This World’s Passover – Pt. 7

Ron Weinland

April 24, 2010

We’re going to go right back into the story flow today of the sermon series entitled: This World’s Passover.  Today is Part 7.  A lot of parts to the series and there are going to be more than this because this is quite a long story.  There’s a lot that took place in scripture leading up to the time of Christ’s death, a  lot that happened in the last two weeks, a lot of teachings of Jesus Christ and, candidly, I really marvel at some of those things that He focused on at that period of time because so much of it concerned the Church and what the Church was going to be like, what the Church needed to focus upon in the sense of being on guard, of being watchful spiritually. What went along with that message over and over again was how we think toward each other and how we treat each other within the Body, within the Church.  This is where we’re judged; how we live our lives.  It is by faith, what we live, and that’s not just a matter of things having to do with the future and things having to do with prophecy or whatever, it has to do with a way of life and what we believe; what Jesus Christ gave to us and how much we take that to heart and seek to change and grow and live by those things, understanding that we are a family.  And so God has blessed us mightily with that instruction that Jesus Christ gave over and over again.

This is a very moving story as you go through this and it’s very obvious that God has wanted us to focus more upon it this year both before Passover and approaching Pentecost here.  And that’s important; there’s a great tie-in between the Days of Unleavened Bread, Passover (obviously) and Pentecost.  So we’ll be talking more about that in future sermons here – tying it all together even more so.

We’re going to go right back to where we left off last Sabbath.  Mark 14 – picking up some of the flow here.  This is that night of Passover, the last day of Christ’s physical life on earth, and He’s getting ready to fulfill the entire meaning of Passover in what He is doing from the moment that supper has ended when they have fulfilled, in the sense of doing those things that God had given even when He told the children of Israel before He took them out of Egypt how they were to live and what they were to do concerning taking of the Passover; setting the lamb aside the 10th day of the month and then killing it on the 14th.  Jesus Christ is fulfilling all the things that are taught throughout scripture beginning at sundown on the 14th till the end of the 14th when He has fulfilled it all.  Again, a very powerful and awesome story all the way through the Passover and the meaning of Passover; and so here is the occasion on that night after supper, these are the things they were doing and it said after they had done some of this...this is again jumping into the story in verse 26 - And when they had sung a hymn, we do that to this day.  When the Passover service is finished we sing a hymn because after the supper that was the Old Testament fulfillment of eating of the lamb; they did that that night as they were commanded to do; and then Jesus Christ was fulfilling everything concerning the spiritual meaning of all those things that God gave throughout the Old Testament and now a new institution for the Church was being established in how to keep Passover.

So it says, And when they had sung a song they went out into the Mount of Olives. And Jesus said unto them, All of you shall be offended because of Me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.  Over and over again the story flow is going through here quoting scriptures throughout the Old Testament of things that are being fulfilled that are written in prophecy,  that Jesus Christ is fulfilling over and over again.  And what is incredible in all this when you see the story flow is how God brought all this to pass.  We should be in absolute awe, and we grow in that awe.  The more you grow, the more you’ll become in awe of God moulding and fashioning our lives.  He’s a lot more involved than what we even can begin to comprehend – moulding and fashioning the mind, what’s inside of us.  And those things we go through in order for Him to work with us, to mould and fashion even circumstances in life around us, situations we go through...because we don’t all go through the same thing.  He’s not moulding and fashioning the same thing in every one of us.  There are different characteristics, different qualities, different things He is building; because it has to do with the building, it has to do with the Temple and the structure of His Government on into the future; of His Family as well through time.  And so again, all those things that God is doing; and these things here happening so that we can be in great awe – that God brought all these things to pass, circumstances and situations to fulfill those prophecies that were written long ago.  Incredible...it truly is!  He brought them all to pass.  He had a design and a plan of how it was going to be done and He fulfilled it; what He says, is.  It comes to pass because He does it.

And it goes on to say, But after that I have risen, I will go before you into Galilee.   You read something like that and you think...because sometimes we don’t think about it; they didn’t know what He was talking about.  They still didn’t know He was going to die!  So in their minds, when they heard Him say this, it wasn’t a matter of Him rising from the dead.  When He has risen in power?  What else could they think of?  They believed He was the Messiah.  What else could come into their mind?  That maybe certain things were going to happen, there was an apprehension here, they saw the apprehension in Him, how He felt, as we’re going to read as we go through some of this.  They felt some of that but they didn’t understand it, they didn’t see, they didn’t get what He was talking about and they certainly didn’t get this...that He was going to die and be resurrected.  They had no clue.  It wasn’t in the remotest part of their mind what He was talking about here.  So perhaps something could come into the mind about maybe rising in power because He was the Messiah; and perhaps the government that was going to be established.  And so that’s the only thing, in essence, that could be coming into their mind.

But after that I have risen, I will go before you into Galilee. But Peter said unto Him, Although all shall be offended, yet I will not. Strong!  He was determined, he had a character about him, a personality about him that God was moulding and fashioning and using and preparing him, for a great job he was going to have in being the chief apostle to the Jews and over the rest of the apostles, the other 11 and working with all of them in the Church and establishing the Church. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto you, That this day, even in this night, so He said, “In this day and in this night,” before the cock crow twice, you shall deny Me three times.  Speaking to Peter. That had to be pretty tough sitting there in front of the other disciples and being there in their midst and Jesus Christ speaking directly to him, telling him what he was going to do, what was going to take place. But he spoke the more intensely, If I should die with You, I will not deny You in any wise.  “I am ready to die and I am not going to deny you.”  So he was more earnest about that because of what Jesus said.  He’s going to prove it.  It’s an awesome thing here.  There are so many times...I was thinking earlier this afternoon here about some of this, about how we are so often and how there are things in our lives that we don’t ever think we would ever do.  We think we’re above certain things in life, that we know ourselves and yet in certain circumstances in life we don’t know ourselves.  God knows us, He knows what’s inside of us and that’s how we learn, that’s how we learn about ourselves, that’s how we come to see ourselves; because God says, ‘the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked.’  That’s the way we are as human beings because we’re so carnal, we’re so selfish – our nature. And that’s a hard thing to see.  It’s hard to see.  Human beings can’t see the depth of their selfishness.

Sometimes in the world people see certain things about their selfishness, but they don’t see the depth of it as God brings us to see it, truly.  And so there’s a lot to be learned in this example of what Peter went through and things he began to see and what was revealed to him.  And again, this mind that we think we wouldn’t be a certain way and this really is a great teacher as well if we can see it, if we can understand it.  So often we judge others, “I would never DO what they’re doing.”  We can be so cruel in our judging other people because we think we’re above that – that’s why we judge.  Whenever we judge others, we talk about others, it’s like, “I’m better than that. I wouldn’t do that!  I wouldn’t do ‘this’ or ‘that’.”  And yet if you were under certain circumstances in life you would be dumbfounded to learn what you are capable of doing as a human being.  And so if we really understood our nature as human beings and circumstances in life and situations in life we wouldn’t be so quick to judge others in their life in thinking we’re better than them, or “I wouldn’t do it that way”.   There’s a lot to learn here but it’s so hard for us to learn it.  Candidly, God has to show it.  He says, ‘I try the reins, I know the heart.’  God knows what’s in here; we don’t.

Verse 32 - And they came to a place which was called Gethsemane: and He said to His disciples, you sit here while I shall pray.  So He’s going to go off and pray.  He takes certain ones with Him as we’re going to read different accounts here.  It’s good to read different accounts here in the gospels because they bring out a little bit that others don’t and it’s an awesome thing because all four were witness of the different events here and they wrote from their perspective, from their viewpoint, from their hearing and so forth; and yet all the gospels agree powerfully together as a most incredible witness of the life and death of Jesus Christ.  It’s powerful – it truly is, and His resurrection.

Matthew 26:26 – picking up some of the story flow here; quite a bit through here in Matthew 26 - And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, so again, we’re going back to this night of Passover, these events here; broke it, and gave to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is My body. And He took the cup, and gave thanks, in other words He prayed to God before them and the meaning of what was taking place, and He gave it to them, saying, Drink you all of it; For this is My blood, speaking of the cup, of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Verse 29 - But I say unto you, I will not drink again of the fruit of this vine, until the day when I drink it new with you in My Father's Kingdom. So again, talking about a future time when certain things were going to take place, when He has returned and will be living on the earth again, those things that spirit beings are capable of doing just as God Almighty manifested Himself as a physical human being to Abraham and ate with Abraham.  Abraham fed Him in that physical manifestation, in that form, but most certainly as even of Jesus Christ and so forth, the things that will take place later on – those things of physical life that spirit beings, when they manifest themselves physically, can enjoy of physical life and appreciate and take in the things that God has given and the things that are created.  And so He’s talking about that future time in the Kingdom, in other words, when the Kingdom, God’s Government, comes at His return. And when they had sung a song/a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Then Jesus said unto them, All you shall offend/be offended because of Me this night: for its written, I will smite the shepherd and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. But after I have risen, I will go before you into Galilee. And so these things didn’t come back till later on, they were reminded of later as well and told later as well.

Peter answered and said unto Him, Though all shall be offended because of You yet I will never be offended.  Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto you, this night, before the cock crow, you shall deny Me three times. And again, Peter said unto Him, Though I should die with you, yet I will not deny you. And likewise all the disciples said the same thing. They chimed in and said the same thing, “We’re not going to deny You.”

Verse 36 - Then Jesus went with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, Sit you here, while I go and pray nearby. And He took with Him Peter and the two of the sons of Zebedee, good lessons in all this as well.  We’re told about various things of prayer; that basically Jesus Christ told us when you pray go to your closet.  It’s between you and your God, in other words, alone, it’s a private thing.  And yet in family’s we learn that there are those things we’re to set an example in.  It’s good as children are growing up that they know when you’re in a certain room or a door’s closed or certain things are happening that that’s what you’re doing, that’s where you are.  It doesn’t mean that no one is to know about it; but certainly in teaching children and things of that nature it’s good for them to know.  So often mates know each other’s habits and customs and what they do and various things that are taking place there; and there are things that they know about one another that’s healthy and good.  But again, it’s a private thing, as a whole.  There are occasions where some people pray together – that should be very limited as a whole; in a family, or in marriage and so forth.  The primary time of prayer is by yourself between you and your God.  It is private.  The things you say are matters of privacy in a special relationship that you grow in between you and your Father.  And again, things to be learned by.  And so Jesus Christ certainly teaching His disciples here.  They knew His habit and custom was to pray.  They knew at certain times where He was, what He was doing.  This is a bit of a rare occasion because in this time here He brought them with Him; certain things to be recorded, certain things that were to be done that they were to even hear.  It was written for our sake.  Certain things were to be written for our sake so we could learn from it; and especially for this night, because you don’t see those examples as a whole elsewhere unless there’s a purpose for it.  Because He was our Passover, what He was going through as a Passover at that time fulfilling various things and those things that were to be recorded for us, through time, and it was good for the disciples as well.

And so it says, He took with Him Peter and two of the sons of Zebedee and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.  They saw that.  They saw, they witnessed that sorrow.  They saw the heartache of the things He was going through.  There is so much...I can’t even begin to imagine the things that He was going through at that time, and understanding... not just about His physical death; but knowing what’s going to take place, knowing what His disciples still have to go through at this point in time, knowing what those who know Him will have to go through in the next few days because they don’t know what’s going on, the stress, the trauma that they’re going to experience, not knowing until finally the resurrection.  And also knowing things of prophecy that are going to be fulfilled, knowing things about the Church and what the Church is going to go through, knowing that the area of Jerusalem in a very few years was going to be destroyed as a whole, the people and what was going to happen in 70 A.D. and in through that period of time and the harsh Roman rule that they were under; thousands and thousands, tens of thousands that were murdered and killed, hundreds of thousands in a period of time by the Romans.  Jews have gone through a great deal in some of those situations, and some of those cases... they’re the ones who were taken away, hundred thousand plus or whatever it was that were taken up to Rome to build the coliseum there, different things that have taken place through time that have happened.  And so again, all those emotions and all those things that were very real to Jesus Christ because He saw them in a very powerful way, as though they were.  And so it says, He began to be very heavy, and certainly with His death knowing what He had to go through because He knew the kind of beating He was getting ready to undertake, what was going to happen to Him...still a very physical human being.

Then He said unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: wait here and watch with Me. They still didn’t understand it, ‘even to death’; they had no idea what He was talking about, that He was literally going to die. And He went a little further, and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, O My Father, so these things are recorded for us; and it was good for them... they knew what He said.  O My Father, if it be possible let this cup pass from Me: nevertheless not as I will, but as You will. How often do we think about things of what we’re going through and realize the importance of praying according to God’s will; that there are things in life sometimes we don’t like to experience, there are things in life we’re going through and we don’t necessarily enjoy what we’re going through when we’re going through trials and hardships.  And so often our normal human nature is, “Take it all away from me.  Give me relief!  Give me help!  Intervene for me!  Solve my problems.”  But sometimes if God were to do all those things every time we pray we wouldn’t grow and we wouldn’t learn a thing.  We would become selfish spoiled children; and that isn’t what God is moulding and fashioning within us.  God’s purpose is not to bless us with every blessing we ask for.  God’s purpose is not to give us perfect lives without pain and suffering.  We can’t grow as human beings without pain and suffering.  And the reality is we bring so much of it upon ourselves.   That’s the bottom line.  But we learn through that process.  But we can’t learn about God and God’s purpose for us and His plan for us unless we experience many things that we go through.  And so we pray, or we should pray.  We may pray and ask for a petition, ask for certain things to be accomplished but “not my will, but Yours be done,” because we know that our lives and the lives of our families and the life of the Church, all the people in the Church – they are in God’s hands.  And where a petition can be granted, He’ll grant it; but where it’s not good for us He won’t do it because it’s not good for us, it’s not the answer we need.  There are things we have to experience in order to learn, in order to grow from it.

There are many things that people go through in the Church.  I could say certain things, but you have to go through it, and so I back up and I watch and I see and I observe and I hurt sometimes.  You don’t like to see anyone suffer. It’s like your children as they grow up – you can’t be there to solve all their problems, you can’t be there to protect them from everything. You have to do the best you can do in preparing them for the world ahead, for what’s out there in this world – especially this world today, (thankfully it’s about over with), and then they’re going to learn and they’re going to grow and they’re going to mature by things they experience because so many of those experiences are good for them.  It’s good for them, to learn from them.  And that’s how God works with us in a very powerful way, but all the more so, out of love and out of what is in our best interest; and sometimes what’s in our best interest is not to answer our prayers.  Reminds me of a Country & Western, “Thank God for unanswered prayer;” some of you have heard that.  There are truth in things like that, “Thank God for unanswered prayer.”  I thank God that He hasn’t answered all my petitions and all my desires because if He had I probably wouldn’t be here today by any measure unless the only reason I would be and in Him anyway, is because of His correction and His awakening me and so forth...and because He has a plan and a purpose.  And that’s why you’re here, because He has a plan and a purpose for you, otherwise you wouldn’t be here.  Take it to the bank!  You wouldn’t be here unless God has a plan and a purpose for you right now – okay?  You’re in God’s hands if you’ll yield yourself to that process.  Where else would you want to be?  And we have that choice.  Sadly, some don’t make that choice – they turn against it.  Incredible!

...nevertheless not as I will, but as You will.  And He came unto the disciples, and found them asleep, so it didn’t take long; they didn’t hear too much. They were tired. This was late into night.  By the time they killed the lamb; by the time it was roasted; by the time they were able to go and eat of it... it was going on toward midnight.  And then as we go toward midnight there were certain things that Jesus Christ did when He instituted the symbols of the Passover and so forth; and then they were excused and He’s left after they sang the song.  They went to the Mount of Olives to Gethsemane for Him to pray and that lasted for a long time.  This went on for quite a while, Jesus Christ praying. By this time the disciples were worn out.  They were asleep physically.

...And He found them asleep and He said to Peter, What, couldn’t you watch with Me for one hour? ‘Couldn’t you watch with Me for just one hour?  Be with Me for one hour in this? Watch and pray; what He was teaching here, again, is for us and it was also for them.  These things were recorded to teach us the importance of being watchful spiritually and praying.  Because unless we pray, unless we remain close to God we’re not going to be spiritually alert and it depends on what we pray about and what we’re doing and how we live that determines whether we’re truly watchful.  It isn’t just a matter of going through the motions of prayer.  A lot of people have gone through the motions of prayer.  That’s what the parable of the 10 virgins is about: you can go through the motions of certain things, studying and praying and all those things, and not be watchful, not be alert.  That’s what the whole story is about, the lessons there that were also given at this time, and the teachings as we read earlier.

So He says, watch and pray that you not enter into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.  God’s spirit is there to help but they weren’t there yet.  They hadn’t received the holy spirit yet.  They were being drawn by certain things as people are before they come to the point of making that decision, that choice, and here they didn’t have a choice because Pentecost hadn’t come and the holy spirit wasn’t poured out upon them yet so, again here, Jesus Christ pointing out and teaching us as well.  The spirit is willing, it’s desirous.  God’s spirit that He gives to us, the purpose of it is to produce fruit, but we resist that so often in our carnal nature and we’re the problem, we get in the way, we are the ones who can become lukewarm because we’re not zealous because we don’t yield ourselves to the power of God’s spirit like we should.  So the flesh indeed is weak, very carnal, very physical, very selfish.

He then went away the second time, and prayed, saying, O My Father, if this cup may not pass from Me, except that I drink it, Your will be done.   He knew.  He knew what He had to fulfill.  It was written for them and it’s written for us; said for our good.  Certainly He was reemphasising these things that He already knew. Verse 43 - And He came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy. And He left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. Then He came to His disciples, and said to them, Sleep on now, it’s interesting how this is all put here because notice what He says just immediately after this...Sleep on now; but He went on to say, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Arise, let us be going: well, which is it?  ‘Arise and let us be going’ or ‘go ahead and rest now ...go ahead and continue to sleep?’  It was asleep.  It wasn’t something physical He was talking about.  It has to do with the mind, of things that they couldn’t grasp nor comprehend

Verse 46 – He says, arise, let us be going: behold he is at hand who does betray Me.  And while He was yet speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, it talks about clubs, sticks – that’s what it was, different kinds of sticks.  It’s basically just a word for sticks – generally the type you’re going to use to ‘whomp up’ on someone, to battle with someone, and different types of clubs.  Again, this is, from the chief priests and elders of the people. Now he who betrayed Him gave them a sign, saying, so this was the sign he was giving to those who were with him; Whomsoever I shall kiss, the same is He: hold Him fast. Secure Him, He’s the one.  And that was the whole purpose of all this; the high priest, the council, different ones – they were all waiting for this night to take place.  They were all up that night and ready for all this to fit into place, to fall into place because they wanted things done swiftly.  They were wanting this to take place swiftly, to get it done on Passover so it could be over with and the Holy Day and the High Day could be there and they could be rid of Him once and for all and not have to worry about all these things that’d been taking place –of the crying out about Jesus and about the Messiah and so forth, and all the miracles.  So they definitely wanted to put Him to death.

Verse 49 says; And right away he went to Jesus, and said, Greetings Master; and kissed Him.  What an incredible thing!  Gave Him a greeting and kissed Him. And Jesus said unto him, Friend, why have you come? Then they came and laid hands on Jesus, and took Him. And then one of them who was with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest and cut off his ear.  This fulfilled prophecy and had to happen this way.  And Jesus said to him, Put away again your sword into its place: for all they who take the sword shall perish with the sword. Don’t you think that I can now pray to My Father, and He will immediately give Me more than twelve legions of angels?  6,000 in a legion; 72,000 angels He’s saying.  So He magnified it, 12 legions of angels... “Don’t you know that I can pray for that and they’ll be here immediately?”

So then how shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be this way? How can all this happen that the scriptures be fulfilled if I were to do that?  So He’s teaching all along the way here over and over and over again in all that He was going through.  And in that same hour Jesus said to the multitudes, Have you come out as against a thief with swords and clubs in order to take Me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and you didn’t lay hold on Me. But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Again, all these things fulfilling prophecy of how it was going to be done, what was going to take place. Then all the disciples forsook Him, and fled.  They all scattered, every one of them.  They didn’t think they would.  They didn’t think they were that way.  Amazing! They had no comprehension of what was getting ready to take place; they had never experienced anything like this and when it finally came down to it, it just wasn’t in them and they scattered.

Let’s go on to Luke 22. Sometimes we think we know ourselves.  They knew in their hearts and minds that they knew themselves and they would never betray their Master; they would never betray their teacher; they would never betray the Messiah, and yet every one of them, when it finally came down to it, did, they fled.  They didn’t want to get caught up in that.  They were afraid for their lives and they scattered.  So be careful when you judge other people.  Think about this incident when it’s so quick and so easy sometimes to judge others.  “I would never do that...” because that’s not what we always say, but generally that’s what we’re thinking deep down inside of ourselves, “I wouldn’t do that.  I am not like that.  I am better than that!”  That’s why we judge others in the way we do because we wouldn’t do it!  If we knew that we had the capacity, the ability as a human being to do things that others have done in this earth...we would never judge like that, we would never judge to condemn if we really knew our hearts to the depth that God is teaching us and showing us what our heart is really like.  We would have more mercy, more compassion, more understanding, we truly would.  But we’re highly incapable of all that; it takes God’s spirit to grow in those things so that we can have that kind of a mind toward one another, to love each other the way God says that we’re to love each other.  That’s something we have to grow in through time because we’re just not like that, we truly aren’t.  We have much to grow in, much to grow in.

Luke 22:47 - And while He yet spoke behold a multitude and he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss Him.  But Jesus said unto him, Judas do you betray the Son of man with a kiss?  And when they who were about Him, in other words, round about there, saw what would follow, they said to Him, Lord, shall we strike with the sword? And so the disciples were together there, and they saw what was getting ready to take place and how they’d come out and they said...shall we strike back with the sword? Perhaps wondering about things Christ had said earlier about a sword and needing swords and so forth. And one of them struck the servant of the high priest to cut off his ear.  Peter didn’t wait around for an answer.   He was going to prove to Christ, he was going to show, “I am ready to die.  I am ready to go to war.  I am ready to fight.  I’m ready to do whatever’s necessary,” and so he swung at the servant of the high priest and whacked his ear off; sword came right down the side of him here.  And what prevented it from cutting farther into his shoulder?  Don’t know, but it certainly cut off his ear.  He got a pretty good swing in; and that was before Jesus Christ had answered and told them that this was supposed to happen... this was happening very rapidly as you can imagine when some of this is taking place and they’re getting ready to lay hands upon Jesus Christ. And Jesus answered and said, You are to allow this to happen.  Don’t fight! Permit it, allow it.  That’s what the words are used here...allow it to happen; and He touched his ear, and healed him. He obviously then took the ear, whether it was dangling there we don’t know – it doesn’t specifically say how it was still there, but He put it up to his head and healed him as though it never had happened.  And what is human nature like? ...the others that were with him?  “Oh, that never happened!”  Isn’t that how people are?  “Jesus didn’t heal him.  Yeah, a sword went up there and smacked him on the side of the head, but he didn’t get a good shot in, didn’t hurt him at all.”  The servant might have felt a little bit different; maybe he didn’t even know.  Who knows?!  Just knowing human nature, how people are... it’s amazing.  But Jesus Christ put it up there and He healed him.  You have to remember this is dark and how people’s hearts and minds are.

Verse 52 - Then Jesus said unto the chief priests, and captains of the temple, and the elders, all these people that came out to capture Him, to take Him – they wanted to see Him dead...all these leaders  that were there.  It says, who had come for Him, Have you come out, as against a thief, with swords and sticks/clubs? When I was with you daily in the temple, you didn’t stretch forth your hands against Me: but this is your hour in the power of darkness. He’s showing them what they’re like.  You liars, you hypocrites – which He’d called them before, hypocrites and liars, snakes in the grass...this is what you’re like.  So He’s letting them see what they’re truly like.  They wouldn’t admit to it, they wouldn’t acknowledge it, but it’s recorded – this is what they’re like and they certainly knew that this was what they were doing.  They knew they wouldn’t take Him in the daytime because, it says over and over again, they feared the people, they feared the reaction of the people and what the people might do so they had to take Him at night time.  So He said, this is your hour in the power of darkness.  That’s the way you are.  We learn a lot about that, about the power of darkness, thinking we’re hiding, people thinking they are hiding from God and different things that go on and just lack of comprehension of the power of God.

Verse 54 – we’re going to continue on and read some of this account and the accounts that follow here – we’re going to look at three of the different gospels here.  It’s good to read these, to pick up the different flow and the things that are taking place here so that we pick up a little bit from each one of them.  Luke 22:54 - Then they took Him and led Him away and took Him to the high priest's house. The palace... And Peter followed afar off.  They all scattered as it said, but Peter stayed back a ways.  He followed them.  The rest, they were scattered for good that night.  They were scattered to wherever, but Peter, even though he fled, he stayed a distance away as they were taking Christ and they followed to wherever it was they were going, not knowing where everything was going to take place.  And so he followed afar off.  And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall and were set down together, Peter sat down among them. So there’s a certain group that got together; they were there as well, they didn’t go in with the rest, they stayed out in the part of the hall area.  They started a fire to warm themselves and then it goes on to say they kindled a fire... sat down together, Peter sat down among them; But a certain maid saw him as he sat by the fire, and earnestly looked upon him, and said, This man was also with Him. And he denied Him, saying, Woman, I don’t know Him.  Isn’t that incredible?  To protect himself.  Sometimes we don’t know what we’ll do as human beings when we’re up against the wall.  We don’t’ know all the time what our responses are going to be or what our battles are going to be.

And after a little while another saw him, and said you’re also of them. And Peter said, Man, I am not. And after about the space of one hour, whole hour had gone by here... another confidently affirmed, saying, Of a truth this fellow also was with Him: for he is a Galilean. And Peter said, Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about. And immediately, while he was yet speaking, the cock crew. And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. We can’t even begin to imagine; but a lot of this led to what Peter was going to do in the future and what it gave to Peter; a kind of boldness and a confidence and a strength with God’s spirit that made him who he was. ... And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter.  And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said unto him, Before the cock crow, you shall deny Me three times. And Peter went out, and wept bitterly.  He saw himself.  He didn’t believe he was like that and it took all this to take place for him to see himself.  How often do things happen when all of a sudden there’s something that happens in your life because of something you’re experiencing that is not fun; it’s not pretty; it isn’t pleasant.  It causes you, to the core of your being, to look inside.  It forces you.  There are situations we go through in life oftentimes, primarily in the Church because outside we can’t learn from it; but with God working with us in things that we go through and experience; there are things that we go through at times, many times throughout our lifetime, that God opens up a door in our mind so that we can see what we’re like, so that we can see ourselves in a way that we couldn’t see before – some trait, some thinking, something that is wrong that needs to be addressed, that needs to be repented of.  And those are blessings.  Whenever those things happen they are blessings if we respond the right way.  Sometimes there are people that see certain things in their life and for whatever reasons they can turn the other direction and can turn bitter and angry; there are all kinds of things that I’ve seen happen in God’s Church in people’s lives.  But when a person looks inward and knows what they are and accepts the responsibility for self – that’s what it takes.  We have to accept our own responsibility for what we have done, and Peter did.  He abhorred what he saw.  He hated what he saw.  He didn’t think he was like that.  He didn’t think he would do something like that.  Some of the other stories here get a little more vivid as to what he did and it’s not pretty.  Now, none of us, hopefully, would be tempted to say, “I’d never do that.”

There was a time when I used to think about the Israelites coming... I heard these sermons as I first came in the Church and for years and years afterwards, especially around Unleavened Bread, concerning the story of the Israelites coming out of Egypt and going through the wilderness and Moses dealing with them and all of the problems  that happened.  Moses had his plate full; and Moses even getting angry because it was so much for him to deal with at times.  And it talks about the hard heartedness, the way they are, being so hard inside. I remember thinking, “Man, those hard headed Israelites!”  It was almost too much to imagine they were like that.  See, deep down inside the reason it was so hard to imagine that is because, “I’d never have done that!”  Now I didn’t say that. I didn’t understand that fully, but that’s what we’re saying when we think that way.  When we’re in disbelief of something someone does, “Those hard-headed Israelites!!  How hard hearted can you be?  You just came through the Red Sea... you saw an incredible miracle here!  The Egyptians were going to kill you...” or kill me... you think, “You saw all this and the waters destroyed the Egyptian army and the Pharaoh.”  Not like the show, ‘The Ten Commandments’ where he’s still on the other side and his army’s destroyed.  No, Pharaoh was there too – okay?  They were all destroyed.  Incredible!  And then the different miracles that God did.  You think... “It’s hard to understand how they could have been that way.”  No, it isn’t, not now, but it was when I first came into the Church.  If you were there, you’d have done the same thing – exactly!  You’d have been right there with the rest of them.   When Moses went up on the mount and they started partying and having this festival, and they gave of their gold to make the ‘god’ that took them out of Egypt...amazing...that took them out of Egypt...  That’s what they were crying out about.  And that’s one occasion when God told Moses, “Get down there to your people.”  He wouldn’t call them His people at that point.  “Moses, get down to your people.”  Incredible that we think, “I wouldn’t do that.”  Yes, we would. Every one of us sitting here would have done exactly the same thing and if you don’t think you’re that way, you don’t understand your mind yet.  We’re all capable of so many things in life that we don’t think we are.  Under different circumstances, different situations in the world, depending on how we grew up, depending on so many facets of life - truly.  Because those facets of life has made us what we are with our selfish human nature to boot.  It’s already there and always was from the moment we were born.

Verse 62 – And Peter went out and wept bitterly. Yes... And the men who held Jesus mocked Him, and hit Him. And when they had blindfolded Him, they struck Him on the face, and asked Him, saying, Prophesy, who is it who hit You? You think of the heart of individuals to do something like that...it’s pretty tough isn’t it?  Just remember; if you’d been there, grew up in their society, grew up with their religion, grew up with what they were taught – you’d have done the same thing...you would have done the same thing if you were in their shoes, as a whole.  As a whole, if you’d have experienced exactly what they had, raised exactly the way they were and so forth and didn’t have other things in your life, this is how human beings are, this is how human beings so often respond and act. ...who is it who hit You?  You think how cruel human nature can be sometimes.  Human nature can be so incredibly cruel. Selfishness can be so incredibly cruel to other people.  I think of societies, I think of people in different times and how cruel people have been.  I think of wars and struggles and how people have been so filthy cruel to each other; sometimes because of the way they were raised and grew up.

So again, they’re asking, who is it, prophecy, tell us.  They’re mocking and making fun of Him. “You’re a prophet?  Tell us; tell us who it was that struck you.”  This isn’t too much different from people today; people who write on the internet, “Oh, you’re a prophet... ooooeee... Oh, this is the end-time? Ooooo... tell me ‘this’, tell me ‘that’.”  And that’s just the way they are.  They don’t get it; they don’t understand and they can’t.  They are what they are and one day God’s going to give them an opportunity to repent and to change and become something different.  There may be some who have already made choices.  There are some who’ve been in our midst in times past who made various kinds of choices, who don’t want God, who don’t want God’s way of life, who loathe it, who are as some of the angels that rebelled with Lucifer.  It’s hard to imagine.  Everybody has choices and there are going to be a lot of human beings who when it’s all said and done, even in the Millennium, reject God.  It’s hard for us to imagine that kind of a world with Jesus Christ being on this earth, the God Family, the Government of God, that human beings would dare rebel against God; that human beings could be stirred up at the very end like they’re going to be into such large numbers to rebel against God.  It’s a mind blower, but it’s a reality.  Choices, choices, choices – there are still going to be people who refuse. And many other things, it says, they blasphemously spoke against Him.

Verse 66 - And as soon as it was day, the elders of the people and the chief priests and the scribes came together, and led Him into their council, asking, Are You the Christ?  This was going through part of the night there; this long period of time of what they were doing and beating Him and so forth, and again, we’re jumping through part of the story here, we’re going to come through and put it all together a little bit later on.  So towards the dawning of the morning they bring Him in and start asking Him questions and it says, they brought Him into their council asking, Are You the Christ/Are You the Messiah/Are You the Anointed One? Tell us. And He answered them, If I tell you, you’ll not believe: And if I also ask you, you will not answer Me, nor let Me go. And after this shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God.  So again here, very strong things He was saying here just to stir them up; just to stir them up to cause them to come back even stronger.  Then they all asked, Are You saying then You’re the Son of God? If you make a statement like this, “After this You’ll see this power? ...the Son of man sitting on the right hand of the power of God?  Then are you saying...?!”  See, this is the attitude of mind they had, “Are you saying then that You’re the Son of God?”  They were jumping up and down for this one here, leaping for joy that maybe they could get Him on this one here.  And He responded to them, You say that I am. And they said, What need do we have of any further witness? For we ourselves have heard this from His own mouth.  An attitude of mind there.  He’s said it now, that’s enough.

Let’s go over to Mark 14:53. Again, an incredible story; and again, this is a point here where it says and they led Jesus away to the high priest: and with Him were assembled all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes.  This was quite a gathering of leaders because they had all conspired and they knew what Judas was getting ready to do.  He took the group with him then to secure, to get, to capture Christ and to bring Him back down here now for this mock trial and what they were going to go through.  And so they were all gathered together through that night and then this morning here. And Peter followed, again, it talks about, afar off, from afar off as they were bringing them together; because they’d all assembled themselves for that night anyway of what was going to take place. And Peter followed from afar off, even unto the palace of the high priest: so that’s where they took Him, speaking of Christ, and he sat with the servants, and warmed himself at the fire. And the chief priests and the council looked for witness against Jesus in order to put Him to death; and they found none. So they were looking for witnesses to come forward, who could come forward to give any kind of testimony of things they’d personally experienced and heard Him say.

For many bear false witness against Him, but their witness didn’t agree together. So different people were saying different things but what they were saying didn’t agree with each other so in a court of type of law, (even though this wasn’t a proper court), because of the lack of unity and the lack of agreement there and so forth there wasn’t anything to be able to say a certain number of witnesses are in agreement.  And there arose certain ones who bore false witness against Him, saying, we heard Him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands. That isn’t what He said, but this is what they said that He said.  People like to twist and distort just a little bit here and there.  I’ve heard so many things, thing’s that I’ve said, and they get twisted and distorted just a little bit here and there enough to mess up the story and plant something in peoples minds.  And there are people in the world that have a desire to hear something that’s bad, that’s wrong, and so they latch onto it.  That’s just human nature.  It’s just the way it is and we shouldn’t be surprised when those things happen because what happened with Christ has happened for 2,000 years, happened before that and it continues to happen until this is all over.

So again ...I will build another made without hands. But neither so did their witnesses agree together. So even then they said didn’t agree with how it was said and what was said. And the high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, saying, Are You not answering anything? Here they’re saying these things and aren’t You going to respond to what they’re saying about You and to You?  You think... Why?  If you were there... Why?  Are you going to change their minds by telling them the truth?  And He’s kind of holding it off for a little while anyway because certain things have to be fulfilled yet.  And again, just like for us, doesn’t matter what you answer in some situations, people aren’t going to believe you anyway.  They already have their mind made up, they’re already going to believe a certain thing and all they’re going to look for is fault in what you have to say and how you have to say it.  Amazing!  And again, the high priest asked Him and said unto Him, Are You the Messiah?  Are you the Christ?  ...the Son of the Blessed?  And Jesus said, I am: and you shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. So this is a little stronger in how it’s recorded here by Mark than how it was in Luke and this is the one then that had that response, What have we need of any further witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy: what do you think? And they all condemned Him to be guilty of death. This is what they wanted from the very get go.  They wanted to have some way of appeasing their conscience, of going through this process so they could still come out with the same result – kill Him.  Get away with Him, do away with Him...and so this is what they were looking for and they found what they wanted, they were excited when they got to this point.

Verse 65 - And some began to spit on Him, after this moment, and cover His face, and to beat Him, and to say to Him, Prophesy: and the servants did slap Him... so even the servants got involved.  Not just the others there but now the servants were a part of this.  Normally they wouldn’t be involved in something like this, now they are; there’s a camaraderie here. They’re going to get favour if they’re involved in this.  It’s that type of thing where... Oh, I hate it, people get in a situation like this and here they think they’re going to get some good out of this by joining in.  And the servants did slap Him with the palms of their hands. And as Peter was beneath in the palace, there came one of the maids of the high priest: And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked upon him, and said, Aren’t you also one that was with Jesus of Nazareth?  And he denied it, saying, I don’t know Him, neither do I understand what you’re talking about. And when he went into the porch; and the cock crew. And the maid saw him again, and began to say to them that stood by, This is one of them.  So that was the cock crowing the first time.  He said twice... this is one of them. And he denied it again. And a little later, a little after that... so when you put all these stories together... one might not put the whole story in, but it’s all there.  There are people in the world who try to find fault with the gospels there, that there’s conflict and disagreement.  No, on the contrary - absolute agreement, powerful agreement and testimony.  And he denied it again, and a little while after that they who stood by again said to Peter, Surely you’re one of them: for you’re a Galilaean, for your speech agrees to that. But he began to curse and to swear, so has a little bit more...this is how far he went, saying, I do not know this Man of whom you speak.

Going on in verse 72 - And the second time the cock crew. So again, he denied Him three times and then the cock crew again, And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, you shall deny Me three times. And when he thought thereon, when he thought about it, it says, he wept.

Let’s go over to the account in Matthew 26 and read some of the story flow there in putting all this together; get an incredible story of things Jesus Christ went through. He went through it for me, went through it for you, went through it for every human being.  Matthew 26:57 - And they who had laid hold on Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. But Peter followed Him afar off to the high priest's palace, and went in, and sat with the servants, to see the end. Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, looked for false witness against Jesus, to put Him to death; But found none: although many false witnesses came, yet they found none. In other words they weren’t in agreement.  At last there came two false witnesses, And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days. And the high priest arose, and said unto Him, Do You not answer anything? What are these things that they are witnessing against You? But Jesus held His peace. And the high priest answered and said to Him, I demand of You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Messiah, the Son of God. And Jesus said unto him, you have said it: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter you shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. Now there are things they weren’t going to see, but these things were going to take place and some of them would definitely see those things come to pass.

Going on in verse 65 - Then the high priest ripped his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need do we have of witnesses? Look , now you have heard His blasphemy. What do you think? And they answered and said, He is guilty of death. Then they spit in His face, and struck/beat Him; and others slapped Him with the palms of their hands, Saying, Prophesy unto us, You Christ, Who is it that struck You? Now Peter sat without the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, you also were with Jesus of Galilee. But he denied it before them all, saying, I don’t know what you’re talking about. And when he had gone out into the porch, another saw him, and said unto them that were there, This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth. And again he denied with an oath, I do not know Him.  Amazing here how many things are brought out in the different stories here. And after a while came unto him those who stood by, and they said to Peter, Surely you also are one of them; for your speech, in other words your accent, gives you away. Then he began to curse and to swear, saying, I do not know the man. And immediately the cock crew. And Peter remembered the words of Jesus, who said to him, Before the cock crow, you shall deny Me three times. And he went out, and wept bitterly.

I think of different times that we’re brought to a point in time where we’re finally broken inside to see something that we didn’t know about ourselves, that we couldn’t see within ourselves – and those are good times.  If you never have times like that in your life, you’re going to miss out on a lot.  They’re needed.  To where we come to a point in time, at different times in our life, where we’re able to see certain things that are big, that are resisting God, that are holding us back, that are doing something that we don’t think we’re like that until God brings it to the surface so we can see something in ourselves where He wants to make us better and stronger.  And so often when we come to that point in time this is what takes place.  You come to a point inside where you so repent that you’re torn up inside and indeed that’s the way it should be because you so loathe, so hate what you see.  And it’s because of that desire then you so want what God has to offer.  Before that, the desire is not as great; so the right result of repentance is, and what helps us then, is to be able to see ourselves, to be able to repent of something that’s holding us back so that we can now go forward with God’s help and we see what God’s offering us in order to deal with something in our mind that we couldn’t see before and it makes us better.  It makes us better in our dealings with other people.  We learn mercy; we learn grace; we learn the greater matters of the law – judgement, mercy and faith...how to exercise better judgement, righteous judgement.

God doesn’t want perverted, distorted judgment in our life where we look upon people and judge from the way I see it, the way I think, the way I would judge others because that kind of judgement is not good.  Ugly, ugly, ugly...and the right judgement is that which Jesus Christ spoke of when He judged.  He judged according to God’s word.  When you judge that way it takes out all the human emotion, in other words, anything to do with guilt or favour or anything else that might be there because we’re not to do things to show favour, we’re not to do things out of being guilty or wrong, or whatever else might be involved in the equation.  It’s right because its right with God and when it’s right with God you have peace.  When it’s not right with God... maybe you don’t fully understand it or see it, but you’re not at peace with it and it stirs up problems and difficulties with others, there’s great reason for that – because we haven’t learned yet, we have to learn.

Let’s go on to John 2 and just remind ourselves of some of this about those who were falsely accusing Christ because I think it’s good to read some of the story back here in John.  You remember the point when they were talking about some of the accusations of different things people had witnessed; well, this goes all the way back to the very beginning of Christ’s ministry and some of these different stories that went out and that people heard.  That’s why there are so many false witnesses out there; because they heard one person say something and then the story gets stretched out.  Isn’t that how rumours get started?  One person will say something to someone else and someone travels to another part of the country and then they tell the story.  Today we have sped up the process because we have telephones and the internet and we can just go all over the place telling our little story and then someone else tells another friend and so on and it always gets changed around a little bit.  When it’s not true, something always gets distorted and when we put our human nature into our little additions, the way we received it from someone else, the way they told us.  That’s why they will have ten people stand in a row and start a story with the first person in the line and by the time it gets to the end it’s going to be very different.  People have played that game.  Everybody hears a little differently, because they’re seeing something, they’re interpreting what’s being said by their own thinking, by their own experiences, and by the time it gets to the end you can’t recognize the same story and it’s quite humorous.  People have gone through some of those examples and the same is true with us as human beings; this is what happened then, different stories that were going around of things Jesus said and everybody was embellishing it a little bit and then the next person heard it  heard a different variation... that’s why there was no witnesses that could agree; because they weren’t literally there.  These things were being passed around.  The ones who were there, they had their own interpretation and they were still wrong and had their own prejudice of what they were wanting to get across.

John 2:1 – we’ve gone through some of this before with the story here about John the Baptist and when Christ had been baptized and some of the story flow of that which took place and then Jesus Christ leaving with the disciples here, if you remember the story here going back to John 2:1 and it says - And the third day, so the beginning of Christ’s ministry.  It talks about some of the things He began to do.  It says there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus... we know the story about the wine and the like and He turned the water to wine.  So again, reminding you of that story.

Going on down to verse 11.  This is showing that it is the very beginning of Christ’s ministry; This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth His glory; and His disciples believed on Him.  And he goes on to say, After this He went down to Capernaum, He, and His mother, and His brethren, and His disciples:  so after that they left and moved on down and it says, and they continued there not for many days. And the Jews' Passover was at hand, so this was the beginning of time of Christ’s ministry before the Passover, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  They were down there for a little while.  And found in the temple those, a time flow here of some of the things that we’re covering and now they’re coming up to the point of the Passover.  Jesus went up to Jerusalem and found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: Now you remember the occasion here.  This didn’t happen just once.  Part of this happened twice.  He’d already done this before.  When we read the story here recently about what He did on the Sunday when He went into Jerusalem there and He overthrew the money tables, the money changers and so forth on the 11th day there, just before Passover... well, this was an occasion around Passover again when He did this the first time and He saw what was taking place in the temple.  So He was stirred up by what He saw them doing in the temple.  And when He had made a scourge of small cords, He made a kind of a whip.  He drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; That’s why some people read through these and they don’t realize this was two different events at different points here.  You read about the story later on because He went in the temple to cleanse the temple again around Passover time and was enraged by the things that they were doing in a sense, and showing those things – the righteous indignation if you will.

And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things out from here; don’t make My Father's house a house of merchandise. And His disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of Your house has eaten Me up.  Then the Jews answered and said unto Him, What sign do You show unto us, seeing that You do these things? That You are, in essence, who You say You are; that You have any authority, that You are who the disciples have said You are and so forth.  And Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I’ll raise it up. So this is where some of the story begins to even start.  Right from the very beginning of His ministry and some of these things that began to spread.  There are those who began to believe and see some of the miracles and were drawn to Christ.  That was one thing; but there were others who liked to use this one and say, “You’re not going to believe what He said; destroy this temple, this huge building that took so long to build, the craftsmanship, the workmanship...’destroy it and in three days I’m going to build it.  I’m going to raise it up.’”  They had a heyday with things like that and people do to this day.  It’s the way it’s always been.  There are things that people are moved by because they see something that they understand that’s through God’s spirit that the world can’t see.

Then the Jews said, Forty six years, this is how long it was; forty six years was this temple being built, and You’re going to raise it up in three days?  This is absolute insanity to them because they had no idea what He was talking about.  But He spoke of the temple of His body.

Let’s go on to Matthew 12 and notice what was said there; different parts of the story and tying it all together.   Matthew 12:38 – Then certain of the scribes and the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would that You’d show us a sign. Show us a sign... And He said to them, An evil and adulterous generation, so people always want to see a sign.  It’s the end-time so people can’t wait to see certain things being fulfilled that think should be filled in their way.  And then if it doesn’t happen a certain way it’s like none of this is true – see?  So they want great tribulation to happen right away.  We thought some things were going to happen right away.  Thank God it hasn’t happened right away; but it’s amazing how the human mind works in some of this.  And so He says, An evil and adulterous generation... because the reality is (even in this end-time) as things begin to happen in this country and other places in a massive scale, people aren’t going to believe and just automatically start turning to God right away.  That’s why we’ve talked about, why God has inspired it to be said; even those in the scattered Church, it’s going to take them until the time of the 5th Trumpet before they finally come to a point where they will begin to repent; when they finally see, and the vast majority of them will still not repent.  They’re not going to yield, they’re not going to give up their ideas and their beliefs and their thoughts.  But it’s not going to be until the 5th Trumpet because of what happens in Europe and the ten nations that finally come together.

I hope you’re dumbfounded by things you see coming together in the news.  I hope you ‘see’ what’s coming together in the world around you right now – of time that God has given by how things continue to march on, by what’s continuing to take place, especially right now in Europe and seeing why, in time, Germany is going to do what it does.  God is moulding and fashioning it all to take place exactly in a manner as He did with Jesus Christ with things happening perfectly to the moment in time that it did in the life of Christ and the death of Jesus Christ to fulfill the Passover.  There are things that God is meticulously working with in this world to bring about, in a specific fashion, in a specific way, and those things that are happening in the world and in Europe are happening by design.  God isn’t making people do what they’re doing.  God isn’t making people think the way they think, but because of circumstances happening at a certain time, in a certain way in the world around them, people respond to that by their nature.  It’s an awesome thing.  Things that are happening in Greece.  Things that are happening in Spain.  Things that are happening in the EU.  Things that are happening with the euro and now people talking about the euro... they’re going to get rid of the euro and what?  Go back to the Mark?  I don’t know – they’re going to come up with something different.

People don’t understand Germany too well and how much they have invested in certain things, how much they want a united Europe.  So many treaties in the world in times past in Europe, so many things...the very formation of NATO, some of the very things that took place and the division of what took place with Russia and some of the strategies, and things people were setting in a place, was a desire to control Germany so they would never do again what they’ve done previously – what their history is.  They have a history of dealing and reacting to certain things.  Everybody has a certain kind of nature and under certain circumstances they’ll respond and they don’t hesitate.  They are being forced this time, pressured this time in a unique way that they have never been pressured and been forced before; in a different age, in a different world.

And you should all marvel at that; you truly should...as you see some of that coming about because it’s not like WWII where you have a whacko like Hitler coming to power, someone who is demon possessed, Satan possessed, if you will, before it was over with.  He was possessed.  He gave himself over to Satan before it was all over with.  Awesome to understand... when you see charismatic movements in some churches in the world...some people hate this; but when you see thousands of people in an auditorium and you see a man get up front and he has people brought up to him that supposedly have some kind of illness and sickness and different things happen to them (and some have infirmities that are caused by other beings) and so they come up there and they put their hands on them and they say certain things to them and they fall backwards and people have to catch them.  And people are moved; there is a spirit that works throughout the group of people that are gathered there together and they are truly moved, the majority of them, not everybody; but there are people who are moved by something they see in a way that they normally would not be moved; because there are spirits at work broadcasting so powerfully, so intently that people are moved.

In WWII you saw the same thing if you’ve ever seen reels of different things that have happened with the response of people when Hitler was around and some of the rally’s they had.  It was the same kind of thing.  It was a religious experience.  As a matter of fact some historians write it that way, in that vein, as a religious kind of experience.  It was a religious type of movement without religion in it in a sense, if you understand what I’m saying.  They were moved by those things.  And Hitler in some of the speeches, his eyes are bugged out...that were beings at work, the spirit beings in this world.  And people don’t understand that because they don’t believe it.  They don’t understand that the demons, that the angels that rebelled with Lucifer, that they were put on this earth to do a work, and to speed up a process in human beings that human beings could learn from through a period of 6,000 years; so when their time came they could learn and understand and that takes sermons to go through.

And so again here, ‘What sign are You going to show that You are the Christ? ... or that You are who You say You are? ...or different things that they asked.  And He said an evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; because the reality is once they get a sign that still doesn’t bring about change.  The Israelites, when they came through the Red Sea – that didn’t change them.  Different things that they experienced through time – it doesn’t change people.  Where nuclear weapons go off, it doesn’t change people.  There are times when people will come to a point of no hope and if they will respond and yield to God then change can take place; that can change people because it comes as a result of repentance and a desire when you see that there’s nothing else to hope in; what do I hope it?  ...what do I have hope in?  And when a person begins to turn to God because, “I want answers; I need answers... Why is this happening?”  And then people, if God’s drawing them and working with them – will have the ability then.

But He says, an evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and there will no sign be given it, but the sign of the prophet Jonah: For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the great fishes belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.  So basic, so simple.  Did the world receive it?  Not even those who call themselves of Christ and that say they’re ‘Christian’.  They don’t believe this; they don’t believe the very words of Jesus Christ.  He said, “That’s the only sign I’m leaving that I am who I say I am, that I am the Christ.  No sign is going to be left to you but this one here.” ...destroy this temple and in three days raise it up.  Three days... three days in the heart of the earth.  Three days in the tomb, not more and not less.  And so what does the world come along and say?  He died in the afternoon of what they call ‘Good Friday’, and they have no idea He did not die on a Friday.  They don’t understand, no, it was a Wednesday and the scriptures clearly show that.  But there are people, there are historians, who claim they understand the cycles of time and of years and when the things took place and they don’t have the foggiest idea because they deny God’s word.  He said the only sign is going to be three days and three nights.  What an awesome thing to understand; three full days and three full nights.  So toward the day on Friday they try to get somehow from Friday at sunset, right around sunset there down to Sunday morning... that’s supposed to be three days and three nights.  Some kind of new math.  Isn’t it amazing how people think though?  You think, no, they don’t understand.  Crazy; the mind of human beings, it’s so insane.

Let’s go back to the story flow here in Matthew 27:1. These things were taking place all through the night and now talking about When the morning had come, all the chief priests and the elders and all the people took counsel against Jesus to put Him to death: And when they had bound Him, they led Him away, and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor. The point is they didn’t have the authority; they didn’t have the right to put someone to death.  They were under Roman rule and their power only went so far.  They did not have the right to take someone’s life, but they found by their standards that He was guilty of death.  They wanted to kill Him all along because they believed He was guilty all along of breaking their laws, their religious laws; that He was worth of death and that He was blaspheming and so forth... and all the hypocrisy that was involved in that when they knew that there are things that can’t be done except God do it.  So it says the chiefs all took council to put Him to death and they took Him then to Pontius Pilate the governor.

Verse 3 - Then Judas, who had betrayed Him, when he saw that He was condemned, repented; again here, this is a limited type of repentance.  There are things that people feel bad about, that they did the wrong thing, but anyway, this is that limited type that doesn’t bring about change.  ...saw that He was condemned, because he was still a thief, repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed this innocent blood. And they said, What’s that to us? That’s for you, in essence, to see to it. This is for you to take care of.  We’ve done our part, you did yours – this is all on you now, whatever you do with it. And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hung himself. And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, so this great righteousness that they have, these standards of high morality that they have.  They took the silver, they said it’s not lawful for us to put this into the treasury, because it’s the price of blood. And they took counsel, and bought with it the potter's field, to bury strangers in. So they used the money to purchase a field where they could bury strangers; but they couldn’t put it in the treasury to use some other way because it was blood money; and they are the ones that gave it.

Matthew 27:8 - Therefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken of by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of Him who was valued, whom they and the children did value; And gave it for the potter's field, as the Lords appointed.  In this particular case here it says that this was part of a prophecy that was fulfilled with what was given for the potter’s field.  So again, was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of Him who was valued, whom the children of Israel did value; and gave it, in other words, the price that was paid, and gave it for the potter’s field as the Lord appointed.  Incredible prophecies that were being fulfilled over and over again here throughout this period of time of things that God Almighty worked with, conditions and circumstances around people; that this is how they responded because of God knowing what they would do under certain circumstances.  It’s like the incredible story of Pharaoh.  If you can learn the story of Pharaoh and his spirit and his mind and how that every time Moses came to him and told him something that God had said and how the Pharaoh responded you’ll learn a great deal from that as his heart became hardened more and more through a period of time here toward Moses and toward God.

Verse 11- And Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked Him, saying, Are You the King of the Jews? Because this accusation is what’s being thrown before Pilate and so this was what was on his mind while judging Him.  He said, Are you the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, you have said it. And when He was accused of the chief priests and elders, He said nothing. And so here He is, here these Jewish leaders are around there while Pilate’s going through some of this. Then Pilate said unto Him, Don’t you hear how many things they’re witnessing against You? “What they’re saying about You?  Aren’t you going to speak up?”  Kind of like what happened before; aren’t you going to answer what they’re saying? And He never answered them a word; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly. Most people would be trying to save their life.  Most people’d be crying out and saying, “This didn’t happen this way and so and so knows this and you can bring in these witnesses and they can testify and tell you what really happened and...”  But He didn’t do any of that and so Pilate marvelled because he saw something different in Christ that he’d never seen before.  He’d never witnessed anything like this before.  Here a man being accused to the point of people wanting Him to be put to death and He’s not even trying to defend Himself.  What kind of a man is this?

Let’s look at Luke’s account over in Luke 23:1 - And the whole multitude of them arose, and led Him to Pilate. And they began to accuse Him, saying, We found this Man perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar.  Christ never said these things. Look at how they twist and distort things!  They’re the very ones that He told them, “Give Me a coin, who’s inscription is on it?  Who does it say it is?  Who is this?  Give to Caesar’s what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”  But they lied, false witness – here the very leaders...because they want Him put to death and so they’re willing to bear false witness as well.  And so it says, We have found this man perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Christ, a King. Honour, tribute here as well in that regard; but even going back to the coin – but they were twisting and distorting everything that was being said there.  ...saying that He Himself is Christ, a King.  Because they knew the teaching about a Messiah.  They knew what it was and that He said that He was.  “I am the Messiah.”  He acknowledged it to the people.

And Pilate asked Him, saying, Are You the King of the Jews? And He answered him and said, you have said it. Then Pilate said to the chief priests and to the people, I find no fault in this Man. And they were the more fierce, saying, He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee to this place. It’s throughout Judea, starting clear up in Galilee – all the way down here to Jerusalem. He’s stirring up the people!  And when Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked whether the Man was a Galilaean. And as soon as he found out that He belonged to Herod's jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, because Herod had that particular region and it was out of Pilate’s area, who himself also was at Jerusalem at that time.  So here Herod is, at this time, down in Jerusalem, and so he sends Him over to Herod.

Verse 8 - And when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad: for he had been desirous to see Him for a long time now, because he had heard many things of Him; and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by Him. So his only desire was basically... they believe in all kinds of gods and so forth and here is a man that’s being talked about throughout Judea and throughout Galilee and He’s been up around Galilee, but I’ve never come across Him yet.  I’d love to meet this Man and to see Him do some kind of a miracle, some kind of mystical thing like Simon Magnus.

Verse 10 - And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused Him.  ...and he asked Him questions and many words but He didn’t answer it.  Same thing again here being repeated.  He didn’t answer anything; and the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused Him. And Herod with his men of war treated Him with contempt, and mocked Him, and arrayed Him... so he had his soldiers there that were with him, obviously that travelled with him, and they were a part of this.  And so they were making fun of Him and treating Him with contempt, as they did all the Jews, all the more so this Man.  ...and arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him again to Pilate. And the same day Pilate and Herod were made friends together: because before this they were at enmity between themselves. In other words they were against each other, they didn’t like each other.  But this day here, it changed all this because Pilate wanted nothing to do with it so he sent Jesus to Herod and Herod was lifted up by that and drawn toward Pilate in a perverted way as sometimes happens in the world when people have something of common ground here.  So again, it’s kind of a friendship in a limited way that took place here that hadn’t been there before.

Verse 13 - And Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests and the rulers of the people, Said unto them, you have brought this Man unto me, as one who perverts, or turns or disrupts, the people: and, behold, I, having examined Him before you, have found no fault in this man as touching those things whereof you accuse Him:  in other words, it’s not there and the witness and so forth is not there and No, nor yet has Herod: Herod didn’t find fault enough to have Him put to death and Pilate did not either; and that’s what they were going back and forth on.  And so they don’t find that kind of a fault with Him; Herod didn’t find it; “I sent Him to Herod and he didn’t find fault with Him”; for I have sent Him to him; and, look, nothing worthy of death is done unto Him. I will therefore chastise Him, and release Him. I’ll go ahead and punish Him, we’ll take care of that and then I’m going to release Him to you.  And it goes on to say here then, (For of necessity he must release one to them at the feast/at the feast time.) In other words as the Passover is coming up and the High Days are coming the custom was to release to them someone that was held. And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this Man, and release unto us Barabbas: you pick a murderer and a criminal, a thief; and we would rather have him.  In other words, this Man is so much worse.  It was like something overcame them and they began to cry out in unison, they wanted His death so much so.  Incredible!

Verse 19 - (Who for a certain sedition made in the city, and for murder, was cast into prison.) So it makes it very clear the kind of person he was.

I had mentioned earlier about the 30 pieces of silver – it is in Zechariah 11:12, but it was spoken of by Jeremiah.  Zechariah wrote it and recorded it.

John 19:13 - When Pilate therefore heard them say that, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew tongue, Gabbatha. And it was the preparation of the Passover, this season in other words; this was the preparation day for the High Day.  For the weekly Sabbath it’s on Friday, it’s the preparation day for the Sabbath.  The Passover is the preparation day for the High Day that comes.  So there are preparation days for annual Sabbaths, annual Holy Days as well; and so the Passover was that day.  And it says, and about the sixth hour he said to the Jews, Behold your King! And they cried out, Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him. I hate that word.  It’s not the word crucify.  That is a distorted perverted interpretation of Christianity.  It’s a word they came up with because they use the word ‘cross’ and nowhere in the Greek language does it use the word ‘cross’ for how Jesus Christ died.  He was not placed upon a cross; He didn’t die that way.  His hands weren’t out this way; it was a pole, the word is stauroo and it’s a word that has to do with a pole, a stake.  It’s like a big tall pole, tall enough to put a man on, to hang him on, or impale him on and that’s what they did.  They impaled Him with a nail right through the hands, they put one nail through both hands together and the same thing toward the ankles, the feet.  They put one nail through there and that’s why, again, I’m mentioning this over and over again every place I go to so that people can picture this in their mind with the hands over His head.  That’s why they had to break the legs of the others to kill them ahead of time because what they would do is they would push themselves up.  When you’re like this, you’re choking and you can’t get air and they had to push themselves up by their feet in order to breathe.  If you’re out like this, you don’t have to worry so much; you can breathe if you’re hanging like this.  They weren’t hanging like that, it wasn’t a cross, it was a stake, it was a pole and that’s the word in the Greek language.  But Traditional Christianity came along and changed some of those words and added a word that became an English word in time; and other foreign languages and so forth, they use the word connected with a cross and it’s not a cross.  Incredible how people have so distorted God’s word.

It was about the sixth hour and he said to the Jews Behold your King.  Oh, how they loved this one here.  He said, “Your King!”  That’s what they hated in the first place, that He was planning on being the Messiah or that He was the Messiah – the thought that He could be the Messiah, because if He’s the Messiah all their teachings and all their authority is down the tubes.

Verse 15 -   But they cried out, away with Him, away with Him, impale Him on a pole, that’s what the word literally means, to be hung on a pole, to be impaled on a pole.  Pilate said unto them, Shall I impale your King? Impale on a pole?  It’s a bit of an awkward word in English, but that’s the one that captures the Greek word.  The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar.  This was a damnable lie!  You know why?  Because throughout the Old Testament it calls God Almighty our King; Yahweh Elohim is listed as our King and they full well knew that.  But as people do so often, to twist and distort things in order to find favour and suddenly ‘Caesar’s our king.’  They’re lying!  They didn’t want Roman rule; they didn’t believe that for one iota.  They wanted their own rule, their own authority, but they were hypocrites, they were liars and they condemned themselves by things they said over and over again and they certainly condemned themselves powerfully here.  We have no King... What an incredible thing!  They just denied God Almighty!  ...but Caesar.

Therefore He then delivered Him unto them to be crucified/impaled. And they took Jesus, and led Him away. And He bearing His, again that same word, that pole.  It was a pole, it’s a word for a pole in the Greek, went forth into a place that is called a skull, which is Hebrew is called Golgotha: In one other place it uses the word ‘Calvary’.  Amazing, but it was Golgotha, and it has to do with the skull.

Verse 18 –I can’t stand the wrong translations of English and different things that Traditional Christianity has done to destroy.  It’s like the word ‘communion’ that is used out there in a perverted way.  Verse 18 - Where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on each side of Him, and Jesus was in the middle. And Pilate wrote a sign/a title, and put it on the pole. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS.  There have been people who’ve said, because they quote the different accounts and because they don’t say it the same way in the Greek language, or in Aramaic some of the things that were there; they say, “See, there’s conflict in how things were done.”  But they don’t go on and talk about the scriptures that said that it was written in three languages.  So, some of the words are different because of the different languages that Pilate used to write the basic thing here about Jesus Christ being the King of the Jews.  So yes, it was said differently a little bit because of the different languages that were there.  So in this case here it said, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Verse 20 – Then many of the Jews read this title/this sign; for the place where Jesus was impaled on a pole was near the city: and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin. This is the place where it records that; in John – there was three different languages. Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, Do not write ‘The King of the Jews’; but that He said, ‘I am the King of the Jews.’ You know, somehow that’s going to be better?!  ...if you put up there ‘He said, ‘I am the King of the Jews’.  But Pilate did this with a great pleasure because he loathed the leadership of the religious group there and what they were doing and how they were doing it and he was using this to rub it in their nose.  Then Pilate answered and said, what I have written I have written. He’s the King of the Jews. Amazing!

Matthew 27 – human nature; you see human nature come out in these things over and over and over and over again.  It’s an awesome thing to understand human nature.  Matthew 27:24 - When Pilate saw that he could not prevail, but rather an uproar was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: it is up to you to do this. He said, “I’m clean from this – you go do it.”  So basically he gave them the right, the power, the approval, but he wasn’t going to do it himself.  In other words he used this demonstration to show that he wasn’t in agreement with them, but he gave them what they wanted. Then all the people answered and said, His blood be upon us, and on our children. Amazing!  It’ll be interesting one day to find out just how far this goes and what it means, to what degree.

Then he released Barabbas unto them: and when he had flogged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified/hung/impaled on a pole. Then the soldiers and the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto Him the whole band of soldiers. And they stripped Him, and put on Him a scarlet robe. And when they had braided a crown of thorns, they put it upon His head, and a reed in His right hand: and they bowed their knee before Him, and mocked Him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! And they spit upon Him, and took the reed, and slapped Him on the head. So they beat Him up quite severely here and there are others that show some greater beating that took place here, but it literally came to the point in time where flesh was ripped off His body and flesh was ripped off His face.  He was not recognizable by the time it was over with for who He was because He took such a beating in this.

And Jesus knew when He was praying to His Father, about that cup...and knew what He was getting ready to go through – this kind of a beating.  He knew what the scriptures said.  It was real in His mind in a very powerful way.

Verse 31 - And after they had mocked Him, they took the robe off from Him, and put His own clothing on Him, and led Him away to impale Him on the pole. And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to continue to bear the pole, to carry it on his shoulder. And when they had come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of the skull, they gave Him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when He had tasted it, He wouldn’t drink of it.  And they fixed/impaled Him, that’s what the word is here, again, a different kind of word that has to do with impaling on a pole, Him on a pole, it makes it very clear here because the word ‘fixed/impale’ had to do with this process; on a pole and parted His garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted My garments among themselves, and upon My vesture did they cast lots.  It was valuable, that’s why they did this.  They wanted to see who was going to get it.  They didn’t want to tear it.  You read the story through the different ones here and you see that they didn’t want to destroy this garment.  They wanted it for themselves.  It was an expensive garment the way it was made and so forth; it was very valuable and that’s why they cast lots on it, to see who was going to get it.

And sitting down they watched Him there; And they set up over His head an accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. And it goes on to say, Then there were two thieves crucified with Him, one on His right hand, and another on the left.

Let’s pick up here in Luke 23 to fill in some of what it talks about concerning these two individuals because it’s a scripture that’s so often misquoted and misunderstood by the world, misunderstood by Traditional Christianity, perverted, distorted by them and their teaching and what they say.  Luke 23:39 - And one of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at Him saying, If You be the Christ/If You’re the Messiah save Yourself and us.  But the other answered him, rebuked him saying, Do you not fear God, seeing you’re under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we’re receiving the due reward of our deeds: but this Man has done nothing wrong. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when you come into Your Kingdom. And Jesus replied unto him, Verily I say unto you and this is what’s misquoted that we all understand and know, today, you shall be with Me in paradise.  And in most translations there, if anybody understands the plan of God and what’s happening they’d know that Christ wasn’t saying ‘today you’ll be with Me in paradise.”  There have been people in the Church who’ve been in the Church a long time who came to a point where they finally asked this, “What is this...?  How can this be?”  The reality is; it’s a teaching of Traditional Christianity that everybody goes off to heaven.  As soon as you die you go off to heaven and so He’s going to be with them today in paradise as soon as they die.  That’s what they think.  That’s what they teach.  The thief is going to be up there in paradise; he’s going to go to heaven.  I don’t know exactly how, but he’s a thief and a criminal and everything else, but I guess everything’s going to be forgiven him and he’s going to be in heaven with Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ didn’t go to heaven that day.  He said, “The only sign I’m going to leave you that I’m the Messiah is I’m going to be in the tomb for three days and three nights.”  And even in Traditional Christianity, they said, He was in there for a day and a half before He was resurrected.  He was dead for that long.  So anyway... people get all messed up in some of their teachings and trying to say, “Well, He was up there and He was down here... He was dead down here but He’s alive up there and then He...”  It get’s kind of confusing.  They have a tough time with some of that.

The reality is; what He’s saying to you is, “I’m telling you today.” “This is what I’m telling you today.  You will be with Me in paradise.”  He’s talking about a future time.  He’s talking about a time when the world is changed.  For 1,000 years the world is going to be worked on and changed by the Government of God, the Kingdom of God on this earth and then toward the end of that 1,000 years an incredible resurrection takes place and millions – millions, possibly billions; we don’t know, are a part of the God Family and the Kingdom of God on the earth and an incredible great resurrection where everybody who’s ever lived and died that has that opportunity, talking about the first 6,000 years, has the opportunity of being resurrected into a new age, a new world; talking about that final 100 years; a second time into a physical body and this is the time He’s talking about because this is when the thief gets resurrected and has life again.  It’s in that last hundred years.  This is when he has his opportunity.

So He says, “You’ll be with Me in paradise.”  ...in the hundred years.  It’s simple for us.  We understand it.  It’s amazing how confused the world is because they don’t understand the plan of God.

Going on in verse 44 - And it was about the sixth hour, it was about noon, and there was a darkness over all the earth until about three o’clock/the ninth hour.  So this is talking about the period of time there and what was taking place.

Let’s go back to Matthew 27 and continue with a flow of what we were reading.  Matthew 27:37 – it talks about this sign being set up; we read this over and over again here in the different books here... And set up over His head an accusation/His accusation, as we read there earlier.  Backing up here to verse 37 - THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.  Another place said, “Jesus of Nazareth.”

Verse 38 - Then were there two thieves crucified with Him, one on the right hand, and one on the left. And they that passed by hurled insults at Him, shaking their heads, and saying, You who destroy the temple, and build it in three days, so this story was spreading around, especially among those who didn’t believe that way, that loathed what He was doing and so forth and they liked to spread those things around amongst others and so others, it talks about, came by here.  Now they see Him, this individual, and some who’d even followed Him and believed and thought maybe He was the one; and all of a sudden now He’s up here dying.  Even the disciples... They didn’t know what was taking place and they scattered after He was dead.  They didn’t know what to do.  Fishermen... “What are we going to do?  We’re going to go back fishing I guess.  All of our hopes...what is the answer to all this?”  They didn’t have answers.  And so they were shaking their heads and throwing insults and said, You who destroy the temple, and build it in three days; save Yourself. Save Yourself!  If You be the Son of God, come down from this pole.  “Come down... If you’re really the Son of God then You can do this.”

Likewise all the chief priests mocked Him, with the scribes and the elders, you think about the heart of people.  It’s bad enough someone’s up there dying, but to mock and do the things they were doing and still have that hatred so deep inside their heart.  That’s an awesome thing to understand about human nature – how bad it can get, how evil people can become because of the way they grew up, because of their society.  And the reality is the Pharisees and the Sadducees; they were so steeped in some of their beliefs and ideas that their heart really, when it comes right down to it, was very evil. There are so many people in the world that see someone different than them and their heart is just evil toward them.  I think of different cultures, different societies, different places...right here in the United States, whose heart has been evil toward others in times past because of the way they grew up, because of what their parents taught them.  We have a history in this country of things that have happened to people and how people have treated others.  And some of those who grew up in the South, how they grew up, I’ve known of some individuals, I’ve known of some people because of the way their parents taught them, and because of their parents and how they taught them, they looked upon other people in a perverted and distorted way and treated them very cruelly.  And I think, “What a sick world!”  But this happens all around the world amongst people.

You think of how the Germans treated the Jews in WWII; not all of them. There were some who when they came to find out exactly how far things had gone...to this day...to this day there are people that have so changed their lives when they found out what had really happened.  But there are others who are still of that mindset.  And there were people of that time who had a particular mindset because of how they grew up and what they were taught.  There are different ones who’ve grown up in time that the problem with the world is the Jews!  They’re the bankers!  They’re the wealthy ones!  And God has blessed them as a people because they remain faithful to the Sabbath day.  The rest of Israel was scattered and they lost their identity; but the Jews never did and God did bless them when it came to certain traits, certain qualities, certain things that they had as a people.  And that’s why they’re looked down upon by a lot of different kinds of people in the world; because they have certain attributes, certain abilities.  Some very fine lawyers; some very fine financiers, bankers and so forth; because money means a lot but there are people who are so jealous, so hate that, and others...what they’ve seen in Europe.  Over and over again history has shown what’s happened to the Jews in Europe.  And why?

It’s like things that are passed down in Ireland; of why there’s certain feelings between Protestants and Catholics.  Why do they feel that way?  Because their parents taught them that way.  As little kids they grew up thinking about a different religion.  Both sides thinking about each other in a perverted, distorted way and when they grew up they taught their children faithfully the same prejudices, the same hatred; because the parents by this time had it so deep inside their heart and their mind.

Its sick how perverted, how evil man can be; and God has called people in the Church in different periods of time.  And I think of even things that I’ve seen in the time I’ve been in the Church... to change, to stop it, to stop the hypocrisy, to stop the prejudice.  And sometimes it takes some time in your life before you come to a point where you being to realize the prejudice you have and things you’ve been taught in community, or by parents that have been passed down from generation to generation to generation.  See, some people have done a very good job of that, of passing certain prejudices down through generations through people.  Or it’s just a matter of the society in a particular part of the country or the world that you might live in and why you think a certain way.  I don’t care where you go in the world, there are people who have great prejudices about the neighbour next door.  I don’t mean the neighbour next door in the same city, (and sometimes even that’s a problem), I’m talking about the neighbour next door in the next country over because some of the things that have happened through history have never been forgotten.  They get passed down.

We went into this place to get a cup of coffee (and it wasn’t Starbucks) and a woman there had this accent and it was European but I couldn’t place what country.  Both Laura and I were wondering what it was because a lot of times when we hear different people we try to figure out where they’re from and ask them what part of the world, we try to guess sometimes and sometimes we hit it and sometimes we don’t.  Anyway, she asked us to guess, I think if I remember the story correctly here, and I told her it sounds to me a little bit like someplace in northern Europe, I don’t know exactly, I said... basically what was coming to mind was German.  There was a little bit of a German twang in there.  She says, “I’m French.”  She said, “But I grew up in an area of France that has German, and a German accent in the French.”  There’s a bit of a German accent if you get closer to the German border.  And she said, “We kind of have a joke amongst ourselves that we’re just always trying to be ready, not knowing who’s going to be taking over at any particular time.  If the Germans come we have a bit of a German accent.”  And they live their way, their life that way in that part of Europe and that’s kind of how they thought.

But amazing here, again, the feelings, the prejudices, things that people grow up with that mould your mind and have a great impact upon you in the way you think.  And then when God calls you into the Church you have certain battles all your life!  There are certain nationality traits… just like men; male traits.  There are women; certain female traits.  Certain traits that we all have as human beings and the reality is we have to get rid of the ones that are wrong and the prejudices of how we think in some things that are wrong.  Just like we talk about breaking the curse.  That’s a biggie.  That’s a biggie!  Because it’s just a normal natural thing of human nature that’s so easily passed down and has been through every society on this earth.

Tell you where my heart goes out to certain ones I look... I can’t imagine how hard it’s going to be and how long it’s going to take to help some people change...and that’s certain women in the world who think that this is how their supposed to be: to camouflage your whole body and to live life that way and to be able to see through clothing just a little bit out into the world because of what they have to wear, what they think they have to wear, how they think they have to be, how they think they have to be toward a man.  You think, “No you don’t.  You have freedom coming that you don’t even begin to comprehend.  You’ll start getting your mind cleaned up.”  Because they have to have their minds cleaned up.  Not just the men; the women have to have their minds cleaned up that this isn’t the way it’s supposed to be.  You’re not supposed to be that way.  You’re not supposed to think that way.  You’re not supposed to have that kind of a mindset.  Sick, sick, sick world and it’s going to take so long for some.  That’s why I understand in a deep way what Mr. Armstrong said.  It’s going to take 3-4 generations for people to get rid of things that aren’t passed down through family’s anymore, to get rid of all that garbage.  It’s going to take that long into the Millennium to get a lot of cleansing done in people’s minds and lives that’s going to carry through. Just because you live in a new age and a new world doesn’t mean all of a sudden you’re a different person.  On the contrary; prejudices in families and the way people think is still going to be there that you can’t help and certain things are going to be taught to your children – in the Millennium! That you’re going to teach them some of your prejudices – some of you sitting here today!  Your children and those that are born in the Millennium are going to learn traits from you that aren’t right.  You say, “How can that be?”  It is!  Because of what you have been taught; by what you have been given in time.  And so it takes time to weed those things out.

Mr. Waterhouse; those of you who knew of him; he used to go around talking in different areas of how it’s going to take time in the Millennium for God to get the Australian out of the Australians, the Canadian out of the Canadians, the American out of the Americans... speaking of the United States.  And on and on it goes, different countries and different nationalities...takes time to get that out of you.  It’s going to take time to get some of the attitudes that people have about a democracy out of people, patriotism out of people.  It doesn’t work, it’s not right, it’s not of God.  Politics and all the garbage that goes with it.

We’ll start in Matthew 27:37 next Sabbath.

To me, this is very inspiring, a very exciting process to go through here and I hope we don’t just take it as a story and kind of ho-hum.  Sometimes we do.  But if anyone has any kind of feeling like that don’t let that get in your heart and mind because these are some of the most important things that we’ve been going through in this series here that man has to come to understand in a spiritual light – not in a sleepy time story that Traditional Christianity has taught, but in the truth and in the marvel and the power that God Almighty waited so long to fulfill.  He waited so long for this period of time that we’re going through in this book.  God Almighty waited so long for those days to come to pass and that’s why they’re so profound and so awesome when you go through and read the stories – especially when you see what He moulded and fashioned in the world at that time, to bring it all to pass and to fulfill His word in the prophecies that He gave.

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