through the valley of death. He died.
“…For Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me. Thou
preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies…” Yes indeed.
Right in front of their face, He was resurrected. They didn’t see it. They
didn’t believe it. They didn’t know it. Yet He came back and showed Himself
to the disciples, you see. “…Thou annointest my head with oil; my cup
runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my
life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever” (vs. 4-6). And of
course, yes, Jesus will. And the house of the Lord is in heaven above. And
that’s what’s going to be brought to the earth when Jesus returns.
Part 2
Now let’s look at another Psalm, which perhaps could be something that
Jesus also prayed after He was resurrected, before then He ascended to the
Father. Maybe He prayed this prayer also that night. Let’s come to Psalm 57,
and let’s begin in verse 5. “Be Thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let Thy glory be above all the earth. They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed
down: they have digged a pit before me, into the midst where of they are
fallen themselves” (Psa. 57:5-6). And that’s a good description of
the crucifixion. Though they came after Him and killed Him, what did they
do? They dug a pit and they fell in it. And that pit was literally executed
in 70 A.D. with the destruction of the temple and the dispersion of the
Jews.
Verse 7, “My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed:…” Now you see, Jesus
didn’t waver at all. Now sometimes we may waver. So we have got to come to
the same attitude that Jesus had, “My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is
fixed.” That you have the kind of belief and the kind of faith that is there
permanently in you. Not vacillating because of men. Not doubting because of
lack of faith. But believing God, believing His word, and having your heart
fixed that nothing can turn you back from God. And of course, Christ had do
that. Yes. Absolutely.
“…I will sing and give praise. Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and
harp: I myself will awake early.” Isn’t that interesting. What is death accounted
like? But asleep. So here He’s awake. “I will praise Thee, O Lord, among the
people: I will sing unto Thee among the nations. For Thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and Thy truth unto the clouds. Be Thou exalted, O
God, above the heavens: let Thy glory be above all the earth”
(vs. 9-11). And isn’t that what Jesus prayed? “Restore to Me the glory I had
with You before the world existed.” Quite a tremendous thing.
Now let’s come to John 20, and again I’m going to read out of my
translation. And let’s see what happened after they came to the tomb. Let’s
see how the events took place, and just exactly how these things occurred.
John 20.
Now when the women came to the tomb early in the morning, we find this.
Let’s come back to the book of Mark. Let’s come to Mark 16:2. Let’s go ahead
and cover this. The women came back. They were carrying the spices. They
were going to go ahead and take care the body. They were wondering who was
going to roll stone away from the tomb, and so forth. So here’s Mark's
account, beginning in verse 2 of Mark 16 (AT, p. 336).
“And very early on the first day of the weeks,…” Now that’s a literal translation, because this is the
first day of counting the weeks toward Pentecost. And in the Greek, it is
plural. “…At the rising of the sun, they were coming to the tomb; 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…” Who was an angel, no doubt, who had rolled
away the stone. “…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…
But go, tell His disciples and Peter that He goes before you into Galilee;
there you shall see Him, as He said to you.’ And they went out quickly and
fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them; and they
did not say anything to anyone, because they were afraid” (Mark 16:2-8, AT, p. 336-337). I imagine they were. I imagine that it was just like
total electricity in their body because of what had happened.
Now let’s look at the account of Mary Magdalene in John 20. Now let’s go
there. It says in the first verse, while it was yet dark Mary Magdalene went
out and she was going to the tomb. Well, as she was going to the tomb, it
was getting light. So it was very, very early. Now let’s pick it up here in
verse 2. She came and found that the stone had been rolled away and the tomb
was empty. “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.’ As a result, Peter and
the other disciple…” Now this other disciple was John. “…Went out and came
to the tomb. 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. 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, not lying with the
linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple,
who had come to the tomb first, also went in and saw these things;
and he believed” Very interesting. It didn’t say that Peter believed. John
believed. “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” (John 20:2-10, AT, p. 336-337).
Now let’s examine this and see what this tells us. This is a very
interesting thing. Remember, Jesus’ body was wrapped with that linen. Much
like you would say a mummy is wrapped. Now they saw the linen cloths lying.
Now I assume that that means that they saw the cloths still wrapped in the
same shape as Jesus’ body, only with no body in it. And with no body in it,
it probably, with the weight of the spice and everything, fell down
together. That would show that He was resurrected right out of it. Now then,
we have something else. We have the head napkin, which was on His head, was
folded up and placed by itself in another place. Now this tells us very
clearly that Jesus was alive. Because napkins don’t fold themselves. We all
know that.
Now, another thing: this tells us that they didn’t steal the body away. Now
why? Because if they had stolen the body away, they just would have picked
it up and carried it all wrapped up and with the napkin still on His head.
So this is a tremendous witness and proof that Jesus rose from the dead, and
that’s why the apostle John, when he saw it, believed it because he
connected the two together, that this couldn’t happen by someone stealing
the body away. There had to be a resurrection. And so yes, there was. So,
boy that was something.
So they went away to their home. But Mary Magdalene stayed there. Because
she still was wondering, what happened to the body of Jesus? She really
didn’t understand. So, let’s continue on, verse 11. “But Mary stood outside
the tomb weeping; and as she wept, she stooped down and looked into
the tomb. 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” (vs.
11-12). Now that’s interesting. This tells us that the cloths, again,
verifies that the cloths that He was wrapped in, were still in the form that
He was wrapped in, because one of the angels was where the head was, and the
other one was where the feet were. Now then, if it weren’t that way, you
wouldn’t be able to tell the head from the foot, would you? No. If Jesus
took all the wrappings off and just wrapped them up and a big ball, you
wouldn’t be able to tell head from feet would you? So this again is a
verification that there were the cloths there. Now this is a great mystery,
you know. This is because of the power of God with His spirit, and the
resurrection. And so this is a tremendous thing.
Now continuing on, “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.’” Well, that’s quite a thing. So, of course, by this
time Jesus returned to the tomb. And then He appeared to Mary. Now let’s
pick it up here and let’s continue on in verse 14, and see what happens
here. “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 it 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.’ Jesus said to
her, ‘Do not touch Me, because I have not yet ascended to My Father…’” (vs.
13-17, p. 337 –338).
So here, on the Wave Sheaf Offering, Christ has to ascend to the Father. He
has to ascend to be accepted as that perfect sacrifice for the sins of all
mankind. So He said, verse 17, “‘Don’t touch Me… But go to My brethren…’”
Now listen to this. I want you to understand that our relationship with God
the Father is exactly the same as the relationship that Jesus Christ had. I
mean, do you understand how important that is? Do you grasp the significance
of that? Do you really let it sink into your mind the greatness of what God
has called you to? Now listen to these words: “…I am ascending to My Father
and your Father, and My God and your God.’”
Now just as an aside, maybe this will help you understand why God
hates hierarchy, where men place themselves between the brethren of God
and God the Father. Listen - the whole book of Hebrews, as we’re going to
see, shows that we have direct access to God the Father through Jesus Christ
any time. Tremendous relationship with God. Let me read that again. “‘…My
Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’” Now I don’t know about
you, but that makes chills go up and down my spine, that God would put us in
this kind of relationship with Him, that we can call, “Abba, Father,” and He
hears us. And He answers our prayers, and He loves us, and He cares for us.
Just as He loved Jesus, He loves us. And that’s why He’s provided the
sacrifice of Jesus Christ and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, so we can be
justified and in right standing with God the Father in heaven above. The
greatest thing that could happen in your life is that very thing in this
physical life. Nothing greater can be.
Now maybe that will help you and inspire you to understand why prayer is so
important; why study is so important. Because you have a relationship with
the Sovereign of the universe, God the Father with Jesus Christ at His right
hand, and as our High Priest. And Who are working with you, and preparing
you, and molding you, and creating Christ in you, and creating the character
of God in you through the power of His Holy Spirit, to have the fruits of
the Holy Spirit, so that when it comes time for you to die, then when you
are resurrected you will be as Christ is. And so this is the whole hope of
God’s word. The whole hope of our calling. Now that’s very profound. We need
to understand that brethren. That is something! It is awesome!
There is - let me just say this: There is nothing greater in your physical
life that you are now living than your relationship with God the Father,
than your relationship because of what Christ has done for you in dying for
your sins and being resurrected to be your High Priest and your older
brother. He calls us “Brethren”. That’s something. That is amazing!
Now what we need to do is go back to Leviticus 23:10-11. Now let’s read it
here. Now I’ve got in the Harmony, I’ve got the translation by Everett Fox
from The Schocken Bible: Volume One – The Five Books of Moses. And the way he translates it, I think, is very profound. Because it reflects
the type of Christ as being the first of the first fruits. And this is
important. Now, what they were to do when they entered into the land, verse
10, “Speak to the Children of Israel and say to them: When you enter the
land that I am giving you, and you harvest its harvest,…”
Now there’s one minister out there who says, “Well, they didn’t do this.
They didn’t eat of the crop until the second year they were there. They
didn’t wave the wave sheaf offering until the second year they were there,
because the Canaanites planted the harvest, and they couldn’t possibly use
that because that is ‘unholy’ wheat.” Well, it really doesn’t matter who
harvested it, because God gave it to them.
But notice this. It says, “…you harvest its harvest…” Showing that, yes, it
was in the very first year that they crossed, right after they crossed the
Jordan River, there they had it. Ok? You can read that in Joshua 5.
Continuing now, verse 10, “…you are to bring the premier sheaf of your
harvest to the priest.” That is, the first of the first fruits, and it is
the “premier.” Meaning, “the principal one,” or “the first one”. In the
Greek, this would come from protos, meaning “the primary one”. And of
course, that has direct reference to Christ. “And he shall elevate the
sheaf…for you…” Not just wave it, but elevate it. Because then, that’s
symbolic of the resurrection: rising to heaven. “…[And] elevate the sheaf
before the presence of YHWH, for acceptance for you; on the morrow of the
Sabbath the priest is to elevate it.”
Now this means on the first day of the week during the feast of unleavened
bread. That’s when it was to be waived. This is symbolic of Christ, Who on
that first day of the week after He was resurrected on the Sabbath, then He
appeared to Mary Magdalene first, and said, “Don’t touch Me. For I have not
yet ascended to My Father, and to your Father and to My God, and to your
God. But you go tell the disciples that I’m alive (John 20:17,
paraphrased).” So Mary Magdalene went and did that.
Now then, let’s come to 1 Corinthians 15:20, and let’s understand something
very important here. And that is that not only is Christ the firstfruits,
we’re going to also see little later on He is also the firstborn. Now let’s
pick it up beginning in verse 20. “But now has Christ been raised from the
dead; He has become the firstfruit of those who have fallen asleep. For
since by man came death, by man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in
Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each one in his
own order: Christ the firstfruit; then, at His coming, those who are
Christ’s” (1 Cor. 15:20-23, AT). So He is the firstfruit.
Now let’s come to Colossians 1, and let’s understand that He is the
firstborn from among the dead. Now let’s read it here beginning in verse 16.
“Because by Him were all things created…” Isn’t that something? Our Creator
did this, didn’t He? Amazing thing. That always leaves me in awe and
amazement when I think about that. “Because by Him were all things created,
the things in heaven and the things upon the earth, the visible and the
invisible, whether they be thrones, or lordships, or principalities,
or powers: all things were created by Him and for Him. And He is before all,
and by Him all things subsist” (Col. 1:16-17, AT). Now in the first
chapter of Hebrews, it says that He upholds all things by the word of His
power.
Now continuing on here in Colossians, verse 18, “And He is the Head of the
body, the church; Who is the beginning, the firstborn from among the dead, that in all
things He might hold the preeminence.” Now that’s quite a thing. Now as we
also saw on the first holy day, we are called the church of the firstborn.
Now let’s come to Romans 8:29, and let’s see something also important,
which shows that we are in a family relationship with God the Father and
Jesus Christ. But also, that we are in a special relationship with God the
Father and Jesus Christ, in relationship to the rest of the world. You see
we are the elect of God. We are the called of God. You know, let that sink
in. We haven’t been called to some ne’er-do-well, stupid religion, run by
men, to try and control your lives, and take your money, and take your
lands, and make a mess out of your life! That’s happened too many times. And
that’s why the Worldwide Church of God does not exist. He said, “Away with
it!” Because He wants contact with each one of us directly, and
individually.
The minister’s job is to teach you how to worship God, teach you how to
have a relationship with Him. Not run your life for you. You learn from God.
You run your life. Let Christ control it. Be led of the Holy Spirit. That’s
what’s important. Because we’re going to be in a family relationship. Listen
- Christ can do much more for you through the power of the Holy Spirit than
any minister telling you what to do. Now, that doesn’t mean that you don’t
need some advice from time to time. Listen - Romans 8:29… now let’s go back
to verse 28. I do this quite often. But let’s go back to verse 28.
Remember this: “And we know that all things…” Now I want you to underscore
that: “all things”. Everything. Even the trials and difficulties that you go
through. “…Work together for good to them that love God,…” That’s why the
love of God is the most important thing. “…To them who are the called
according to His purpose.” Which you have been. “For [Because those] whom He did foreknow,…”
And he knows us, doesn’t He? Because He’s the heart-knowing God. Yes. “…He
also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son,…” Now,
read Revelation 1 and see what He looks like. “…That He [that is, Christ]
might be the firstborn among many brethren.” (Rom. 8:28-29, KJV). So
that’s why we’re the church of the firstborn. Christ is the first of the
firstborn. We’re the firstborn church, He’s the first of the firstfruits,
and we are the firstfruits.
Now notice, here is a promise, an absolute promise from God. “Moreover whom
He did predestinate, them He also called: and whom He called, them He also
justified [which we are through Christ]: and whom He justified, them He also
glorified” (vs. 30). Because God is looking at you as how you’re going to be
when you are resurrected and a glorified spirit being. That’s what the
imputed righteousness of Christ is all about. Now let’s also understand
something else. We have already been glorified a little bit. Because we have
the Holy Spirit in us by begettal. That is a little bit of glorification. So
these things are profound, brethren. This is something. This is an amazing
thing. What God has done is just absolutely an amazing, an amazing thing.
Now let’s see about the ascension of Christ. Because He said that He would
go to the Father. Now, I’m going to do some reading out of the Harmony,
because sometimes when things are written, it’s written in such a way that
it can say more and have a greater impact. So I’m going to begin reading on
page 333 about His ascension. And here, we again look at some of the things
that maybe Christ was thinking when He was ascending. And I wonder what that
felt like. You know, one day we’re going to ascend, and we’ll know what that
feels like.
Now: “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 may
have experienced as He looked forward to being reunited with the Father.”
Now let’s turn to Psalm 63, let’s begin in verse 1. “O God, Thou art my God; early will I seek Thee: my soul thirsteth for Thee, my flesh longeth
for Thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; to see Thy power and
Thy glory, so as I have seen Thee in the sanctuary.” Yes, and to see
the power and glory of God the Father again. “Because Thy lovingkindness is
better than life, my lips shall praise Thee.” (Psa. 63:1-3, KJV). And
I think that’s quite appropriate for the ascension of Christ.
Now let’s also understand something here. There is a Psalm which shows how
Christ entered, when He came up to the sea of glass and was received by the
angels before He was received of the Father. Now let’s come to Psalm 24.
“The earth is the LORD’S, and fullness thereof; the world, and they that
dwell therein. For He hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon
the floods. Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand
in His holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not
lifted up his soul unto vanity,…” Now this here is… is this Psalm 15?
Anyway, I’ve got it here. “…Nor sworn deceitfully.” Christ was the perfect
one. “He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from
the God of his salvation” (Psa. 24:1-5, KJV). And remember, Jesus cried with tears and strong supplications to the
Father Who was able to save Him.
“Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors;
and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD
strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. [He was victorious over human
nature, and sin, and Satan the devil, and death]. Lift up your heads, O ye
gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory
shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory” (Psa. 24:7-10, KJV). That must have been something.
“What a magnificent scene of splendor and glory that Jesus saw when He
entered through the everlasting gates of heaven! As He stood on the sea of
glass, He saw 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” (Harmony of the Gospels, p. 333).
And here’s what he wrote. Let’s come to Revelation 4:1. “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 what things 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” (p. 333).
“And around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and upon the
thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments; and
they had on their heads golden crowns. And proceeding out 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 there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And before the throne and
around 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 calf, 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 eyes; and day and night they
ceased not saying, ‘Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was, and Who
is, and Who is to come.’
“And whenever 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 down
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, AT, Harmony of the Gospels, p. 334).
And brethren, we’re part of the greatest will of God. Called, chosen,
selected, justified, glorified, that we also can share the same thing that
Jesus did. That one day we are going to appear before the throne of God the
Father. One day we’re going to see Him just like Jesus Christ saw Him. But
Christ had to be the firstfruit. Christ had to be the first one, because He
had to come to be our High Priest, to propitiate our sins; to send the Holy
Spirit, to lead us, to guide us, to prosper His word. To build His church.
Tremendous thing.
“This was the scene that Jesus saw 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 could see on His body the scars of the lashes that
He had received when He was beaten with a cat-of-nine tails which tore open
His flesh. They could 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” (Harmony the Gospels, page
334).
“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 a vision and recorded it for us.”
And here’s what it says, beginning in Revelation 5. “And at 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
the seals of it?’ And no one in heaven, or on the earth, or under the earth
had the power 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 inside 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 and is able to open the book, and to lose the seven seals of it.’ And I saw, and behold,
before the throne and the four living creatures, and before the elders, was standing a Lamb that looked as if it had been slain,
having seven horns and seven eyes,…” And those are the churches. “…Which are
the seven Spirits of God that have been 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 were singing a new
song, saying, ‘Worthy are You to take the book and to open its seals;
because You were slain, and did redeems us to God by Your own blood, out of
every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and did make us unto our God
kings and priests, and we shall reign upon the earth.’” And brethren, keep
that always in mind. That’s where everything is headed to.
Now continuing, “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,…” On this day that Christ was accepted, “…‘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!’” (Rev.
5:1-12, AT, Harmony of the Gospels, p. 334 –335).
And so what a day that was. What an absolute marvelous day. And brethren,
we are the result of that. And we are going to be a part of that. Now let me
just conclude with this: “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” (Harmony of the Gospels, p. 335).
So let Christ work in you. Let this feast of Unleavened Bread be a powerful
turning point in your life, that you can have a greater spiritual
relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ. That you can understand
more fully what Christ has done for you. That you can be inspired to do the
will of God, inspired to love God, inspired to believe God. Let Christ be in
you. Then you are perfectly unleavened. And you stand before God righteous
and pure. Amazing. Absolutely amazing.
“They will be granted the identical spiritual existence that the Father and
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” (Harmony of the Gospels,p. 335).
And so brethren, when we have the Passover in the middle of the week and
then we have the Sabbath and then the Wave Sheaf Offering day in the same
sequence as it was during the week when Christ was crucified it has great
meaning for us. So continue to have a great feast. We’re only halfway
through.
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