Creation, Both Old and New
And he spake also a parable unto them; No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old. (Luke 5:36)
And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. (Luke 5:37)
But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved. (Luke 5:38)
No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better. (Luke 5:39)
John 2:the third day
And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: (John 2:1)
And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. (John 2:2)
And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. (John 2:3)
Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. (John 2:4)
His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. (John 2:5)
And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. (John 2:6)
Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. (John 2:7)
And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it. (John 2:8)
When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, (John 2:9)
And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now. (John 2:10)
Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old. (Matthew 13:52)
I am my beloved’s, and his desire is toward me. (Song of Songs 7:10)
Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field; let us lodge in the villages. (Song of Songs 7:11)
Let us get up early to the vineyards; let us see if the vine flourish, whether the tender grape appear, and the pomegranates bud forth: there will I give thee my loves. (Song of Songs 7:12)
The mandrakes give a smell, and at our gates are all manner of pleasant fruits, new and old, which I have laid up for thee, O my beloved. (Song of Songs 7:13)
And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. (Genesis 1:3)
And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. (Genesis 1:4)
And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. (Genesis 1:5)
The New You
The divine Scriptures speak for themselves by the Holy Spirit of God, and it is the Spirit of God who brings before us things old and things new. Every Christian, when he is born of the Spirit of God, feels not only the presence of God’s divine Spirit in Jesus Christ, but the burden of his sin nature and sins are lifted from him. In the new creation, the new wine is not put in an old bottle, nor is a new patch put on an old garment. The old Adam was taken from the earth, he was earthly, created from the dust of the ground. The new Man, Christ Jesus, came from heaven’s glory, and came with divine power and majesty. The Lord Jesus has created a whole new race that is not of Adam. This is one of the greatest secrets that the ecclesia does not want you to know. Christ didn’t come merely to replace Adam, but to create a whole new man in Himself, and this was done by the power of His resurrection. This power of resurrection is a heavenly power, it is not of the earth; and this heavenly power of resurrection has power over what was of the earth. Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; (Romans 1:3) And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:(Romans 1:4). In death, man surrendered himself to both sin and death, for death takes all men, and it takes man because of sin, and death (as we well know) has passed upon every man. The resurrected man, Jesus Christ, is not of the earth. He was not tainted by sin, nor ever could be. He is the glorious God and the Creator of the new you. Old things have passed away, and behold, all things have become new.
In God’s plan of creation, that is, what we see upon the earth, in it’s pristine condition came first. And when all was ready, God took dust of the ground, and created man (called, Adam). This man from the dust could not claim heaven, for he was of the earth, and created from the earth. And when Adam sinned, he brought sin into the world, and death by sin. Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:(Romans 5:12). And in the fulness of time, God sent forth His Son into the world.
But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, (Galatians 4:4)
To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. (Galatians 4:5)
And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. (Galatians 4:6)
The New Wine
In the fulness of time, God sent forth His Son not to merely replace Adam, but to create a whole new divine Man. This Man would be from heaven, and His name would be Jesus Christ. There was not one shred of Adam upon, within, or around Him. He was the Man from heaven. He was the Holy of Holies. He was the Priest and the Sacrifice. He was all to God the Father, and would uphold all things by the word of His power. He replaced the old by creating a whole new Man. This was new wine, and because He waited for the fulness of time, the new wine was far superior to the old wine. This wine came from God’s divine power. It was the water of God’s holiness that was made wine. It was by God’s divine power that this wine was created. Divine power, and divine creation needs not a period of fermentation. God brings forth that good part, and that good part is in Himself. The new creation of being born of the Spirit of God is not by the power of man, or by the might of man, but by the Spirit of God. For as many as received Him, to them gave He the power of the Spirit of God to become the sons of God; which were born not of blood, or the will of the flesh, or the will of man, but of the Spirit of the Almighty God.
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: (1 Peter 2:9)
Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. (2 Peter 1:4)
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, (1 Peter 1:3)
In
Adam was created out of the dust by God, we, as Christians, have been created in God. You need to pay attention right now: this can be a revelation, if you allow it to enter into your heart. Even though the Lord Jesus is the Creator of all things, and we must agree that He is our Creator; in the new birth, the new creation, we are not created merely by, but in Christ. This created being that God has created is created in the Man in heaven, Jesus Christ. We take on the divine nature in heaven, and that divine nature sustains us here on earth. We are partakers of the divine nature because Christ is God, and we are in Him in heaven, and He is in us on earth. The Gospel of John continually witnesses to this divine nature within the children of God. As the Lord Jesus said, I in them, and they in me.
Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. (John 15:3)
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. (John 15:4)
I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. (John 15:5)
And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. (John 17:11)
I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. (John 17:15)
They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. (John 17:16)
The Scriptures above show us the heavenly results of being born again. Remember, we in this new creation are not of this world. Adam was constrained by the earth; so we are constrained by heaven. To be in Christ is to be where He is, and that is heaven. And for Christ to be in us, Christ has to be where we are. If you can reason this out, as Christ breathes in heaven, I breathe with Him. As I breathe on earth, Christ breathes within me.
Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. (John 3:7)
The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. (John 3:8)
Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? (John 3:9)
Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? (John 3:10)
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. (John 3:11)
If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? (John 3:12)
And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. (John 3:13)
How can these things be?
Heavenly things are not comprehended by Adam because the spirit of man is connected to the earth. In our modern age, we hear the preaching of the cross, tell me, why is the Christ of the cross always connected to the earth and to earthly things? How many times have you heard the wonderful preaching of the Man in glory at the right hand of God. Could it be, that the preachers of this world are doing just that, preaching the world, and not the heavenly glories of Christ. The Lord Jesus told Nicodemus, If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? Why is this so? It is the battle between the flesh and the Spirit. This battle is documented by the apostle Paul in Galatians 4:22-29.
For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. (Galatians 4:22)
But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. (Galatians 4:23)
Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. (Galatians 4:24)
For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. (Galatians 4:25)
But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. (Galatians 4:26)
For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. (Galatians 4:27)
Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. (Galatians 4:28)
But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. (Galatians 4:29)
We also, have the exact words of the Lord Jesus in John 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. This gives us a divine definition of the difference between flesh and Spirit. From Galatians we have the flesh portrayed as the hindrance and the opposition of Ishmael. This not only takes in Ishmael, but we battle within ourselves, and the Spirit of Christ battles with the spirit of the flesh. The world, the flesh, and the devil in John’s epistle is to remind us daily of the battle that we are in. Remember: it was Adam who brought this battle to man by his sin, and it was Adam who surrendered his life to death because of sin. The Lord Jesus came in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin condemned sin in the flesh on the cross. Do we really understand that this death of the Lord Jesus was also the complete death of Adam. Adam was taken out of the way, and a whole new Man was about to come forth.
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: (Philippians 2:5)
Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: (Philippians 2:6)
But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: (Philippians 2:7)
And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. (Philippians 2:8)
For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. (Hebrews 2:10)
For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, (Hebrews 2:11)
Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. (Hebrews 2:12)
And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me. (Hebrews 2:13)
Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; (Hebrews 2:14)
And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. (Hebrews 2:15)
For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. (Hebrews 2:16)
Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. (Hebrews 2:17)
The Old man and the New Man
In the divine plan of redemption, the old man, Adam, had to be taken away. And the new Man, the Man from heaven had to be given dominion over all things. This new Man is divine, He is of heaven, and He is heavenly. It stands to reason that this heavenly Being, in creating a whole new race, would want those who He created to have the same heavenly thoughts as He has.
Set your affection on things above, on the Man in heaven at the right hand of God, and desire His divine thoughts, and power through the Holy Spirit of God. For the Spirit of God has the power within our spirit to take us to the very place that He is, and that is in heaven. Again, I refer to John, Chapter 3, verse 13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. The Lord is proclaiming to Nicodemus His omnipresence, that while on earth, He has complete heavenly thoughts, and heavenly presence. The heavenly thoughts and presence was an outpouring of His Person through the Man, Jesus Christ. While Christ walked on His earth, God was working in Christ on earth; now, Christ is working in heaven to the earth; yes, He is omnipresent. We should see this in the fact that Christ dwells in every believer. In my own thoughts, I see Him more present than in the Gospel of John, for He is present in every believer, and each and every believer makes up His body. Does He deny this? No, it is the world, the flesh, and the devil that denies this; therefore, we through the divine writings before us, inspired by the Godhead, believe the truth of these heavenly things, who do you choose to believe? The Man in heaven with all power and majesty, or the man of dust of the earth, earthly.
The Origin or the Beginning of the Gospel
When we consider the gospel, we must first consider it’s origin. It’s origin was written and engaged by the divine Godhead before the foundations of the world. The good news comes from heaven, Christ died for my sin, and sins, and I am a new creation in Him. By Him being a heavenly Man, Christ has brought me, and bought me to Himself by His precious blood of redemption. He, Himself, has broken the chains of sin on the cross. He has vanquished death on the cross. He destroyed the works of the devil on the cross. Then, with the glorious majesty of His power, He fulfilled Genesis 1:3-5.
The Unfolded of Genesis 1:3-5 in . . . . . .
And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. (Genesis 1:3)
And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. (Genesis 1:4)
And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. (Genesis 1:5)
. . . . . . The Two Witnesses: Two Men and the Two Testaments
And, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a counsellor; and he was a good man, and a just: (Luke 23:50)
(The same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them;) he was of Arimathaea, a city of the Jews: who also himself waited for the kingdom of God. (Luke 23:51)
This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. (Luke 23:52)
And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid. (Luke 23:53)
When the body of the Lord was taken down from the cross, it was not by the world of Rome, nor was the Lord Jesus taken down by the collective body of the Jews; God had prepared two witnesses, the last two witnesses of the death of Christ. These two witnesses would not only be a witness to the death of Christ, but a fulfillment of the prophetic word, Isaiah 53:9. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. We see the fulfillment of God’s holy word written in God’s divine book before the foundation of the earth.
But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. (John 19:34)
And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe. (John 19:35)
For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken. (John 19:36)
And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced. (John 19:37)
The Two Appointed Men of Witness
And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus. (John 19:38)
And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight. (John 19:39)
Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury. (John 19:40)
Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid. (John 19:41)
Both these men (Nicodemus, and Joseph of Arimathaea) were appointed of God. The precision of God’s word: in Genesis, the man Joseph was a savior of the world. This connects the name ‘Joseph’ with the ‘fruitful bough’ of Genesis 49:22. It also connects Joseph with John, Chapter 4, for in the parcel of land that Jacob gave to Joseph there was a well, and this well was called Jacob’s well. This is where the water of life was delivered to the Samaritan woman, and became a well of water of life springing up within her. Arimathaea means ‘height or rise above’: see how God works. Is not the One who is being laid in the tomb going to rise above all men?
Then we have the name Nicodemus, could it be that God wants us to go to John, Chapter 3, and make sure that we understand that a man must be born again. The name Nicodemus means ‘conqueror’: conqueror of the people. The definition is very similar to that of the Nicolaitans that is recorded in Revelation, Chapter 2. In Revelation, Chapter 2, the Nicolaitans were against the things of Christ in the church. It was the Nicolaitans who usurped the Christians right to worship and to serve God according to God’s written word. It was the Nicolaitans who caused the division within the body of Christ by forming a clergy/laymen system. Nicodemus came to Jesus by night, and Christ filled him with light; he wrapped the dead body of the One who would be conqueror over death, and who would give light and to His people (Israel), and to the Gentiles: the Light and the Savior.
The Two Witnesses at the Beginning of Life and at the End of Life
These two men were the last two witnesses of Adam’s race. They were sent by God to bury a King. This King had given His life for His people. This was also the last witness of God the Father before the tomb was sealed. It would be the burial of a King, and God the Father would supply the two men to be that witness.
As an infant, God sent two witness to be a witness for His Son. In the Gospel of Luke, we have the infant, the Son of God, in the Temple of God, and the two witnesses were Simeon, and Anna. Both these witnesses were not only sent, but they were waiting for the consolation of Israel; that God would not only deliver the Gentiles out of darkness, but would also save His people, Israel, for Himself. At the tomb we see both Joseph and Nicodemus as they finished their work and their labor of love, somewhere in their hearts was there not an Amen. Did man merely see the works of man in the death of the Lord Jesus, would they say within themselves with a sad note of despair, It is finished.
At this point in time, what could be their comprehension of what was about to take place. The man (Nicodemus) was told so much of this new creation, this new life, of being born anew into the very presence of God Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. did they look at each other and say, Amen. Did they comprehend the finished work of Christ? Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? For the child of God today, we have the entire canon of Scripture given to us by the Spirit of God that the eyes of our understanding would be opened, and our souls would be enlightened to all that God the Son has done for us. In our divine understanding death is swallowed up in victory. We can look into the face of death, and say, O death where is thy sting, O grave, where is thy victory?
A King is Buried
And they buried him in his own sepulchres, which he had made for himself in the city of David, and laid him in the bed which was filled with sweet odours and divers kinds of spices prepared by the apothecaries’ art: and they made a very great burning for him. (2 Chronicles 16:14)
I only use this one verse to show the means and the provision for burying a king of Judah. I am in no way comparing Asa to the Lord, it is merely the process of Asa’s burial that we might receive further light in the burial process of the Lord Jesus. God the Father wants us to see the process, it was God the Father that sent the chosen men, it was not Rome who took Jesus down from the cross, but chosen vessels of God the Father. It is God the Father who proclaimed that the Lord Jesus came to be a King. Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. (John 18:37)
Born to be a King
In Matthew, He was born to be a King; He came to be a King, and He, the Son of God, was rejected as King. He was tried by Rome as a king, for Rome declared to the Jews, Behold, your King! He was crucified as King, for Rome had place a sign over His head, that this was Jesus, the King of the Jews. And now, He would be buried as a King. Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews? (Mark 15:9) What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the King of the Jews? (Mark 15:12) And began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews! (Mark 15:18) And the superscription of his accusation was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS. (Mark 15:26) and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King! (John 19:14) Can we really understand this great travesty of man? Where is the heavy heart of man? Where is the repentance of this world? Each and every man born of woman contributed to this travesty of sin, and the death of the Lord Jesus. Only God the Father has cried out, This is my beloved Son, here ye Him. This is the message of today: that you should open your eyes and your ears to the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ; that you might behold, the King of kings, and the Lord of lords.
The Conquered and The Conqueror
The Lord of life was wrapped in grave linen clothes and a napkin about his head, and placed on a bed of spices. (Matthew 27:29; Mark 15:46; Luke 23:53; John 20:7) As the two witnesses leave the tomb, a stone is rolled in place. It was not Joseph, nor Nicodemus, but Rome (the heart of man) (the power of man) (the kingdom of man) that set the stone, and sealed the tomb by all the power of Rome (the greatest power of man at that time). The Roman seal could not be broken. If a man dared to, there would be swift justice, and that justice would be death. It is not written in the Scriptures, but somehow, you see the mind of the Spirit, in this last action of man sealing the tomb we understand man’s final thought of Christ. Could a man have been so bold that he could think that he conquered God? Could he say to himself, We are no longer under God’s authority? Could it be that man now proclaims his sovereignty over the earth?
Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? (Psalm 2:1)
The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, (Psalm 2:2)
Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. (Psalm 2:3)
He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. (Psalm 2:4)
The Reward – A Great Fire – A Great Burning
Do we not see the boasting of man’s brash statements against God also in our age? How man boasts in his vanity and pride of his accomplishments, and has not one thought of his divine Creator. Rome sealed the sepulchre of Judah’s last King. Did the thought go through the mind of Pilate that the Jews now where completely in Roman hands. The Jews did not even see their defeat by the Romans, in fact, they facilitated their own defeat with the words, We have no king but Caesar. They surrendered all with those sad, but truthful words. The sepulchre was sealed, could the Romans and the Jews ever find peace again ? The answer would be, No! All that the Jews cherished would be taken away by the Romans. A great fire would destroy Herod’s temple, and a great fire would destroy Rome!
The Blessing – A Great Light
And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. (Genesis 1:3)
And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. (Genesis 1:4)
And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. (Genesis 1:5)
The body of Jesus was sealed in darkness, all around Him was the darkness of the deep; as was the darkness upon the face of the deep in Genesis 1. We have very little of this three day period; yet, heaven was not quiet. Heaven was not done, in fact, in the quiet darkness, God was about to send forth the greatest ray of light that man would ever behold. Christ’s resurrection from the dead was the greatest light ever to illuminate the world. All was quiet outside the sepulchre while Christ descended and led captivity captive.
Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; (Ephesians 3:8)
And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: (Ephesians 3:9)
To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, (Ephesians 3:10)
Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Ephesians 4:8)
(Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? (Ephesians 4:9)
He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) (Ephesians 4:10)
The Creator of all things was not sleeping. From the tomb God was performing the greatest work for His creature, man. He was fulfilling His promises to man, that a Redeemer would come out of the woman, and would bruise Satan’s head. This Redeemer would destroy all the works of the devil, and would deliver man from the chains of his sin. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.(Isaiah 53:11) The body of the Lord Jesus was at rest: the seconds, minutes, and the hours of darkness passed, and great was the darkness. His body was placed upon a stone, and He who was the chief corner stone. As the stillness of the darkness of the grave and death was around Him, even then, one could say, that He was the Light of man. According to John 1, He was the Light of man, and according to John 8, He was the light of the world.
Every grain of sand was counted in the fullness of time, and the hour glass was now empty. It is all of God and not man, for God has sent a divine Being in His Son to die for man. God has sent an angelic being (and not man) with power to roll away the stone to break the seal of Rome. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. (Matthew 28:2) What a simple description, and yet, all the powers of heaven were being brought to pass. Rolling away the stone, how profound, like a curtain being drawn back on a stage. The great ray of resurrection light now came into the world. For greater was this light than that of Genesis, Chapter 1. And great was the message:
He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. (Matthew 28:6)　
And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him. (Mark 16:6)
He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, (Luke 24:6)
He is not here, He is risen. This phrase He is not here, He is risen occurs only three times in the entire canon of Scripture. Three, the number of the completeness of the Godhead in all His perfection. Man had no part in this wonderful proclamation, or in it’s process, or in it’s completion, or in it’s totality, it was all of God. No preacher, no prophet, no evangelist, no teacher, God declared it from heaven by His holy angels. And there was no doubt that Jesus Christ, the King of the Jews had risen from the dead.
Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: (1 Peter 1:8)
Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:9)
Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: (1 Peter 1:10)
Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. (1 Peter 1:11)
Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into. (1 Peter 1:12)
Now unto us, at the end of this age, the Spirit of God speaks expressly. We have a volume, in the canon of Scripture that has been written and preserved of God, in which, the Holy Ghost has displayed unto us the full purpose of His redemptive power, and how that power was displayed and accomplished for man.
Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. (Luke 24:1)
And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. (Luke 24:2)
And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. (Luke 24:3)
And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: (Luke 24:4)
And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? (Luke 24:5)
He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, (Luke 24:6)
Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.(Luke 24:7)
And they remembered his words, (Luke 24:8)
The Two Greatest Messages to the World was Delivered by Angels
In the Gospel of Luke, we have two announcements by angels. This is the first of two of the greatest messages to mankind. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.(Luke 2:10) For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:11) It was an announcement that a Savior is born.
The second announcement, or the second greatest message to mankind was at the tomb of the Lord Jesus Christ, He is not here, but is risen.
And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: (Luke 24:4)
And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? (Luke 24:5)
He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, (Luke 24:6)
God not only entrusted His holy angels to roll away the stone, but He empowered them with the two greatest messages from heaven to earth with all the authority of God: unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord, and He is not here, but is risen. These two great announcements were not trusted to man, but to the holy angels of God.
The Light shattered the shackles of darkness, and God removed the bonds of death. (Genesis 1:3-5) In Genesis, at the close of verse 5, it was the evening, and the morning of the first day. In Luke’s gospel 24:1, it was the morning of the first day of the week. All Scripture is given of God. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: (2nd Timothy 3:16) That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. (2nd Timothy 3:17)
I was asked once if I took my Bible literally. The answer was simple, Yes. As God fills my lungs with air, He fills my spirit with His Spirit. And I believe every word has been given by the very breath of God. When we study, and pray over scriptures, the Spirit of God connects the dots running through the entire Bible, line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little, and there a little until the Holy Spirit fulfills the desire of God in painting the glorious image of His Son, Jesus Christ in our hearts and souls. Yes, all Scripture is given of God, and the glorious light of the Scriptures is His Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
© Copyright 2017, Michael Haigh
Article may be used, but not for gain. Freely ye have received, freely give.
All Scripture references are from the Authorized King James Bible. (KJV)