The Crucification of Christ

The Jewish month of Nisan (our month of April). The first month of the year. Exodus 12:2 This month [shall be] unto you the beginning of months: it [shall be] the first month of the year to you.

*Pick out the lamb in the 10th day.

The 10th day was the "normal" Sabbath from Friday at 6:00 PM to Saturday at 6:00 PM (Saturday our calendar).

Exodus 12:3 Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth [day] of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of [their] fathers, a lamb for an house:

Kill the lamb on the 14th day. The fourteenth day falls on Tuesday at 6:00 PM to Wednesday at 6:00 PM.

Exodus 12:6 And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.

Eat the lamb the "night" of the 14th day. This shows the lamb being eaten on "Tuesday night", the 13th, since the 14th day begins at 6:00 PM on Tuesday evening.

Exodus 12:8 And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; [and] with bitter [herbs] they shall eat it. 

John 13:1 Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come… 

John 13:2 And supper being ended,…( Jesus and the Disciples had the last supper early Tuesday evening, but sometime "after" 6:00 PM, since the 14th day began at 6:00 PM. They could not have begun the Passover meal until after 6pm.; Otherwise, Jesus would have been outside the will of God (see Exodus 12:8 above). Jesus Christ was never outside the will of His, our Father.

John 18:28 Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment: and it was early; and they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the passover. The crowd that led Jesus before Caiaphas had to eat Passover later on Wednesday evening before 6:00 PM because they were busy with the arrest and trial of Jesus. Passover expired at 6:00 PM.

Thus, Christ was crucified on Wednesday evening before dark. Pilate had made his judgment and now he said this to the Jews during the "Preparation of the Passover".

John 19:14 And it was the preparation of the Passover, and about the sixth hour: (noon on Wednesday) and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King!

John 19:31 The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the Sabbath day, for that Sabbath day was an high day, besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and [that] they might be taken away.

Here we learn that the Passover was considered a "Sabbath day", a "high day" keeping it separate from a "normal" Sabbath. (that being Saturday on our calendar). Thus, the crowd that led Jesus before Caiaphas had to eat Passover later on Wednesday evening after 12:00 noon but before 6:00 PM otherwise they would have missed a "holy convocation" the Passover Sabbath. Many people get this Sabbath day confused with the "normal" Sabbath day and, therefore, believe that Christ was crucified and entombed on Friday evening (Good Friday) before 6:00 PM.

Now we can see how Jesus was in the tomb from Wednesday at 6:00 PM through Saturday evening at 6:00 PM. "Three days and three nights" and then sometime between Saturday evening at 6:00 PM and Sunday morning, at Dawn or Sunrise "the first day of the week", our Savior arose and left the tomb. Hallelujah!!! 

John 19:42 There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews' preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand. 

They were in a hurry!! They needed to prepare for the next high holy day, the Sabbath of Unleavened Bread. From this point every account, except Mathew, skips right on over to the morning of the first day. This would be Sunday at dawn. 

Now we can see how Jesus could quote the scripture in: Mathew 12:40 For as Jonas 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. 

Jonah 1:17 Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

The words of Jonah the Prophet had been fulfilled just like all of God's Word will be fulfilled before the end of days.

John 24: 44-51

⁴⁴   And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.
⁴⁵   Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,
⁴⁶   And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:
⁴⁷   And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
⁴⁸   And ye are witnesses of these things.
⁴⁹   And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.
⁵⁰   And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them.
⁵¹   And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.

Thus, God's prophetic word is again found to be trustworthy and true. Praise be unto our Savior for only he is worthy. 

Revelation 5
¹¹   And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
¹²   Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
¹³   And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

Blessed be our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ for He is the Lamb of God whom has delivered us from our bondage of sin and made us inheritors with Him in His inheritance of Righteousness, Glory and Honor forever and ever. As God has made Him a Priest/King after the Order of Melchisedek, so we also are made Priest/Kings after the Order of Melchisedek and will rule with Him in His Kingdom for one thousand years if we overcome. [Revelation, Chapters 2 and 3]

Revelation 20
¹   And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
²   And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
³   And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
⁴   And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
⁵   But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
⁶   Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
⁷   And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
⁸   And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
⁹   And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
¹⁰   And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
¹¹   And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
¹²   And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
¹³   And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
¹⁴   And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
¹⁵   And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Did you notice how many time a thousand years were mentioned? Yes, six times. The number six in biblical numerology is the number of Man. This six thousand years brings to a close all that God had purposed concerning Man's government upon the Earth. If we go away learning nothing else from this study we should never forget that all things, both small and great, are accomplished only with God's permission and with his purposes in mind. Man and the Angels will be judged and so has Satan, the one who rebelled against God in the first place, been judged. Remember, Satan caused Man to fall when Man had only one God given rule to obey.

Genesis 3
¹   Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
²   And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
³   But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
⁴   And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
⁵   For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
⁶   And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
⁷   And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
⁸   And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
⁹   And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
¹⁰   And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
¹¹   And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?
¹²   And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
¹³   And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

Will you, my friend, be judged and cast into the Lake of Fire with Satan or will you make an end of your rebellion towards God and instead tell Jesus, from your heart, that He is now the Lord of your life, that you are forsaking the world and it's wisdom and will begin to seek after the wisdom of God which is the only real treasure that any of us may take with us when we pass on over to our pre-ordained judgment. 

Why don't you thank Jesus even right now for laying Himself down to be crucified and to die for your transgressions against God and take up your own Cross for the cause of Christ Jesus to bring other men that will, into the Kingdom of Heaven.

Revelation 5
⁹   And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
¹⁰   And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
¹¹   And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
¹²   Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
¹³   And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
¹⁴   And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.

Copyright © 2004, Samuel M. Ennis - Arden, N.C.  All Rights Reserved

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