Scripture: Matthew 21 v 7 - 9: "And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon.
8 And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way.
9 And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest."
Yesterday was Palm Sunday the beginning of Holy Week. There was the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, and The Last Supper, the arrest, trial and death of the Messiah still ahead. Followed by His burial, His going down into Abraham's Bosom, aka Paradise. Then the grand finale His Resurrection from death to life.
There is a strong revelation that happened before this week while on the road to Jerusalem that adds to this wondrous but terrible time. This occurred six days before the Passover Feast.
John 11 v 1 - 4: "Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.
2 (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.)
3 Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.
4 When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby."
At the time Jesus heard this news He was living just over the Jordan River, near where John used to baptize people. He did not immediately leave for Bethany but waited another two days until He knew that Lazarus was dead.
First He went to Bethany, about 2 miles from Jerusalem. Here He raised Lazarus back to life, who had been dead for four days. This miracle brought many Jews to believe in Him, as well as some Greeks.
John 12 v 20 - 23: "And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast:
21 The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus.
22 Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus.
23 And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified."
This was an unexpected answer.......The Greeks seek You.....My hour has come to be glorified. These Greeks were the first Gentiles (non-Jews) to seek to believe in Jesus which was a signal from His Father. The reason why He had come to Earth was to die for our sins, Jew and Gentile, Greek, Arab, American, Russian, Chinese, for all the inhabitants of Earth, dead, alive or still to be born.
The resurrection of Lazarus was a legal precedent to His own coming Resurrection. Satan owns this world, compliments of Adam and Eve's submission to him in Eden. And an unholy mess he has made of it and counting. He is obsessed with laws and for God to "intrude" upon his domain He must go the legal route.
John 11 v 25 - 27: "Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
27 She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world."
The first legal precedent was when Abraham obeyed God and offered Isaac, his son, on the altar and at the last moment God substituted a ram. This legally allowed God to offer His Son as a substitute for us, our eternal death was taken by Jesus so we could have everlasting life. Even the ram that Abraham sacrificed had its head caught in some thorns. A precedent to the crown of thorns jammed down painfully on the head of Jesus.
Jesus, and His nervous disciples, went the short road to Jerusalem where He had no good news for the Pharisees, the religious leaders of the Jews. Nor for the money-lenders who exchanged currencies at exorbitant rates into temple coins for buying sacrificial doves in the Temple. They and their money went flying down the steps as Jesus roared with anger that they had turned the house of prayer into a merchandise opportunity.
After His crucifixion He followed the thief into Paradise where the dead believers had waited for this day. While He was there He thoroughly beat up Satan and hung the sins, laws and eternal death in the lake of fire, around his scrawny neck.
Perhaps this is why so many churches today have had their candlesticks removed, i.e. the anointing of holiness has been cut off, because they are becoming rich and lazy on the tithes, offerings and sales of books, and other merchandise in shops attached to their churches, while the poor suffer. Even if they have the necessary app for online payments, the Lord is not fooled.
If we have a vibrant personal relationship with Jesus we would seek to emulate Him, His ministry, His way of dealing with sinners, His way of dealing with those who desecrate places set apart for worship. When our pride, arrogance and self-justification prevents us from admitting our serious misjudgments of things precious to Him there will be equally serious consequences. The lack of repentance leads to trouble.
I don't want to keep beating this drum but I have my orders and the urgency He demands. He does not want to lose anyone He died for but there are many who are the blind leading the blind. He says strong delusion will be sent upon them to believe the lies they spout because the door to Heaven cannot open for them.
If you do not think we are well into the last days before the Rapture, Tribulation, Armageddon, Return of Jesus to Earth, then please ignore me. I cannot ignore what He is telling me and what He insists I share with you. He knows how the quality of life on this planet is deteriorating. He knows the Communists and Satanists of this world are agents of Satan, and they rule with a cruel iron fist.
He knows the Antichrist is already here waiting in the wings for the restraints to be removed, that is when the Christians are caught up into the sky above Earth to be with Jesus forever. That's when Satan enters into a man as he did into Judas at the Last Supper, to betray Jesus. Just as in the time of Job, Satan needed permission from God to betray or punish or kill a righteous person.
On the road to Jerusalem Jesus bottowed an ass and rode it triumphantly into the Holy City on Palm Sunday, so called because the people of that city cried Hosanna to the King and spread palm fronds on the road to honour Him.
He was not resurrected the following Sunday to honour the Roman goddess, Oestre, worshipped as Easter. Chocolate eggs, rabbits and chickens are her symbols and detract from the mighty miracle of Jesus rising from the dead to be alive forever more.
He is our Passover Lamb and it is far more worthy to have a Last Supper Seder and Feast of Passover to honour His memory, than play games with a Roman goddess. We have been blessed these many years because we keep this Feast, a Christian Passover which includes Holy Communion.
There are so many things in the Jewish Passover ceremony that point to Jesus including His death and resurrection, the stripes and holes in the matzos, unleavened bread, that point to those Jews who will weep when they look upon Him who was pierced. I recommend it to every Christian.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, there is so much beauty still to be seen in Your Word and the precious journey Your Son made from Heaven to the Cross, the Tomb, to Abraham's Bosom, back through Earth with all the dead saints visibly walking around Jerusalem on their way to You. We are living in this time when many are being deceived, Lord open our eyes to truth and let us honour You above all. In Jesus' name. Amen.