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The Christian Basics 132 Topics Easy to Use & Easy to Understand - (PDF) Love One Another 10 Part Series (Mp3's) Wrestling With the Basics Radio Archive (Mp3's) Discipleship Library Christian Discipleship Training Resources (Mp3's) The Edge AM Radio Show Advanced Topics Archive (Mp3's)
The Berean Chronicles Advanced Topics Archive (Mp3's 2003-2008), More Topics
--New Article-- The 7 Church Letters of Revelation - (PDF) --New Article-- |
Easter Day in 2009 is Sunday April 12th
Easter Day in 2010 is Sunday April 4th
The 9th Annual (2009) "Jesus Walk" 10 Day Easter Timeline Devotion
~ Starting Friday April 3rd 2009 ---> Easter Sunday April 12th 2009 ~
An Ancient Holy Week Timeline, Bible Study, Devotional & Personal Journal for Easter Week 2009
Please invite your Church, family & friends, to
experience the 2009 Jesus Walk Easter Timeline Devotion
It will change their life!
The Jesus Walk 10 Day Easter Timeline Devotion
--New Link-- Jesus Walk 10 Day Easter Week 2009 Timeline Devotion (PDF) --New Link--
Friday April 3rd ---> Easter Sunday April 12th, 2009
| < | April 2009 | > | ||||
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
| List of Topics | 3 | 4 | ||||
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| 12 | Timeline | Resources | ||||
| The 8 Holy Feasts of Leviticus | ||||||
| Old & New Testament Prophecies | ||||||
| Common Holy Week Questions | ||||||
| Appendix: Leadership Articles | ||||||
Matthew 12:40 For as (the prophet) Jonah was Three Days and Three Nights in the whale's belly;
so shall the Son of Man be Three Days and Three Nights in the heart of the earth.
The Jesus Walk 10 day timeline devotion includes the group oriented devotion "Becoming United in Jesus". The additional individual oriented devotion "All the Way, Walking the Long Road" is scheduled to be completed and included in the 2009 Jesus Walk final version.
David Anson Brown
Be a part of the Jesus Walk 2009 (Easter) Resurrection
Week 10 Day Timeline - Devotion - Bible Study.
It will change your Life!
Jesus Walk 2009 proving the Leadership of Jesus Christ
in that during the many Passion - Holy Week events
the events didn't just happen to Jesus
but in actuality Jesus happened to the events.
Also look for the Jesus Walk 2009 Timeline Devotion
All the Way, Walking the Long Road
Begins April 3, 2009 and continues through (Easter) April 12, 2009
Looking forward to joining you all in the Marvelous and Joyous Celebration of
Resurrection Life!
Our Eternal Life in the Glorious Resurrection Life of Jesus Christ our Lord and
Savior.
Downloads for the 2009 version
(PDF) Jesus Walk 10 Day (Easter) Week 2009
Devotion
(Ms Word .doc) Jesus Walk 10 Day (Easter) Week 2009
Devotion
Jesus Walk 10 Day (Easter) Week 2009 - Bible Study - Personal Devotion - Timeline of Events
Follow along with Jesus in the current Resurrection (Easter) Holiday dates of 2009 during the last Ten days leading up to and including His Cross and His Glorious Resurrection.
It also marvelously explains and demonstrates that Jesus did indeed die and remain deceased for a total of 3 days and 3 nights and that He then Resurrected, returned from death, just as He prophesied that He would.
This is a Personal Study-Journal encouraging the reader to include their own devotions during this 10 day journey with Jesus.
Welcome to Jesus Walk 2009
This is your Personal Invitation to join in and follow along with
the Jesus Walk 2009 Holy Week 10 day Devotion/Bible Study, Journal event
In 2009, Jesus Walk will begin Friday, April 3rd
and continues through Resurrection (Easter) Sunday April 12th, 2009
Brought to you by:
www.BasicChristian.org
www.BasicChristian.info
What is Jesus Walk
2009
Jesus Walk is a 10 day personal
Devotional Study Journey that guides the reader along the original course that Jesus and His first disciples
walked on that glorious first Resurrection (Easter) Holy Week. Following is a link to the Jesus Walk material and a Jesus Walk 2009 PDF file is also available as a FREE download.
Why is there a Jesus Walk
2009
Jesus Walk is a 10 day
opportunity to consistently draw closer to God and in doing so to get to know Him better and to learn more about who
He is and what He has done for us.
Where is Jesus Walk 2009
Jesus Walk is a Personal
Devotion/Bible Study that is available on-line and as a FREE download, allowing for anywhere you are during the
10 days of Holy Week, to be where your Jesus walk devotion will take place.
My Part in Jesus walk 2009
Your part in Jesus Walk 2009 is to get as much out of this 10 day Journey with Jesus as you can by putting as much into it as you can. This includes daily time of Prayer, Devotions, Bible Study, Journal Entries, Praise & Worship, Fellowship, Communion, Anointing and anything else that will assist you on your journey with
Jesus.
Materials
for Jesus walk 2009
Here are a few
materials that you might need to facilitate this 10 day event.
Please Invite your friends and loved ones to join you in taking the Jesus Walk 2009 Devotion available at
www.BasicChristian.org/jesuswalk.html
God Bless you,
David Anson Brown
[Timeline] A Timeline and Biblical explanation of the events of the Ten Days.
[Introduction] An Introduction and getting started on our journey with Jesus.
[Friday] April 3, Meeting up with Jesus and His disciples in Bethany.
[Saturday] April 4, Palm Saturday the Triumphal Entry of King Jesus into Jerusalem, the Feast of Sabbath is fulfilled.
[Sunday] April 5, Jesus cleanses the Temple of moneychangers.
[Monday] April 6, The Pharisees dispute the authority of Jesus & the Mt. Olivet discourse is given.
[Tuesday] April 7, Judas agrees to betray Jesus.
[Wednesday] April 8, The New Covenant of Jesus. God agrees to die for our sins; therefore death has "Passed us Over". The Feast of the Lord's Passover is fulfilled.
[Thursday] April 9, Crucifixion and death of Jesus on the cross, providing removal of our sins, the Feast of Unleavened Bread is fulfilled.
[Friday] April 10, The tomb of Jesus is sealed by the Romans, spices and ointments are purchased and prepared to further anoint the body of Jesus.
[Saturday] April 11, The tomb of Jesus remains sealed, Sabbath day.
[Sunday] April 12, The Resurrection of Jesus, the Feast of First Fruits is fulfilled as Jesus gives the First Fruits of the Holy Spirit to His disciples.
[Conclusions] Final thoughts about the Ministry, the Cross and Resurrection of Jesus.
[Old Testament Feasts] The Eight Appointed Holy Feasts of Leviticus Chapter 23.
[Future Feasts] Considered.
[Old Testament Prophecies] Old Testament Prophecies and their New Testament fulfillment.
[Common Holy Week Questions] Questions often asked about the Holy Week Events.
[Secular Easter Season Hoaxes] Secular denial of the Easter resurrection of Jesus Christ.
[Leadership Articles] A 5 part Holy Week Leadership article series based on the Jesus Walk Timeline Devotion presented at iExalt.com in April - May 2004.
[Additional Resources] Mp3 file download and future Devotion dates.
Spending Resurrection (Easter) Week with Jesus 2,000 Years Ago
Resurrection Week 2009
Journeying with Jesus the last 10 Days He was physically on the earth
Luke 12:49,50 But I am (Jesus) come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled? But I have a baptism (Crucifixion & Resurrection) to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished (Fulfilled)!
As disciples of Jesus, let's go back with Jesus and the original disciples to revisit and re-live the last week that Jesus spent on earth. This week is also referred to as "Holy Week." The 10 days will be Friday through the next Sunday. To examine the last week we will have to piece together many items and statements from throughout the Bible. As we go back to the original Holy Week, we will travel like students and detectives, searching the scriptures for events and clues that took place nearly 2,000 years ago. We will in actuality be students and detectives of Jesus, searching out Who He is and what His ministry came to accomplish here on earth.
Our first and most substantial clue to the last days of Jesus' visit on earth is the fact that Jesus rose from the dead and that He did it on the first day of the week, Sunday. We find this important information in each of the four gospels. Matthew 21, Mark 16:1,2, Luke 24:1, and John 20:1. Sunday is the first day of the week. We often consider Monday to be the first day of the week but Monday is actually the first workday of the week. A glance at any calendar will confirm that Sunday is listed first in the row with Saturday being the last day of the week. God prescribed in the 10 commandments given by God to Moses on Mt. Sinai, for the last day of the week to be a "Sabbath" or a day of rest Exodus 20:10. The last day, Saturday, of each week is the rest day for every Jew. As detectives we write our first piece of information in the column with the heading of Sunday, "The resurrection of Jesus, from Death to Life." We currently celebrate this day as Easter but the correct name for this day is "Resurrection Sunday."
Next as detectives Matthew 12:40 tells us that Jesus Himself told the Scribes and the Pharisees who were asking of Him to perform a miraculous sign, that indeed a miraculous sign would be given. The sign would be that Jesus would spend three days and three nights in the center of the earth, just like Jonah the prophet spent three days and three nights in the whale's belly, Jonah 1:17. In many places the Bible tells that Jesus was to suffer and die then be resurrected the third day, Matt 16:21, Mark 8:31, Luke 9:32. Counting back from Resurrection Sunday three days and three nights, we now land on the Thursday column as the day of the Crucifixion of Jesus. Traditionally, Friday is celebrated as the day of crucifixion but remember we are journeying back to the original Holy Week to be with Jesus and His original disciples. Knowing that Thursday was the day of crucifixion, we also now know that Wednesday, the day before the crucifixion is the "Lord's Passover Feast" the day that Jesus celebrated the "Last Supper and Communion" with the disciples.
We now have five of our ten days of Jesus' activity known, the Sunday of Resurrection and the Thursday of Crucifixion and the Wednesday of the Last Supper or Passover. Now as detectives we can broaden our horizon of the last week and catch up to Jesus and the disciples. John 12:1 tells us "Then Jesus six days before the Passover came to Bethany where Lazarus was." Six days before the Passover on Wednesday will place Jesus at Lazarus' house on the preceding Friday. We can now travel back to the Friday before the Passover and meet with Jesus and the disciples to spend the last Glorious week with Him.
This day coincides with Friday April 3, 2009
On our journey to be with Jesus we find that Bethany is located on the Mount of Olives, Luke 19:29, Mark 11:1 and that Bethany is less than 2 miles from Jerusalem, John 11:18. Once we walk up the Mount of Olives and ask directions to Lazarus', Mary's, and Martha's house, we would come into a small stone house to find Martha busy working in the kitchen while Mary is seated and at rest near Jesus. Lazarus whom Jesus had recently raised from the dead John 11:44 was also seated at the table. No doubt he had much to talk to Jesus about. If we came in at just the right moment, we would smell the aroma that filled the house as Mary anointed Jesus with almost a pound of very costly Spikenard oil John 12:3. We would hear Judas complain that the expensive ointment was wasted and hear the rebuke of Jesus as He defended Mary and proclaimed that she had done an honorable act of worship in anointing Him for His coming burial.
Mary Anointed Jesus with very costly and very precious oil. Biblically oil is a symbol of acceptance. To anoint someone is to accept them, to accept them for who and for what they are. Judas on the other hand did not want to bother with anointing Jesus. He didn't even want to be bothered with other people anointing Him. Mary was accepting Jesus. She had accepted that He had come to die for her in her place and was anointing Jesus for His coming burial. The cross of Jesus was something that even the disciples had not yet been able to come to grips with yet Mary had and Mary acknowledged and accepted Jesus for it. Having accepted the gift from Jesus that He was to die in her place for her sins she had now entered into a place of rest and comfort. Rest in that she did not have to work to amend for her own sins and comfort in that all things would be taken care of for her through God who is also King, her King Jesus.
As we begin our walk with Jesus let's pause and reflect (Selah) about acceptance ... are there people in our own lives who we need to anoint and to accept even though we don't understand them? How much could our fellowships gain by this one simple act of anointing one another in the simple affection of acceptance. Anointing others with the precious oil of acceptance can only come from our own rest and security through the knowledge of what Jesus Himself has done and will do for us in our lives.
Psalms 133 Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head that ran down upon the beard even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; as the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded His blessing, even life forevermore.
Are we anointing and accepting of ourselves? Biblically people are allowed to anoint - refresh themselves with oil (Matthew 6:17). In fact it is crucial that we accept ourselves. God has already accepted us. He created us and He is for us. How is it that we can reject what God has already accepted?
Are we anointing and accepting of Jesus? Even today we can anoint Jesus with His precious costly oil of acceptance by accepting His accomplishments in His sacrificial death and eternal resurrection life for us and by trusting in His authority and Kingly rule over and in our lives.
We would like to be bold enough to take the steps to walk where Jesus walks, but it is now evident even on this day, day one, that Jesus does not walk as a human walks but that He walks as God walks. For us to walk with Jesus we are going to have to be bold and remove our focus from others and place it on God.
Personal Devotion - Reflections
This day coincides with Saturday April 4, 2009 Palm Saturday - Feast of Sabbath Rest - 10th of Nisan, Selection of the Passover Lamb, Exodus 12:3
Psalms 84:3 .. O LORD of hosts, my King, and my God.
On the next day Saturday, John 12:12, we would rise up early with Jesus and the disciples. The people gathering for the celebration of the week long Passover Feast in the city of Jerusalem would hear that Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem and would gather palm branches to wave in honor of their coming King, Jesus. Because Saturday is a Sabbath day it is unlawful for the people to gather branches for their own personal use but it is not unlawful to gather the branches and wave them in an act of worship of Jesus. It is work to sustain our lives but it is not work to worship God.
Jesus would send two disciples ahead to get a donkey and the donkey's baby that Jesus would ride on His way into Jerusalem. This will be a direct fulfillment of what the Prophet Zechariah saw and wrote about 400 years earlier. "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout O Daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: He is just, and having salvation; upon the colt the full of a donkey." We would see on this day Jesus would present Himself to Israel as the King. The prophet Daniel also saw and wrote about this day, Daniel 9:25. The event of cheering Jesus as King would take the entire day. There would be one dispute with the Pharisees as they would demand that Jesus silence His disciples. Jesus would reply that if the disciples remained silent that the very rocks would cry out in testimony to the glory of God.
Mark 11:10-11 Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest. And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide [close of this Saturday Sabbath day] was come, He went out unto Bethany with the twelve.
We will enter into the Temple with Jesus and look around but we will soon depart as the evening is near and with the darkness of nightfall the Jewish Sabbath day will draw to a close. We depart the temple and Jerusalem with Jesus keeping all of the Triumphal entry and the Temple events of that Glorious day enclosed within the one Sabbath day and not permitting the Triumphal Entry events to continue into the next day a non-Sabbath, non-Feast day. That evening we would return with Jesus back up to the Mount of Olives to Bethany Mark 11:11. We would have to leave at the evening time to get to our destination before nightfall as this day is a Sabbath day and is a day of rest. Acts 1:12 tells us that Mount Olivet is "from Jerusalem a Sabbaths days journey" so we know that we would be able to walk that distance and not break the Sabbath law.
That night laying at the top of Mount Olives and looking at the stars and reflecting on the days events, it would begin to seem that the events that Jesus is carrying out have already been written about by the prophets hundreds even thousands of years earlier. As disciples wanting to be informed about the situation at hand, we would rethink the scriptures in a new light and begin to consider that Jesus has presented Himself as King to the people and this occurred on a feast day the feast day of "Sabbath." Examining Leviticus 23, we would notice that God prescribed eight Feasts that were to be followed in order, by His people the Jews. The first feast was the weekly Saturday feast of "Sabbath" or rest.
This was the feast we celebrated today. Suddenly, life flows through our bodies as we remember a Bible passage from the Apostle Paul, Colossians 2:16;17 "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of any holy day, or of the new moon or of the Sabbath days: which are shadows of the things to come; but the body is of Christ." Wow! We realize that Jesus is now at this very moment in the process of fulfilling scripture, the prophecies and the feasts appointed in Leviticus 23 which were written in advance for Jesus to later fulfill. We consider and savor the thought that our King has come and we can now find rest. With Jesus in rule and authority over our lives we can now rest or Sabbath. Jesus is our King. In Him is Justice, righteousness, Truth, Light and Life. In Him we can trust and in Jesus we find our rest. No more striving with a world that is full of inhumane wrongs and cluttered with injustice. In King Jesus we now have comfort.
We note that the "Sabbath" is first a commandment, the 4th of the Ten Commandments given by God to Moses on Mt. Sinai and it is also the 1st prescribed feast day of God. We then pay special attention to entering into the rest that Jesus provides as King in our lives, we do not want to disobey both a Commandment and a Feast day. Life becomes much more meaningful as we peacefully rest-Sabbath the night in Jesus.
Psalms 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth His handywork.
We too would like to join in with the rocks of Jerusalem and indeed all of creation and declare the glory of our God and King in Christ Jesus and as we do declare the Deity and Honor of Jesus we declare that we to can now rest in His rule and in His Authority.
We rest in Jesus, resting physically, emotionally and spiritually. It is a wonderful accomplishment to be able to cease from worry, fear and anxiety. Few are they that enter into it but blessed are those who do as rest is something to be entered into, it is an achievement, an accomplishment.
Hebrews 4:11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
Personal Devotion - Reflections
This day coincides with Sunday April 5, 2009
We awake early Sunday morning, the first day of the week, to see Jesus and the disciples on their way back to Jerusalem and the temple Mark 11:12. Catching up we would find Jesus examining a fig tree for fruit. Finding no fruit Jesus will curse the fig tree Mark 11:14. We will stand by in amazement as we realize that this Jesus is the same God that Adam and Eve sinned against and then used a fig leaf in an attempt to cover their sins. Jesus is now saying that there are no more self-made, man-made coverings for sin. The system of fig tree religion is now a curse by God because fig tree religion never did produce fruit for God.
We will then follow Jesus into the temple as acting King. Jesus will now cleanse the temple of ungodliness Matthew 21:12-17, Mark 11:15-19 and we will know that the true temple is our bodies and that we need to present our bodies holy and undefiled to God. Listening we hear Jesus proclaim that His temple will be a house of prayer for ALL nations Mark 11:17 and we rejoice to be a part of the Kingdom of God and to know that above all, God desires for us to pray (talk/listen) to Him in getting to know Him. That evening we will return with Jesus and the disciples to the Mount of Olives.
Jesus recognized unfruitfulness and He took action to remove it. Every one of us (unlike Jesus) has an unfruitful aspect in our own life. We too can be bold like Jesus, in that when we see unfruitfulness we can declare it as unacceptable to God and recognize it as a cursed item, not a blessing. In cursing it, curse it at it's root so that it will immediately wither and dry up no longer sustaining an appearance of being potentially fruitful but being what it truly is, something that does not give pleasure to God.
Matthew 3:10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Personal Devotion - Reflections
This day coincides with Monday April 6, 2009
Arising early the next day Monday, we know from Mark 14:1 and Matthew 26:2 that we have two days left until the Passover. We would again follow Jesus to Jerusalem and to the temple as Jesus spends another day preaching in the temple and having discourse with the Scribes and Pharisees. On the way to the temple we would again pass the fig tree that Jesus had cursed the day before and be astonished with the other disciples that the fig tree has completely dried up and withered from the roots up Matthew 21:19, Mark 11:20. We would again consider that the fig tree cannot be our covering for sin and that God finds man-made religious practices unacceptable, not one day will pass where the religious practices of man are acceptable to God.
We would follow Jesus back into the temple where the Scribes, Pharisees and lawyers will make a final assault on the authority of Jesus Matthew 21:23-23:39, Mark 11:27-12:44. Jesus will end His discussion with the Scribes and Pharisees with the comments of "Woe to you Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Jesus uses strong words for strong circumstances. The leaders of Judah are misrepresenting Jesus. They are misrepresenting the word of God in the Bible and all that God stands for. Jesus refers to them as a "brood of vipers", referring to the words and actions of the leaders that their deeds are separating people from the true God and are therefore as poisonous as the poison of a snake.
Earlier, through the prophet Isaiah, Jesus said to the leaders of ancient Judah that when the circumstances of their lives pressed against them and caused them to be uncomfortable that they would responded from their heart. Jesus saw that the leaders were upset with circumstances that they didn't understand and that their actions really revealed their true heart towards God. Jesus was therefore quoting the prophet Isaiah in order to encourage the leaders to search the scriptures in a new light and gain new insight into the person of God and new insight into the kingdom of God. After the death and resurrection of Jesus the book of Acts tells us that many of the Priests came to believe in Jesus Acts 6:7. Jesus is showing us that although strong words were used, Jesus did it in a way of Reconciliation. There is only one Ministry, it is the ministry of reconciliation, man to God and man to man.
After this discussion, Jesus left the temple for the last time Matthew 24:1, Mark 13:1. We can immediately remember the Prophet Ezekiel, Ezekiel 10:1-22 and his depiction of the presence of God departing from the temple as the people had rejected God. Ezekiel wrote of a temple from which the presence of God had departed and later that temple would be destroyed by the invading Babylonians. Likewise, this temple with the presence of God, in the person of Jesus departing, would later be destroyed by the Roman armies.
After the discussion between the leaders and Jesus, Jesus walked out of the temple and the disciples followed Matthew 24:2, Mark 13:2. The disciples thought that this was the long awaited moment, the moment when the King Jesus, would take control and according to scripture would reign and rule from Jerusalem. The disciples were now interested in the buildings of the temple. In effect, the disciples were saying these are great buildings to rule from and probably wondering where their office would be. As we stand there and eavesdrop, we would hear Jesus reply and give a prophecy that the temple would be destroyed, one stone block at a time, until there were no more stone blocks left stacked upon another. The disciples were stunned. They realized that they were not familiar with the current plan of Jesus.
That evening when they returned to the Mount of Olives, some of the disciples came to Jesus privately and asked "what is the time or sign of Jesus coming into power?" In other words, when is Jesus the King going to reign and rule on earth as the King? Jesus told them that it was not for them to know the times and gave a long informative discourse into the end time events. Jesus specifically warned the disciples not to fall for deception, that many will be deceived by the vast amount of lies and deceit being told in the world. He taught that only the Bible is the true word of God. The teaching is now called "Jesus' Mt. Olivet Discourse" Matthew 24:3-26:2, Mark 13:3-14:1.
What is our part in Reconciliation? Jesus came to Reconcile. The very Ministry of Jesus is Reconciliation, reconciling man back into a relationship with God and also reconciling us humans into a relationship with one another.
2nd Corinthians 5:18,19 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us (Christians) to Himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the Ministry of Reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them, and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
*The word reconciliation is called the Gospel, the "Good News" of our Life in Jesus as opposed to the sour fact of our death in this earthly world.
The ministry of Jesus is the embodiment of the Cross that Jesus would be crucified on as on the cross Jesus is lifted up - suspended, between Heaven (the dwelling of God) and Earth (the dwelling of man). The vertical post of the cross represents reconciliation between God and Man while at the same time the outstretched - reaching out arms of Jesus and the horizontal beam of the cross represent the reconciliation of one to another. Reconciliation is accomplished only in and by Jesus. There is no other hope for mankind but in Jesus, His Cross and His Resurrection.
Personal Devotion - Reflections
This day coincides with Tuesday April 7, 2009, Matthew 26:6-16, Mark 14:3-11
As we awake Tuesday morning we will not go to Jerusalem and the temple as Jesus had departed the temple for the last time on Monday. Instead, today we will go with Jesus to the house of Simon a leper whom Jesus has previously cured. A woman will anoint Jesus with more oil. Judas will depart to meet with the Jewish leaders to betray Jesus. Judas will receive the promise of thirty pieces of silver Zechariah 11:2, Matthew 26:15 for promising to deliver Jesus into the hands of the Jewish leaders.Jesus has returned to spend time with Simon a Leper whom Jesus had previously cleansed. How is it that Jesus would want to visit someone that was previously Unclean. Usually when someone has knowledge of the unclean areas of our life we want to get away from them because we are vulnerable and do not want to be exposed by them for what we truly are. Yet Simon welcomed Jesus into his own home and prepared for Him a meal. All throughout the Bible we read how hurting and longing and suffering people have turned to God and have found compassion and healing and like Simon, we too have the privilege of hosting Jesus, the one who has healed us.
Matthew 11:28-30 Come to Me (Jesus), all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and Learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest for your Souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.
Personal Devotion - Reflections
This day coincides with Wednesday April 8, 2009 the start of the Passover week with the Feast of the Lord's Passover, 14th of Nisan.
Wednesday we would wake up to the second of the feast days known as the "Lord's Passover." This feast was first observed by the Jewish people in Egypt the night the plague killed all of the Egyptian firstborn sons, while death "Passed over" the Jewish firstborn because they were saved by the "Covenant blood" placed above the doors of their houses Exodus 12:1-36. This feast is also prescribed by God in Leviticus chapter 23.We will follow Jesus to Jerusalem to eat the Passover dinner and celebrate it with the disciples in an upper room made ready by some friends. As we come into the upper room in the early afternoon prior to the Lord's Passover feast which will be observed and eaten later "at evening". We will see that Jesus and the disciples have just finished eating a lunch/supper John13:2. Jesus is telling the disciples that God the Father has given all authority in heaven and on earth to Him. We marvel that this Jesus standing before us is not just the King of Judah but is the King of the Universe, the King of heaven and of the earth, of the physical realm that is seen and also of the unseen spiritual realm. Jesus presides over all as King.
Before we can comprehend the enormity of the kingdom of Jesus, we see King Jesus lay aside His garments, pour water into a wash basin and begin to wash the disciples feet. We are in total agreement with Peter when Peter says to Jesus "Thou shall never wash my feet," after all, kings of the earth do not wash their followers feet, so much more the reason that the King of the universe should not wash our feet. Then Jesus explains to Peter that unless He washes our feet that Jesus will have nothing to do with us. We wonder, "why have Jesus wash our feet and only our feet"? Then we realize that Jesus is King and He is also our Abba, Daddy, Father, and likewise He is also the Holy God. Being Holy, Jesus requires that we be cleansed in able to approach Him. Our creator, Abba, Father, Jesus is happy to take all of His authority and use it to clean us and draw us near to Him. We now know that Jesus is really talking about cleansing our "Souls", our thought life and our emotions as the foot is a reference to the soul. We realize that one dirty item cannot make another dirty item clean. We gasp as we realize that ONLY Jesus can make us clean because only Jesus is clean and without Jesus washing us and cleansing us, we will remain dirty and Jesus will "have nothing to do with us." We make a mental note to spend more quality cleansing time with Jesus in prayer and in reading the Bible.
It is now evening and time for the Lord's Passover Supper. All of the disciples are seated around Jesus Matthew 26:20. Jesus begins to explain how one of the disciples will betray Him. We join the other disciples wondering if we will betray Jesus? After the events of the past week, we now know that we are not that familiar with the plans of God and that Sin is deceitful. Knowing that we can easily be deceived and betray Jesus in our thoughts and actions, we make another mental note to walk in the Spirit with Jesus at all times, seeking the wisdom and will of God continually for each and every activity we do during the moments of our lives.
Jesus speaking up tells the disciples that to identify the one who will betray Him, He will dip His bread in the sauce at the same time the betraying disciple dips his bread. As Judas dips his bread Jesus also dips His Matthew 26:23. We now know why, after the foot washing that Jesus said "not everyone is clean" John 13:10 because Judas is not clean, he is a betrayer. Judas asks Jesus if he is the betrayer. Jesus tells him "yes he is." We marvel that sin is so deceptive, that one can betray God and actually think that he is doing God's work. We shudder as we think of all of the killing and all of the wrong that has gone on by the deceived ones throughout the Church ages in the name of Christianity. We are very glad to make the journey back to Holy Week to walk with Jesus and to learn who He is so that we can be true disciples and true followers of Jesus.
Judas, after receiving a bread dipped in sauce by Jesus, then departs the room to proceed to betray Jesus. The disciples wonder were Judas has gone. Some think he is going to make arrangements for the next feast, the "Feast of Unleavened Bread" which begins tomorrow, John 12:29. At first we think it is unlawful for Judas to go out at night on a feast day but then a quick glance in our Bibles back to Leviticus 23 reveals that the Lord's Passover is not a "Sabbath Feast." We wonder at the thought that the Lord's Passover feast is not a "Sabbath - Rest" feast like all of the other feasts and therefore there is no evening curfew for the feast. Unfortunately, as Judas leaves the presence of Jesus, Satan then enters into Judas and demonically possesses Judas John 13:27. Again we realize the importance of staying in the presence of Jesus to keep ourselves safe from the demonic/Satanic realm.
Jesus then takes the unleavened bread of the "Lord's Passover Feast" Matthew 26:26, Mark 14:22 and giving Thanks, Jesus breaks the bread explaining that this is His body broken for us, speaking of the cross that is to come tomorrow. He then passes the bread for the disciples to eat.
Much earlier while following Jesus the disciples had dealt with this very issue of Jesus' body. In John 6:47-58, Jesus told a large group of disciples that He, "is the true bread of life that came down from heaven and any man who would eat of it that man would not die but would live forever." Many disciples were disturbed at that saying of Jesus, John 6:66 "and some walked with Jesus no more." But Jesus had also explained to the disciples John 6:63 that it is the Spirit that aids a man not the physical. Jesus said that His words are Spirit.
So here this night of the Passover the disciples readily enjoy the bread knowing that it is the Spirit of Jesus that gives Spiritual life.
Next Jesus takes a cup of wine. It is the third cup of the four prescribed cups of the feast. The third cup is known as the cup of redemption. The first cup is the cup of Sanctification, meaning to be set apart to God for the feast. The second cup is the cup of instruction, instructing that there were many plagues on the land of Egypt, yet the children of God could not go free from slavery until there was a death of the firstborn. Now this night Jesus is proclaiming that He is the Firstborn of God and that His death will set us free from the slavery of sin and the cruelty of Satan just like the death of the firstborn did so many years ago back in Egypt.
Then Jesus taking the cup Mark 14:23 of redemption and like the bread, giving thanks, Jesus passed the cup to the disciples and said "take drink all of it," Matthew 26:27 this cup is the New Testament in His blood: this do, that as often as we drink of it, to do it in remembrance of Jesus. The disciples are fully aware that Jesus is speaking of a better blood than man has, of His Spiritual life blood. They gladly take the cup of wine and gladly drink all of it. We marvel that Jesus wants us to "Drink all" that He has for us, all of His Life, Love, Compassion and Mercy.
Jesus then mentions that He will not drink again of the wine until He drinks it anew with us in His Father's Kingdom. The fourth cup of wine that Jesus is postponing to drink is called the "cup of Rejoicing." After the feast, the cup of rejoicing is to be drunk as we rejoice in all that God has done in our lives in setting us free and reuniting us with Him in the promise land of Heaven. Jesus says that He will drink that next cup with all of us for real in the real heaven. Jesus and the disciples then sing a Psalm in the closing of the "Lord's Passover Feast."
Jesus now reminds us again that He is about to be betrayed. He tells us in advance so that we will know that He does indeed know all things. Jesus then reveals to us that this dark moment is Satan's time. Judas has already left to betray Jesus. Jesus instructs us saying that "Satan has nothing in Him", but that Jesus will show His love for the Father by giving His life as a sacrifice to reunite us back to God, as this is the will of the Father and it is also the will of the Son Jesus.
Arising they depart the room Matthew 26:30, Mark 14:26, John 14:31. We marvel that this feast is not a Sabbath feast so they are able to walk in the night and not break the law of the feast. Now during a short walk, Jesus talks to the disciples about Himself being the vine, the source of life and that the disciples are the branches and that the disciples are to abide in Jesus for life. He also teaches about the persecution that will come to all of His followers. Then Jesus instructs them some more about the Holy Spirit who the Father will send.
Jesus then prays His "Priestly High Prayer" to the Father John 17:1-26, asking the Father to receive all of His followers including us, His future followers and to unite us all with Himself in Heaven with the Father. As Jesus prays to God the Father we conclude that we know that Jesus' prayers are heard by the Father and answered! After His priestly prayer of intercession for us to the Father, Jesus commits to His crucifixion and then crosses over the brook of Cedron John 18:1 as He proceeds on to the garden of Gethsemane, the Garden of destiny. Matthew 26:36, Mark14:32. We now know why God has not made the Lord's Passover to be a "Rest - Sabbath Feast" because Jesus and the disciples would have to remain at home or inside after the feast and could not have legally walked to the Garden of Gethsemane, the Garden of destiny. Had this been a "Sabbath - Rest Feast", it is also very unlikely that the Temple guards would have broken the Sabbath themselves to journey to the Garden to arrest Jesus who, after all was only peaceably praying to the Father. This is another powerful demonstration that these events are events orchestrated and allowed by God Himself and not man just as these events are foreseen in the prophetic writings by the prophets of the Old Testament.
The Garden is the ideal place to reveal that God is in control. It was so many years ago that Adam and Eve lost mankind's relationship with God through their own disobedience in the original garden, the Garden of Eden. Jesus is now stepping into another garden, the Garden of Gethsemane. Through His desire and obedience Jesus will continue to restore back the lost relationship between God and mankind, this time for forever. Had Jesus been arrested anywhere but in a Garden, say for instance in the streets or in the upper-room, it would be difficult to correlate the events of the Last Supper to the events of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Since God made certain to go to the Garden we have to correlate these two garden events and also the coming event of the resurrection of Jesus from yet another garden, the Garden Tomb. This again reveals the detailed plan of God as He has set it out for us in His Prophetic Word, the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation.
We follow and see that Jesus is separated from His disciples and engaged in prayer to the Father. Jesus asks for the third time for the Father to remove "this cup" Matthew 26:42 but there is no other "cup" of redemption available to mankind. Either Jesus gives His life for us or mankind will never be reunited to God.
Angels come and minister to Jesus. He arises. Judas can now be seen leading a group of Temple soldiers intent on arresting Jesus. Judas then betrays Jesus with a kiss Matthew 26:49. Jesus in turn calls Judas "friend" Matthew 26:50. Jesus is arrested, bound with ropes and led off as all of the disciples abandon Him and flee.
The New Covenant - God has agreed to take on the appearance of a Human, to come for us and to die in our place for our sins so that we can Live anew in a new Spiritual relationship with God. God in His Love for us has taken our penalty of death so that we can live in His life of love. With the New Covenant and our New Spiritual Life "All things have become New".
2nd Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold All things are become New.
Are we allowing ourselves to live in our newfound Relationship with God and are we allowing ourselves the New Freedom that this relationship has to offer? When Jesus took His Communion cup and offered it to His followers Jesus gave with it the instruction and the invitation to "Drink all of it". Amen - and drink all of it we will.
Personal Devotion - Reflections
This day coincides with Thursday April 9, 2009 Crucifixion Thursday - Feast of Unleavened Bread, 15th of Nisan - Matthew 26:47-27:28, Mark 14:53-15:47
In the next few hours Jesus will undergo six trials all of them will be a mockery of justice. Jesus will come out of His third trial just in time to hear the disciple Peter deny a third time to being a follower of Jesus. A rooster will crow marking the dawn to the sunrise of a new day. This is the day in which Jesus of Nazareth, the true and living Son of God, will be despised, rejected of man and crucified on a wooden cross. This day will be the seventh day of our journey back and the third feast day, the "Feast of Unleavened Bread" - the feast of the removal of sin/leaven. Jesus will be despised, rejected and beaten all of this because of the love that God has for His own creation and of an ultimate desire to reunite the people that are rejecting Him back to Himself.
The horrific beating Isaiah 52:13-53:12 that King Jesus will endure for us will be a savage fit of rage, the rage of mankind and a fit of Satanic rage all wrapped into one. No person has ever been so savagely beaten as Jesus was that day. It is the kind of abuse that all evil has against all innocence.
Peter will have gone out and wept bitterly for his part in denying Jesus. Peter will not look to himself but will again look to God and experience the total love and forgiveness that God Has for mankind. Judas, who also betrayed God, will not look to God, but instead Judas will look to himself and will find no hope but only despair and in despair Judas will go out and commit suicide.
Jesus is now led to a hill and crucified. It is the same hill that the Jewish forefather Abraham brought his son Isaac to 4,000 years earlier Genesis 22:1-19, to enact out a loving father offering his only beloved son, a parallel to the crucifixion of Jesus. Jesus is offered wine mixed with bitter gall to drink but Jesus rejects the bitter wine because He has promised that the next wine He drinks will be with us in Heaven and it will be a sweet cup of Heavenly rejoicing not the bitter cup of this world.
Jesus' first words on the cross Luke 23:34 will be "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do." Forgiveness. Even as He is rejected, Jesus forgives. We stand amazed as the two thieves being crucified along with Jesus, mock Him. Then one of the thieves turns and says "we are getting our just rewards; but Jesus is innocent". Then one of the thieves says a most remarkable thing. He says "Jesus remember me when you enter into your kingdom" Luke 23:42. We look on in dismay. "Enter the Kingdom of Jesus?"
True, Jesus declared Himself to be a King only a few days ago and a King has to have a kingdom, but Jesus is dying on a cross - No! Not death! The thief is right. Jesus is entering into His kingdom, one where there is no more curse of the flesh. Where sin does not reign. In fact sin is not even present in the Kingdom of Jesus.
That's it - only the Spiritual Kingdom of God is good enough for Jesus. He died to the sin and human flesh of this world so that we can be united with Him in His glory, in His Holy Spiritual Kingdom.
Jesus will remain alive on the cross for six hours, from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. At noon, the sky will grow dark Amos 8:9, Matthew 27:45. Jesus will cry out from the cross "My God, my God why hast thou forsaken Me?" Psalm 22:1-31, Matthew 27:46. At 3:00, Jesus will give a victory cry and proclaim "It is finished" John 19:30. We marvel that the prophecy given to Eve in Genesis 3:15 is now fulfilled as Jesus, the Son of God, has His own heal bruised for us while supporting His weight on the cross. It was also on the same cross of victory on a hill called Golgotha (Skull) John 19:17 that Jesus has crushed the head (skull) Genesis 3:15 of the deceiving serpent Satan.
Jesus will then commend His Spirit to His Father, He will then permit His Spirit to leave His body Luke 23:46. It is now near the evening of the third feast day, the "Feast of Unleavened Bread." This feast according to Leviticus chapter 23, is a Sabbath - Rest feast and in order to properly keep this feast the followers need to be at home before sundown and are unable to engage in any work. The legs of the two thieves on the other two crosses are broken to hasten their deaths and to proceed with their burials before sundown.
Jesus' lifeless body is taken down from the cross and placed into a new nearby tomb, which is really a cavern carved out of solid rock and has been provided by Joseph of Armethia. Jesus will be laid in the new tomb. His body, including His face, will be wrapped with fresh linen cloth and soaked with 75 lbs. of anointing oils John 19:39. Those taking part in the burial of Jesus will quickly depart to get home before the Sabbath curfew of sundown.
That evening we will return with the disciples back to the upper room where the Lord's Passover feast was held the night before. The door will be shut and locked as everyone will cower in the dark and in silence for fear that Romans will knock down the door to seize more of the disciples and drag them off to be horribly crucified. It is the first night without the presence of Jesus. It is a dark and bitter night.
We sit down to consider the events. The third feast - we wonder what are the odds that everything of major importance would happen on a Feast Day? We know the odds are the same as those that brought life into existence and the same as those that could write the pages of the Bible before the events actually happened. We know that no odds could do this because there are no odds. There is no chance involved. It is the predetermined plan of God. Not chance, but a plan! It is a plan being carried out carefully and deliberately before the eyes of mankind.
We ponder the feasts, first was "Sabbath" the required rest and Jesus presenting Himself as our King. Next was the "Lord's Passover", the Covenant feast of escaping death and entering into life with Jesus in heaven in the presence of the Father. Now it is the "Feast of Unleavened Bread" the third feast of the eight feasts prescribed by God to Moses in Leviticus chapter 23. That's it! Jesus often referred to leaven as "sin." "Beware of the leaven of the Scribes and Pharisees" Jesus would say and this Feast is to remove the leaven, that is to remove the sin that infects mankind. Jesus' shed blood and His death on the cross are a complete removal of our sin. It is complete because death is the end result of sin therefore in Jesus' death all of our sins died. The death of sin occurs on the cross. Later in the Resurrection of Jesus, we will receive of His eternal Resurrection Life. Sin has to be removed. We cannot have fellowship with the Holy God in the New Covenant until the Sin is removed. Jesus on this day became the penalty for the sins of the world reconciling those who choose to be reconciled with God in the New Covenant.
Jesus reached out to us - all the way and without compromise. He didn't compromise as He took on the appearance of a human and entered into our physical realm so that He could interact with us on our level. He entered into our physical level because we are separated from the Holy God on His Spiritual level. We are separated from Him by our sins and it is impossible for God to bring us and the sin that accompanies us into His direct presence, so God in Jesus, came to us in our existence.
In reaching out to us Jesus didn't compromise. He reached out with both arms open and fully extended all the way, even to the cross. Mankind in return didn't compromise as mankind rejected God. Mankind then reaching back with a hammer, nailed both of His open and extended arms onto a wooden cross.
Today it is still our opportunity and our turn to reach out and touch Jesus even though we do not see Him as He is in the Spirit realm like we see one another in the physical realm. We can still come to that place of no compromise and touch Jesus in that no compromising place called faith.
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.
Personal Devotion - Reflections
This day coincides with Friday April 10, 2009
We awake Friday morning our first day without the presence of Jesus. Today, the day after the Feast of Unleavened Bread and before the weekly Saturday Sabbath that begins at Sundown Friday, Jewish time, today is another regular day that happens to be sandwiched between the two Sabbath day Feast days in this year's original "Jesus Passover" celebration. Therefore with today not being a Sabbath day the usual work including buying and selling can take place. Several people go to purchase spices and ointments Mark 16:1, Luke 23:56 and mix them together to prepare them in order to further anoint the body of Jesus.
Mark 16:1-2 And when the Sabbath (feast of unleavened bread) [Thursday] was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, [Friday] had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint Him. And very early in the morning the first day [Sunday] of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.
Early in the day we also find out that the Jewish leaders have just conferred with the Roman leaders Matthew 27:62-66 to have guards placed at the tomb of Jesus. This is to prevent the disciples from stealing the body of Jesus and then claiming that He rose from the dead, something I'm sure that no disciple intended to do, after all what good is a dead leader? The tomb is now sealed with a Roman "seal" signifying that the body of Jesus is inside and that all is secure in the tomb. The guards stand in front of the sealed tomb and wait for Sunday.
The intent is that on Sunday the tomb will be unlocked/unsealed and the body of Jesus will be shown to the Jewish leaders and all will be back to normal in Jerusalem because Jesus said that He would live the third day, not the second day or the fourth day. Jesus remaining dead in the tomb on Sunday would reveal that He was not a prophet able to prophesy that He would be alive the third day and also that He is not God able to overcome human death. There is no chance to enter the sealed tomb until the three days are up and the seal is removed by the Romans who placed it on the tomb. None of the soldiers on duty have the authority to remove the seal and open the tomb, only the Roman government has the authority to open the tomb and according to the contract with the Jews, it will be after the third day. The frightened disciples are in no condition to reveal themselves as followers of Jesus. So back to the familiar upper room everyone journeys.
In the lonely darkness that comes on with despair the disciples lament that they are not prophets. One proclaims that he is just a herder of flocks from his youth Zechariah 13:4-6. Likewise we sit in the dark and also wonder if we have the spiritual stamina that it takes to make it through this "dark night of the soul." We begin to think about Jesus and His ministry here on earth. We think about the parable of the sower Matthew 13:1-23 and how hard and compacted the soil of our heart is. Emotionally we are against obstacles and unable to push our spiritual roots down any further into fresh new soil. We wonder what has become of Jesus the master Gardener, we need Him. We need the Gardener to pull the weeds of doubt, to help us through life's thorns, to break up the shallow rocky soil and to direct His seed into the good soil of our heart so it can bring forth much fruit.
Oh, it's no use a garden needs a gardener to keep it pleasant. The garden can't maintain itself from the hard soil, shallow rocks and choking weeds. Without a Gardener, the good plants will come to nothing as they are choked out and perish among the weeds and hard soil. We need God's direction and His plan in order for us to fulfill our life's purpose.
Matthew 27:66 So they went, and made the sepulchre sure [inventory of the tomb contents], sealing the stone, and setting a watch.
With the death of Jesus comes the Seal of approval from mankind. You can be certain that Jesus died on the cross and you can be just as certain that the dead body of Jesus was in the tomb on this the next day when the tomb was closed and the seal was placed on it. Certain because mankind would have it no other way than that God, would be declared dead, null, and void.
Oh they sealed the right tomb of death alright but they sealed the wrong object. What they should have placed their seal on is on the death of sin, the sin that has separated mankind from the Holy God for all of these years as God knows and as the Christian knows it is sin that has been declared dead, null, and void and not God.
As we reflect on the death of sin, that the penalty for sin has been removed from us by Jesus, do we really understand that the worst that can possibly happen to us is death from sin? But that Jesus died for us so the worst thing that can happen to us has happened to Jesus as He took our penalty for us. Now with the worst behind us thanks to Jesus, we now have the best and a new opportunity as a new relationship with God is now before us.
Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Personal Devotion - Reflections
This day coincides with Saturday April 11, 2009
Saturday is again the weekly Sabbath day of rest. We rest physically but emotionally we are anything but at rest as we ponder an uncertain future without a leader, without our King Jesus.
Let's recap Thursday - Sunday by looking at some verses in Luke:
Luke 23:52-24:1 [Thursday][Crucifixion day] "This man, Joseph of Arimathaea, went to Pilate and begged the body of Jesus. And he took it down [from the cross] and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulcher (tomb) that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid. And that day was the preparation [preparation for the evening Sabbath of Unleavened Bread], and the Sabbath [Unleavened Bread, evening Sabbath curfew] drew on. And the women also, which came with Him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld (observed) the sepulcher, and how His body was laid. And they returned (home) and [Friday] [normal Day] prepared (worked & labored) spices and ointments; and rested the [Saturday][Sabbath Day] Sabbath day according to the commandment [the 4th of the 10 commandments, the weekly Saturday Sabbath]. Now upon the first day of the week [Sunday][Resurrection Day], very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulcher, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them."
It's dark in there; it's a dark and lonely place in those deep dark tombs. Death is dark, and it's dark when we look death in the face. Will the light shine? Will there be life? Will life live and conquer the darkness; the loneliness, the despair, the finality of death? We as humans have to know. We have to know if there is any hope, any permanent existence, any purpose, any reason to life and our existence or if our brief existence here on earth is only a byproduct of some random collision of molecules. Only God - Jesus can answer this question for us and it can only be answered in the Resurrection Life of Jesus as only life can hold the answers to the problems that face mankind.
God has given to us, a long time ago, the answer and hIS promise in each new day.
In the beginning of creation God created the Physical Light. He created light as a representation for us to see that indeed His true Spirit light of life shines and it does indeed remove the darkness of death. Every time life gets dark just remember the New Day the Sunrise the Resurrection Sunshine from on high as the Sun represents to us the True Son Light, Jesus. God made it that way! The Sun is our daily and momentary reminder of God, of His Son Jesus, of His light, His warmth, His promises, His Life, His Love and His Eternal Resurrection Life for us.
Lamentations 3:21-23 This I recall in my mind, therefore I have hope. It is the Lord's Mercies that we are not consumed, because His Compassions fail not. They are new every morning: Great is Thy Faithfulness.
Personal Devotion - Reflections
This day coincides with Sunday April 12, 2009 Resurrection Sunday (Easter) also the "Feast of First Fruits," the first Sunday of the week after the feasts of the "Lord's Passover & Unleavened Bread" Matthew 28:1-15, Mark 16:1-14, John 20:1-23
Sunday, the first day of the week, we arise early and ponder that today is also a feast day, the fourth feast, the "Feast of First fruits". We wonder why Leviticus 23 this Feast did not have an actual date to be celebrated like the Lord's Passover, the 14th of the month and the Unleavened Bread, the 15th of the month but the Feast of First Fruits is specifically to be celebrated on the first Sunday of the week after the Passover.
Today is also the day the seal is scheduled to be removed from the tomb of Jesus. Some of the women go early in the morning at first light to await access to the tomb to continue to anoint the body of Jesus. While walking to the tomb the women encounter an Angel who asks them why they are seeking the "Living" among the dead? For Jesus whom you seek is Not Dead but He is Alive!The women continue walking. They arrive at the tomb and they see the Roman seal is broken, the stone is rolled back and looking into the tomb they notice that the body of Jesus is missing but His burial wrappings remain there in an undisturbed manner. Seeing what appears to be the Gardener, the women ask him where he has moved the body of Jesus too? "Mary" replies the Gardener, WAIT! Mary knows that voice. This Gardener is JESUS, HE'S ALIVE! Mary and the women grab the feet of Jesus. Jesus tells them that He has not yet gone to the Father John 20:17 but to go and tell the Good News "of the resurrection" to the rest of the disciples.
Peter and John, like the rest of the disciples doubt the good news of the resurrection of Jesus but they run to the tomb to see for themselves. John and Peter enter the empty tomb together. John had been one of the disciples at the crucifixion and he helped place Jesus into the tomb. As John saw the anointed strips of cloth used to wrap the body of Jesus, John realized that the cloth was not unwound but just empty, vacated and collapsed down in a way in which a human body could not have been physically removed from within the cloth covered with ointment. John seeing this, believed John 20:8.
Back in the upper room two, disciples are excitedly telling of meeting and journeying with the Risen Jesus on their way to the town of Emmaus, Luke 24:33. Meanwhile, in the upper-room the door is shut and locked John 20:19 and Jesus suddenly appears in their midst in a supernatural way.
The newly Resurrected Jesus presents Himself to the disciples. The disciples marvel that Jesus is alive again and then King Jesus breathes His Holy breath on them to give them His resurrection Spirit life. Amazed we realize that this is the same way and the same giver of Life who had previously breathed life into Adam our first forefather Genesis 2:7. Jesus said "receive you the Holy Spirit" John 20:22. The disciples by faith receive the Holy Spirit offered by Jesus and by receiving the Holy Spirit they become "Born Again" new creations.
We realize that it is by Faith that we are saved, this Faith! The faith in the risen, living, resurrection Jesus. The faith that Jesus has personally sealed us with the Holy Spirit. We realize that this is the true feast the "Feast of First Fruits" as Jesus breathes into us the "First Fruits" of the Holy Spirit. We know that this is just the First Fruit, the first fruits of the Holy Spirit with much more to come. This fruit is special because it is, according to Leviticus 23, the first of the fruit from within the Promise Land Joshua 5:10-12 that is from the Promise Land of Heaven and eternal life.
We rejoice. Like the children of Israel who were delivered from Egypt, we have escaped the bondage of this world and the cruelty of Satan and the certain death that goes with it. We have escaped by the death of the Firstborn Son of God, His Son Jesus Christ, and we are now alive in His resurrection glory. We like, the Jews of Egypt, have wandered in the desert wilderness of unbelief until our unbelief has vanished. Through faith in Jesus Christ we have crossed the dangerous Jordan river and entered into the Promise Land of Heaven having accepted Jesus as our leader, our King, and our Lord by entering into His New Covenant, the covenant of life. Now alive we realize that the death of sin has "Passed Over" us by our receiving His shed blood as the cleansing of our sins through the death of Jesus on the cross. We now rejoice in the Gospel of Good News that Jesus being Righteous, Holy, Just, and True, the Son of God and God Himself, that He cannot die as humans die but He is alive in the Spiritual realm, the eternal realm that Jesus existed in with the Father before He took on a fleshly body in the womb of Mary John 16:27-28.
Jesus demonstrates His Authority of Life over death.
Life, our meaning and purpose in it have now been answered once and for all in this the very Resurrection Life of Jesus. We now know that there is a God, that He has power to remove sins and to then give life over death, that He Loves us and that we are made alive to be friends with Him forever in His Eternal Resurrection Kingdom of Heaven.
How can we ever comprehend this joyous event, Life in Jesus, but comprehend it we must as it is the only way to eternal Life.
Romans 1:4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of Holiness, by the Resurrection from the dead.
Light shines! And with it Life! Jesus is the True Light! Jesus is the Life! God is not dead, God is Alive! Now we too are alive when Jesus breaths His Resurrection Spirit Life into us. Alive and united with the Holy God inside of us, that is Eternal Life!
John 1:3 All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehend it not.
2nd Corinthians 4:6 For God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the Glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus.
Personal Devotion - Reflections
Looking ahead we will see that after the resurrection, Jesus will spend 40 days total with the disciples Acts 1:3. Forty days to depict that this is a life change for the disciples. Disciples are to always be aware of the presence and company of Jesus in our lives. Jesus will convince the disciples of His resurrection to life from death and of His divine Godliness by "Many infallible proofs" Acts 1:3. We will also consider the death and resurrection of Jesus, the fact that it is the most witnessed and most recorded event in ancient History. As we look through the pages of the Bible and read the prophecies that have been fulfilled and consider the many prophecies that are being fulfilled right now in the days of our lives. For example Isaiah 11:11 states that Israel will be re-gathered into the Holy Land "a second time" and that is happening right now. In 1948 Israel again became recognized as a Jewish State.
We consider the relationship that we have with the Holy Spirit John 16:5-15 and we know that God is near us as He speaks to us in His still small voice, words of faith and encouragement. We see by the circumstances of our lives and through answered prayer that we abide under the shadow of the hand of Almighty God. On occasion we have the baptism and fillings of the Holy Spirit as we experience first hand the working and effects of the Holy Spirit in our life. As the Church, we see miracles, some pray in tongues, gifts are manifested and callings that are above and beyond our own abilities are preformed, all in the name of Jesus. We have come to love God and also man, our neighbor, and even our enemies in a way that is only possible supernaturally with God's help. As we reflect about God in our lives, we, like the disciple John, can stoop into the empty tomb of Jesus and proclaim "I Believe" for Jesus has risen, He is Alive! He is the King of the Universe.
Jesus will continue to appear in the midst of the disciples for 40 days, teaching the disciples that even though they cannot physically see Him, Jesus is right there with them. At the end of the forty days Jesus will be taken up into heaven and at the end of the next week it will be another of the feast days, the fifth feast of the eight total feasts, the "Feast of Pentecost" Acts 2:1. This feast is 50 days after the "Feast of First Fruits". This feast is another harvest or fruit feast and on this day the disciples will receive the harvest & fruits of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Unlike the "Feast of First Fruits" where the disciples had no experience, this Feast is all experience as they heard wind, saw tongues of fire and spoke in unknown languages.
After our visit back and walk with Jesus we know that three more feasts are yet to be fulfilled so we speculate as to what the future feasts could actually be.
Looking further ahead after the "Feast of Pentecost" we will see that three of the eight feasts of Leviticus 23 still remain to be fulfilled. The Day of Atonement was the one day that the Jewish High Priest entered into the Temple's Holy of Holies to meet with God and to make atonement for the People and this feast day could be Fulfilled when the Jewish people reunite with Jesus as they mourn the one whom they have rejected and as they look upon the one whom they have pierced Zechariah 12:10-13:1. For the Church we could be fulfilling this feast every time we acknowledge the presence of God and enter into His Holiest Holy Presence.
Next is the "Feast of Trumpets." The trumpet is an instrument to call the people to gather together. This feast could be the gathering of the Christians to God known as the Rapture of the Church as there is a voice heard like a trumpet Revelation 4:1 calling all the Christians to heaven and for the Jews this could be their gathering as a remnant into protection from the danger of the coming Antichrist.
The last Feast is the "Feast of Booths" also called "Feast of Shelters." The shelters are huts built in the backyard to remind the Jews of their time of wandering in the desert. This Feast could be fulfilled when we die and leave this temporary body "shelter" and receive our new permanent "temple" body as a new permanent Spiritual body/shelter in heaven by becoming Sons of God with Jesus in heaven.
After spending ten glorious days with Jesus, we can see that Jesus came to fulfill His plan and in doing so He acted deliberately and decisively. Jesus has a plan and a purpose for mankind and Jesus came to fulfill His plan and is continuing His purpose. Jesus did not meander around like a lost wondering poet nor did He allow the events and passions of the day to dictate His schedule but He remained true and accomplished "All that He came to do." Jesus is God with full knowledge of mankind and of all events.
As we reflect on our visit with Jesus Christ and the disciples, remembering our gaze at the sight of Jesus on the cross and the astonishment of the empty tomb and our joy in meeting the resurrected Savior Jesus Christ, we realize that the Gospel is larger than life and that certainly the Gospel is larger than death. We also realize that the Gospel is much bloodier and even more holy than we can currently comprehend. We do realize that we have a God that loves us very much. We begin to see that the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus from death to life is more glorious and more stunning than anything we can currently understand yet we also realize that in Jesus Christ mankind has a chance, a lifelong opportunity to receive an eternity in heaven that is secure, fulfilling and everlasting.
Leviticus 23:1-2 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the Feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be Holy Convocations, even these are My Feasts ... These are the Feasts of the LORD, even Holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.
Regarding the feasts of God the "Holy Convocations" proclaimed "in their seasons" carries with it the intention that the feasts are Holy and are to be followed and fulfilled in order. Had a person not kept - proclaimed the feast of Sabbath then randomly joining in and keeping any of the other feasts like the feast of "The Lord's Passover" would not adequately proclaim that feast or any of the other feasts. Jesus being Holy is the only one and the only way that Holiness can be ascribed to and fulfilled in the feasts, the actions and deeds of sinful mankind cannot possibly fulfill the Holy feasts of God. Jesus in fulfilling the feasts has fulfilled and is fulfilling them in their proper way and in the proper order starting with the Sabbath - rest feast. We observe the feasts but it is God who fulfills them.
Note: Israel is the name God gave to the Jewish Patriarch Jacob after Jacob spent an entire night wrestling with God, Genesis 32:28, the name means "Governed by God." Jacob after a lifetime of striving (wrestling) with God finally came to that place of submitting to God and in recognition of this God renamed Jacob to Israel.
These Feasts are for all Israel, all of those who are "Submitted to God" or "Governed - led by God" and this includes the Church - Christians. As Christians we are indeed "Governed - Submitted to God" we do indeed follow the God of the Jews the God of Abraham, Isaac and of Jacob. The difference is that the Jewish observances of the appointed feasts are physical in nature while the Christian observances of the Feasts are Spiritual in nature. For instance, to fulfill the requirements of the Sabbath day feast observance the Jewish person will physically rest while the Christian to fulfill the Sabbath feast observance enters into the Spiritual Rest that only Jesus can provide.
Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all Spiritual Blessings in Heavenly places in Christ:
Colossians 2:16-17 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a Holy day [don't be judged according to the Jewish Feast customs, because the Church celebrates the Holy days differently - Spiritually, than the Jewish customs, but remember, God does judge all things, including our observances of these His Appointed Feasts.], or of a new moon, or of the Sabbath days: which are a shadow of things to come [as the Jewish traditions celebrate them the Feasts are a Shadow of what was to come]; but [as the Church celebrates them] the body is of Christ.
Also note just how long ago these Feasts were prescribed by God to Moses. These feasts were given to Moses on Mt. Sinai at the same time when God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, given just after God had rescued the nation of Israel from the slavery and oppression of Egypt. This truly is a Testimony to the patience and faithfulness of God who has for a long time been faithfully working out His plan for mankind to completion.
Feasts Observed on the Jewish First Month (Nisan) [aprox. April]
Corresponding to the First Coming of Jesus
Leviticus 23:3 Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, a holy convocation, ye shall do no work therein: it is the Sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.
Hebrews 4:1-11 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into His Rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. ... For we which have believed do enter into Rest, as He said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into My rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world ... For he that is entered into His Rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His. Let us labor therefore to enter into that Rest, least any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
This is God's true rest that He has for us, rest with comfort and peace as only God can provide and as God originally created for us to be in before sin, fear and death entered into the world through the disobedience of Adam and Eve. Resting and trusting in God with our life into eternity is fairly easy when we keep the perspective that we really had absolutely nothing to do with the creation of the universe or our own individual creation in the womb. God has handed all of this marvelously so we really can trust Him with eternity.
The next two feasts are both celebrated as the one long eight day feast of Passover.
The Lord's Passover (1 day) + Unleavened Bread (7 days) = Passover (8 days)
Leviticus 23:5 In the fourteenth day of the first month [Nisan - sort of like our January] at even (evening) is the LORD'S Passover.
This is the day that the Passover Lamb is killed and the Passover dinner is eaten, commemorating the event in Egypt of the death of the Firstborn children which opened up the way and enabled the children of Israel to escape from the slavery and bondage of Pharo and Egypt. This corresponds to Jesus the Firstborn Son of God agreeing as the New Covenant to die for us and our sins so that we can escape Satan and sin and live forever with God.
Hebrews 12:22-23 But ye are come unto mount Zion (mount Zion = New Covenant vs. mount Sinai = Old Covenant) and unto the city of the Living God, the Heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels. To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect.
It is interesting that this feast day is on the predetermined given day the 14th of Nisan, eliminating any possibility of chance or circumstance and only making room for the plans of God to be carried out and fulfilled. This 14th day of the Jewish Lunar (moon) calendar is also a day that would assure a full moon making a solar eclipse an impossible explanation for the miraculous event of the sun going dark at noon on the next day while Jesus is on the cross.
Also it is interesting that this one particular Feast is the only Feast that is not a required "Rest Feast", requiring no servile work. Had this feast been a "no servile work" feast then Jesus and the disciples would have been unable to depart from the upper room after the evening feast dinner and unable to then proceeded to the Garden of Gethsemane setting in motion the completion of the events that took place so long ago in a different Garden, the Garden of Eden.
Leviticus 23:6-7 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread. In the first day ye shall have a holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
This feast is the removal of Leaven (sin), the removal of the sin that has separated mankind from the Holy God since the Original Sin of Adam and Eve.
1st Corinthians 5:6-8 Your glorying {about sin} is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us: therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
This day also predetermined, the 15th of Nisan making it miraculous that Jesus would be betrayed, arrested, convicted and crucified all on the same day and it all happens to be on the appointed day of the feast of the removal of leaven (sin).
Leviticus 23:10-14 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, when ye be come into the (Promise) Land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the First fruits of your harvest unto the priest: and he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. ... And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God: it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
This is the Resurrection day of Jesus and also the day when Jesus began to breath on each of His disciples baptizing them in the Holy Spirit and creating in each individual person a now "Born Again" Christian. This is the start of the Christian Church.
John 20:19 Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you and when He had so said, He showed unto them His hands and His side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as My Father hath sent Me, even so send I you. And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost (Spirit): [become "Born Again"].
This is the feast of receiving of the First Fruits of the Holy Spirit of God and what is very exciting about this feast is that it is Only celebrated upon entrance into the Promise Land. Meaning that when a person partakes of this feast they are right now Partially Partaking in Heaven, the true Promise Land.
This feast of receiving the Holy Spirit is not an experiential event like the feast of Pentecost, the next feast, but instead the Holy Spirit is received by faith as it is by our faith that the Holy Spirit has entered into us and we are saved and not by any experiences we have. The experiences will come later including the experiences of the cleansing and strengthening fire of persecution and tribulation.
Romans 8:23 And not only they (creation also groans at the fallen nature of the world), but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
Leviticus 23:15-21 And ye shall count unto the marrow after the Sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering ; seven Sabbaths shall be complete: even unto the morrow after the seventh Sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new grain offering unto the LORD. ... And ye shall proclaim on the selfsame day, that it may be a Holy convocation unto you: ye shall do no servile work therein: it shall be a statute forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.
Acts 2:1-4 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from Heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of Fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost (Spirit), and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Pentecost is another Harvest Feast a feast of receiving of the Holy Spirit but this time it is an experience i.e. speaking in tongues and this time the Baptism of Fire is included meaning that this is when the Christian begins to experience fire - persecutions and tribulations as well.
Feasts Observed on the Seventh month (Tishri) [aprox. October]
Corresponding to the Second Coming of Jesus
Leviticus 23:23-25 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a Sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an Holy convocation. Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
The offering of fire is likely the Baptism of Fire that the Christian is undergoing since the Flames of Fire upon the heads of the believers occurring at the Feast of Pentecost.
The Trumpet is a announcement. In this case it is an announcement for God's people to gather together into one place. For the Church this is very likely fulfilled in the Rapture, the calling by God of His Church into Heaven to be with Him and to escape His coming judgment that is about to come upon the entire world of non-believers.
Revelation 4:1 After this I looked, and behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the voice which I heard was as it were of a Trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will show thee things which must be hereafter.
Leviticus 23:27-32 Also on the Tenth day of this Seventh month there shall be a day of Atonement.
This feast in a large part was completed at the cross of Jesus as Jesus is the Atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world.
Atonement is the repair the mending of a broken relationship. For a relationship to be repaired there has to be a desire to repair the union and there needs to be an acknowledgment of the wrong that severed the relationship in the first place.
It is corresponding to the second coming of Jesus because there is still much to be fulfilled with this particular feast.
For starters at the Atonement Feast Leviticus 16:1-34 there are two goats the first goat is sacrificed for the atonement, the removal of sin, because the result of sin is death so only when death occurs is sin satisfied. This sacrifice is a representation of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for us. Meanwhile, the second goat called the "scapegoat", the carrier of sins is released far away carrying with it the sins of the people and if that scapegoat never returns then the sins never return and are completely removed and stay away. If the scapegoat does return then all of the sins return with it. It is evident that at the cross of Jesus that a man called Barabbas was the scapegoat, as Barabbas was set free and he was never heard from again. That is until the Antichrist comes because the Antichrist will be carrying the name of "Son of the Father" which translated into Hebrew is "Barabbas" Bar = son and Abba = Father. Unfortunately the scapegoat the carrier of sin "Satan" will be returning one day as he will again be accepted by the people to be their friend and their king and when he does come he will bring with him the sins of the world. Also the Jewish people as a nation have not yet recognized Jesus as the true Messiah and this will happen at the second coming of Jesus so this feast is still partially yet to be fulfilled.
Leviticus 23:34-43 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The Fifteenth day of this Seventh month shall be the feast of Tabernacles for seven days unto the LORD. ... That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
The Tabernacle is a Tent a temporary shelter as opposed to a Temple which is a permanent building. The Jewish Temple originally was a Tabernacle a Tent that the Hebrews carried with them and set up during their wilderness journey prior to their entry into the Promise Land of Israel. Once in the Promise Land, the permanent living place the Tent was then replaced in Jerusalem by the permanent Temple made of stone.
This is the comparison of our earthy body to our future Spiritual body. Currently we Tabernacle in a Tent body a temporary body made of flesh. Whenever anyone dies their spirit and soul departs this tent and if you are a child of God, God then accepts you into Heaven our Permanent home and we receive our new Temple body, a Spiritual body to match our spirit and our soul.
John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt (tabernacled, 4637)[physically, temporarily stayed among us] among us.
It is possible that the Birthday of Jesus occurred on the Feast day of Tabernacles as John in the Gospel of John uses the word Tabernacle to describe Jesus manifesting into our physical earthly realm.
Article
The Blood Moon Scenario - tracking solar and lunar eclipses and comparing them with Levitical Feasts
In the spring of 2015 Israel's religious year will begin with a total solar eclipse, followed two weeks later a total lunar eclipse on Passover. And then six months later the sequence will repeat itself with a second solar eclipse on Rosh Hashanna followed two weeks after that by another total lunar eclipse on the Feast of Tabernacles, all in 2015. The last time anything like this happened was in 1967, when Jerusalem became an undivided Jewish city again, and before that there were several occurrences during the years of 1948-50,