4 Oct (Matt 27:45-54)

The Gospels: Open Graves and the Veil Torn

Matthew 27:45-54

(v.45) This was in the morning hours, when there was normally daylight. Even if it was a cloudy and rainy day, there was light. This darkness was supernatural. As we saw in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was sweating blood because He knew He would be separated from the Father for the ONLY TIME in eternity! This was that time...three hours of hell for Jesus only because He and the Father love us so much!

(v.46) Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?...My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?

If we read Psalm 22:1 David says the same thing here...why? First of all, we can at least suggest that the Son was grieved to be without the Father for three hours. But there was more to this...what?

In Psalm 22, David writes as if he is on a cross being crucified...David was led by the Holy Spirit to write this for this very moment!

In those days, at the end of a teaching by the Rabbi, he would read aloud the upcoming lesson's first verse, and it was the people's jobs to read that for background for the next lesson.

So here is Jesus pointing us to Psalm 22...a book written hundreds of years prior, that perfectly describes what Jesus is going through on the cross! Coincidence? I think not!

(v.50) Man can't kill God...only God can give up His Spirit. Jesus gave it up for all of us! In the other gospels, Jesus says, It is finished! Jesus accomplished the task of taking our place and our sins for us...thank you Jesus!

(v.51) Once Jesus died on the cross, a great earthquake shook the land. If you saw the Passion of the Christ, it does a good job of depicting this. However, what it didn't do, was the most important thing...the veil was torn in two...from top to bottom! Why is that important?

When God instructed Moses to build the Tabernacle, there was a veil of linen and cloth that became the partition of the Holy of Holies...only the High Priest could go in there on behalf of the people. In this case, that was Moses.

The same thing happened with the Temple built by Solomon. Once a year, the High Priest would go into the Holy of Holies and sprinkle lamb's blood on the Ark of the Covenant and the Mercy Seat. The High Priest did this on behalf of all the people for forgiveness of sins. Heb 9:25

This veil of linen and cloth was 18 inches thick! For it to be torn would be impossible for anyone except for God! Also take notice that it was ripped from top to bottom...this is symbolic in that God was giving access to us. Before, man had to have an intercessor, a priest, go to God for us. But now, since Jesus died for our sins, those of us who are washed in His blood by our faith, we can directly pray to the Father!

(v.52) This must have been quite a show! People that were known to be dead for years are all of a sudden walking around! This is a prelude to the last days 1 Cor 15:22 when all will be raised from the dead for judgment...the faithful to the Bema Seat of Christ, and the unfaithful to the Great White Throne of Judgement. Rev 20:11

(v.53) Notice that they came out AFTER Christ's resurrection...Jesus was resurrected first, and then because of that, we are as well.

(v.54) Sometimes it takes an earthquake in our lives to bring us to believe in Jesus! That is one of the reasons there are evil and terrible things in this life...to draw us to Good...Jesus!

30 June (Ezekiel 17-20)

Ezekiel 17

This parable is speaking about how God would take the cream of the crop from Israel and take them to Babylon...Daniel and his friends are among those. The King of Judah was supposed to obey this prophecy, but he called upon Egypt to save him. Because of that, the Egyptians didn't help him, and King Zedekiah was taken by Babylon by force.

(v.22) The good news is that God always has a remnant that He works through for His purposes. Daniel and his friends would obey God's Word and become fruitful servants of God.

Ezekiel 18

I love teaching this to my kids! I show them that God will judge each of us as individuals, and they won't be judged by my sins, or anyone else's sins. This is one of the keys to capitalism and the republic of America. We are individuals that work together for good. Never has a government done good for the individual...only its brought power and wickedness upon the masses instead.

(v.30) The Gospel of Jesus is shown here...if we turn to God and what He did for us to have salvation, then we will indeed live!!! Thank you Jesus!!!

Ezekiel 20

(v.12) God made the Law and the Sabbaths so the Jews would remember what He did for them. Sadly, they go through the motions instead of truly worshipping Him for His faithfulness. We can fall into the same trap if we're not careful. I try to take at least one moment a day and thank God for His many blessings upon me and my family. Most of all, I thank Him for His Son, who died so that I may live! Rom 5:19

25 May (Amos 5-9)

Amos 5

(v.6) God wants us to choose Him, and to choose everlasting life. He reminds us in the famous John 3:16 and many other places. Instead of focusing on the destruction to be brought upon the wicked who reject God, I like to have my kids focus on the never ending patience of God, and His deep desire to have all of us choose Him.

(v.15) I teach my kids that it's right to hate evil. It's right to defend good and fight the wicked, but we always need to be in prayer, and let the LORD fight our battles. Then, if He uses us in the battle, then we are empowered to be victorious!

(v.18) The Day of the LORD will be wonderful for those that love and serve God, but it will be a terrible day for those that have rejected Him. I teach my kids to be that loving friend who tells them about the LORD, and show them His love by serving and loving others.

(v.21) In a way, we can get a glimpse of what God is saying here, if we think of Christmas. When we were young, we sang Christmas carols at school, had a play, and the whole month we talked about the reason for Christmas...Christ! But now, it's just a marketing scheme. Even though I stress the reason for the season with my kids, they can't help being exposed to Santa, elves, Frosty and other things that take the focus off of Jesus.

God wants obedience and devotion...not robotic rituals without heart.

Amos 6

(v.6) Like Hosea, we can see the state of Israel mirrors America today. Most of the rich don't walk with God, for they have let their pride convince them that they EARNED their riches. Of course, we work and earn our pay, but it all comes from the LORD, and if we don't acknowledge that, it can quickly disappear.

We should desire to have enough money to feed our families, have a nice modest home, and life a moderate lifestyle. I read what Solomon said in Proverbs 30:8-9 to show my kids what we should seek:

Give me neither poverty nor riches - feed me with the food allotted to me. Lest I be full and deny You and say "Who is the LORD?" Or lest I be poor and steal, and profane the name of my God.

Amos 7

(v.15) I love how Amos responds to the king when told to leave...he shares his witness! Amos was a commoner...a farmer and shepherd. But he boldly stood his ground, since He knew that the LORD was with him...this is profitable for our kids.

Amos was following God, and letting God work through Him...that's what all of us should desire in life!

Amos 8

(v.11) I came to see that God used the Jews to reveal Himself to the world. He gave the Jews the Scriptures, and dwelt with them to establish His plan of redemption for all mankind. It's important to show our kids that God disciplines Israel for their disobedience, and He will do the same to us if we don't obey. Now, if we really think about it, obeying God is not a bad thing. We still have fun, love and enjoy life, but there is a sacrifice required...our pride. If we are to truly be His, then we need to die to our old self and let God live through us. Rom 14:8

Amos 9

(v.8) God sees all, and He doesn't forget. We are doomed to hell if we try to work out our own salvation, or entrust it in a church or mortal man. God loves us so much, that He willingly suffered and died for us, and paid our penalty of sin for us. All He asks in return is to choose to love and serve Him.

(v.11) With all the destruction described, we see the end of the story for Israel...God will save them and restore them. This is much like our own lives, for we are doomed by sin, but God saves us by His Son, and we are restored by His blood!

22 May (Hosea 1-7)

The book of Hosea is the first of what is called the Minor Prophets. Of course, this doesn't mean their messages are little, but their books are not as long as some other ones like Ezekiel, Isaiah and Jeremiah.

Hosea was a contemporary of Amos, Isaiah and Micah, but Hosea prophesied in the Northern Kingdom, and saw it fall to the Assyrians.

The name Hosea means Salvation in Hebrew, so when you hear Hosanna in songs of worship, it means Save Us.

Hosea focuses on the love of Israel in God, and how God so wants the people to return to Him. We will see some typology here with Hosea and his wife Gomer...it depicts the love of God to us undeserving and rebellious people He created.

Hosea 1

(v.2) God has Hosea take a harlot for a wife, and tells Hosea what is going to happen to his children. How many of us would go through with that, knowing how bad it was going to turn out? Hosea is a man we should admire and emulate. His faith was great.

Here we see the children's names, and their names mean what God is going to do with Israel:

Jezreel ~ means Scattered, and the valley where God is going to give the Northern Kingdom of Isreal to Assyria

Lo-Ruhamah ~ her name means Unloved, and God is going to hold His mercy upon Israel for their idolatry and fornication.

Lo-Ammi ~ Her name means Not My People and this is a sign to all of us, that if we reject Him and push Him away, He will grant our wish and keep us from Him for eternity.

Hosea 2

We can see the imagery here, where the wife of Hosea, Gomer, is a harlot, and she is a type of Israel in their idolatry and fornication. God is showing Israel's fate by His Word to Hosea.

(v.7) God shows us that Israel will eventually return to God, and that will be in the Great Tribulation, where they finally accept and see that Yeshua is their Messiah!

(v.13) God allows hardships to befall on us, especially if that's what it will take to bring us back to Him. He is our refuge, and sooner or later, we will remember that. Unfortunately for Israel, she will not remember until the last days.

(v.16) This is more typology of the Bridegroom (Jesus) and His bride (all believers in His Church).

(v.23) After God has retrieved His Church, He will focus again on Israel, and they will be once again His people, and they will call Him their God.

Hosea 3

(v.4) Many scholars believe this verse and chapter describes the Diaspora, where after the Romans sacked Jerusalem in 70 AD, all the Jews went all over the earth. They don't have a Temple to this day to do their Mosaic rituals. But one day, after Yeshua has returned, they will do them again!

Hosea 4

The Northern Kingdom had immense wealth, vast lands, and much power...but as God says in verse one, they didn't have love, and they didn't know their God. I tremble when I read this, since I believe the USA has gone the same route. We are the great Superpower, but we are empty and without God, we are lost.

Hosea 5

(v.15) This is an important verse...God is speaking of Himself, in the person of Jesus.

I will return again to My place till they acknowledge their offense.

Who else but Jesus, came from heaven to earth and returned? Notice that God says offense in the singular...He is not holding onto their many daily sins, but the one sin that separates them and us from Him...the acceptance of His Son!

Then they will seek My face, in their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.

Not until the Great Tribulation will Israel as a group of people seek Jesus. They will finally see and acknowledge their denial, and cry out to God. Then the Father will say to His Son, "Go get 'em" and save Israel!!!

Hosea 6

(v.1) God allows us to hurt and have trials, but He will mend us and use them to make us stronger. I remind my kids, that when we tear a muscle, when it heals, it ends up being stronger than before. This is the same with God using trials to mold us to what He wants us to be.

(v.2) This is a verse that applies to Jesus in the grave, and shows us the timing of God. We often want God to help us NOW, but He does it when it's the right time, and never too late. The body starts to decay in the grave on the fourth day, so that's why Jesus was raised on the third day, and Israel will be saved before they are wiped out.

(v.6) God desires love and obedience more than rituals and sacrifices. If our hearts are with Him, then we will act accordingly...not the other way around.

Hosea 7

(v.3) We get the leaders we deserve. I believe our current President is the result of our apathy and rejection as a nation of God. If we don't repent and put God first, then we will get more of the same from our leaders.

(v.14) This whole book is a mirror image of America...we have pushed God out of all our institutions, and we seek the wisdom and leadership of man. The United Nations is the Tower of Babel of our time, and we will have the same fate if we don't repent and return to God.