22/01/11

Denying the resurrection of Jesus

Matthew 28:11-15
11 Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city, and told unto the chief priests all the things that were come to pass.
12 And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave much money unto the soldiers,
13 saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept.
14 And if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and rid you of care.
15 So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying was spread abroad among the Jews, and continueth until this day.



Last time when Dr. Ron Charles was in Mumbai after he finished his sharing during the open hour he asked people if they had any queries. At this time I wanted to confirm historically something which the Lord had taught me and that was to do the time between Jesus getting arrested and the time of His crucifixion. The church believes it was on Thursday He was arrested and the next day He was crucified.

Dr. Ron confirmed there was recording by historians with details as to what transpired with Jesus throughout those 4 to 5 days. All these were censored from the movie 'Passion of Christ' which he scripted because they could not show all these events to the general public, if had it been done the movie would have possibly got an 'NC-17' or 'R' rating. This meeting was for only Pastors and the elders of a Church and when they heard this it surprised them and the leader of this Church agreed that they need to study more and rethink on the traditional believes they follow. These words were music to my ears and joy to my heart.

In today's message we read how the Jewish church tried to deny the resurrection of Jesus by giving money to the guards to tell lies so as to deny Jesus' resurrection. What may surprise you is that even today we have a church that does not deny the resurrection of Jesus directly but denies the purpose of resurrection and thus indirectly it does deny.

This church celebrates 'Ash Wednesday' 40 days before Good Friday (the day they assume as the day of Jesus' crucifixion). On this day they put ashes on the foreheads of every person of the congregation and say 'from ash you came unto ash you go'. They do not know that they are mocking the resurrection of Jesus by doing this. Like their elder sister the Jewish church not with money but with lies denying the purpose of Jesus' resurrection.

It is an irony that man has not understood resurrection, including many Believer Christians.

Resurrection is not coming back to life. On our earthly death our spirit does not die but continues to live, our earthly life is just a very, very small fraction of our spirit life. It also does not mean coming back to the body in which it was in. If the Spirit of Jesus had come back to the body which it went from, people who saw Him after resurrection and before crucifixion would have immediately recognized Him and those who did not would have been sacred and ran.

Records state that Jesus was beaten and wounded so much all over that He was not recognizable as a human. Also if Jesus came in a new body then why was only the wound on the hands existing, why did they not heal like the other wounds?

Resurrection is not to do with coming back to life but means the cancellation of the curse of God. When man sinned God had cursed man that not only his body but would perish but even his spirit would perish. God had made man to live eternally with Him and therefore had given him access to the Tree of Life. But after sin God condemned man to Hell (prison) to suffer for his sins and to perish there till the end of his spirit life.

What Jesus did by His sacrifice was take the curse on Himself and made peace between God and man and therefore on the day of the Peace Sacrifice He confirmed the breaking of the curse. Now man who believes in Him instead of going to Hell would sleep in Him (bosom of Abraham / Grave) and enter Heaven after Judgment when He comes back again to punish the fallen angels and receive us.

By putting ash on the foreheads these so called followers of Christ deny the main cause of Jesus Christ. They believe the curse still continues and Jesus did not make peace between God and man. Their words say something and their actions something else. The door of Heaven open of us they deny it and therefore God says these goats will not enter Heaven but only the sheep will.


[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord Jesus, by your sacrifice You became our sacrifice and our curse of death You took on You. By your sacrifice You made peace been God and man. This You confirmed by your appearing as again to man. Lord we pray that at least now let the eyes of your Church open to what You achieved by your sacrifice and let your people receive in abundance all that You have made available for them...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference Scripture ]
Genesis 2:7-8
7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
8 And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.
9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 3:17-19
17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

Matthew 25:31-33
31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.


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