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The Six Trials of Jesus

The Six Trials of Jesus

Who was the greatest

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https://canadafreepress.com/article-video/the-six-trials-of-jesus

One of the most dramatic and far-reaching events in world history is the execution of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. While Easter is the Christian holiday celebrating the resurrected Messiah, there would be no Easter without a crucifixion; and no crucifixion without trials that set up Jesus for execution.

These trials are fascinating for the legal procedures from Jewish and Roman law. But ultimately the political struggle over control of the Temple helped doom Christ.

  1. Courtroom Laws of the Jews: Mishnah Sanhedrin

Of course the law for the ancient Jews was found in the Old Testament, especially in Deuteronomy and Leviticus. But the Mishnah also contains law as it was developed for the ancient Israeli courts. According to legend, the Mishnah is the “oral half” of Moses’ Mt. Sinai law “…that which is memorized by rote.” Cited here is Mishnah tractate Sanhedrin, being the Jewish legal rules drawn from the Pentateuch, and other sources for the Israeli court system. The Talmud is the supreme extract of Mishnah, considered the most influential document in the history of Judea.

  1. Sanhedrin, Lesser & Greater

The Sanhedrin were Jewish leaders, both locally and nationally, according to Lawrence. In Hebrew communities with at least 120 families, a smaller Sanhedrin consisted of 23 members who made all decisions. The Greater Sanhedrin was a national council of 70 members plus the High Priest, acting as Israel’s final Court of Appeal. This body combined functions of legislative, judicial, and executive. There were 24 chief priests, 24 elders, and 22 scribes on the panel. This design was allowed by the Romans when they ruled Jewish lands.

III. The Six Trials of Jesus & a Crucifixion

Legal historians count six different trials of Christ, according to John W. Lawrence in The Six Trials of Jesus, each having a judicial, or at least a pseudo-legal component.

  1. Arrest

Somewhere between 30-33 A.D., in Jerusalem on Thursday, week of Passover, directly after the Last Supper, Jesus went to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane. There, considering His coming torture and grisly death—he “sweated blood” in apprehension. A group approaching Him was led by Judas, who betrayed His identity by a kiss. This group of Jewish officials also included a cohort of perhaps 1,000 Roman soldiers and support. After ascertaining his identity, he was delivered to Annas, perhaps the most powerful Jewish politician and religious official of his day.

The text says, “Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year.” (John 18:12-13) Annas was considered true High Priest of Israel, even though his son-in-law Caiaphas occupied the elected position, being the power behind the throne, as 5 of his sons, the son-in-law, and a grandson all were elected High Priest during his life.

  1. Six Trials of Christ
  2. Trial Before Annas

Christ’s first “religious trial” occurred before the Annas. His family ran a racket in the Temple where their cartel controlled the sale of sacrificial animals. Jesus was hated for driving out this money-making horde by whip.

Jesus was led by soldiers to Annas’ house for initial interrogation, questioned for His followers and teachings:

Meanwhile, high priest (Annas) questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching.“I have spoken openly to the world,” Jesus replied. “I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret. Why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely they know what I said.” When Jesus said this, one of the officials nearby slapped him in the face. “Is this the way you answer the high priest?” he demanded. “If I said something wrong,” Jesus replied, “testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?” Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest. (John 18:19-24)

Jesus relied upon Jewish legal tradition to not condemn Himself. Having decided Christ was guilty, nonetheless, Annas sent him to Caiaphas.

  2.  Trial Before Caiaphas & Sanhedrin

Early Friday morning, Jesus faced the standing High Priest Caiaphas and Sanhedrin Great Council. Many witnesses indicted Christ, but none agreed on specifics. But the purpose of the court was to frame Jesus: “Now the chief priest and the whole council sought false witness against Jesus, that they might put him to death; and they found it not, though many false witnesses came.” (Matthew 26:59-60)

But during this trial Jesus was asked by the High Priest about his true identity, invoking the “Living God”:

The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”
“You have said so,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?”

“He is worthy of death,” they answered. (Matt 26:63-66)

Christ was forced to answer truthfully in the name of God. When Jesus admitted being Messiah, he claimed equality with God, so supposedly blasphemed Himself to the Jews. So a sentence of execution was demanded.

  3. Trial Before Sanhedrin, Early Next Morning

The trial before the Sanhedrin had to be done in the morning to ratify the previous trial because it had been done at night, which was illegal, according to Lawrence. But there are significant differences from the night before.

First, the setting is Sanhedrin’s Great Hall, instead of Caiaphas’ home. Also, Caiaphas is no longer in charge, and not even mentioned. Further, there are no witnesses mentioned. Instead, Christ’s admission to “blasphemy” is the key piece of evidence. But in His testimony, Christ refuses to agree, noting even if He admits this, they still will not believe. The group votes by merely standing to show a consensus. Jesus is now taken to Pontius Pilate for his first civil, Roman trial.

  1. Fourth Trial, 1st With Pontius Pilate

The following trial was next morning, early Friday, the sun yet to rise, probably around 5 am, according to Lawrence. Jesus was taken to Pilate since the Jews had condemned him to death, they had no right to execute anyone. Fascinatingly, while they wanted to kill Christ for claiming to be God, this was not against Roman law. In fact, Romans themselves regarded Caesar Augustus as God. So the Jews had to invent a charge worthy of death.

Pilate was Procurator of Palestine; infamous for bloodthirsty rule and hating Jews. When the Sanhedrin demanded Jesus executed, he did not immediately acquiesce. Pilate asked, “What charges are you bringing against this man?” (John 18:28) The charge they leveled was: “We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Messiah, a king.” (Luke 23:2)

After questioning Christ, and finding no crime, Pilate tried to release Him. But the Sanhedrin would not acquiesce. Fearing insurrection, Pilate had him whipped. Then, not being willing to execute Him, he sent him to Herod Antipas, noting Jesus was a Galilean, and therefore under Herod’s jurisdiction.

   5. Fifth Trial of Herod Antipas

Christ was then sent to Herod who was greatly interested, having heard of His exploits, and hoping to see some miracles. This is the same Herod whom beheaded John the Baptist after promising his stepdaughter, Salome, anything she asked for, during a feast when she danced seductively for him.

But when Herod questioned Christ, all he received was silence: “He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer.” (Luke 23:9) In response, having heard the charges, and knowing all the players, Herod declares Jesus innocent, as well.

  1. Sixth Trial, 2nd With Pontius Pilate

Jesus was returned to Pilate. Both leaders declared Jesus innocent:

Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people, and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him. Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death. Therefore, I will punish him and then release him.” (Luke 23:13-16)

The Sanhedrin were furious Jesus defied their Temple monopoly, so he must die. Pilate did not want to execute Christ, finding him innocent. His wife also warned him: “While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him this message: “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.” (Matt 27:19) But when Pilate realized the crowd was getting unruly, he decided to execute Christ, and lay responsibility on the Jewish leaders.

“What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” Pilate asked.
They all answered, “Crucify him!”
Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.
But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”
When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!”
All the people answered, “His blood is on us and on our children!”
Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified. (Luke 23: 22-25)

  1. Summary & Illegal Aspects of the Trials

Every legal hearing Jesus experienced was rife with mistakes and falsification. The entire process was a “railroading” to make sure the desired outcome—judicial execution by the state—was achieved. One cannot blame the Jews, as a whole, for this outcome, but instead a corrupt ruling elite.

Some of the illegal activities done by Christ’s accuser’s have been listed by David K. Breed, in his The Trial of Christ. These are termed “Reversible Errors.” They include:

  1. No process could take place on the Jewish Sabbath or on feast days.
  2. No process could be started at night or even afternoon for a trial before a regular Sanhedrin court.
  3. It was error for acting Judge Caiaphas to seek words from mouth of Christ’s to convict Him, without first making a prima-facie case with other witnesses.
  4. Caiaphas’ Palace was not the meeting place of the Sanhedrin: it was error to hold a trial there.
  5. It was error for Caiaphas to have acted as Judge after having publicly declared that Christ deserved death.
  6. It was error to have left Him unguarded, to the unrestrained license of the mob in the gallery of Caiaphas’ palace or court.
  7. The Sanhedrin had no jurisdiction in Capital Cases, being divested of that jurisdiction by the Romans forty years before.
  8. The Sanhedrin had no power except at a regular meeting.
  9. It was error not to appoint someone to defend Him—Jesus had no counsel.
  10. It was error not to have “warned” the witnesses in this capital case, in a Sanhedrin court.
  11. Courts erred not taking into consideration guilt or innocence of Jesus.
  12. It was error to take Christ, as prisoner, before Annas.
  13. Roman Law required trials be public; the private trial of Christ before Annas and Caiaphas was illegal.
  14. It was error to convict a man on the testimony of false witnesses.
  15. Pilate having announced Jesus not guilty, erred in permitting the verdict of the “mob” to stand.
  16. Sanhedrin could not convict on the same day as the trial; they must hold verdict of “guilty” under advisement at least 2 days.
  17. Judicial Execution by Crucifixion

Christ was then crucified, a type of execution described here:

The condemned, after being whipped (“scourged”), dragged the crossbeam of his cross to the place of punishment, where the upright shaft was already fixed in the ground. Stripped nude, his arms nailed firmly to the crossbeam through wrists. The crossbeam was raised high against the upright shaft, then secured 9-12 feet off the ground. Next, feet were nailed to the upright shaft. A ledge was placed halfway up the upright shaft for support to the body. Over the criminal’s head was a notice stating his name and crime. Death was caused by asphyxiation, but could be hastened by shattering the legs (crurifragium) with an iron club.

  1. Conclusion

Christ himself prophesied his coming execution. That he was innocent is attested by his judges, and also granted by accusers when they could not find honest witnesses. Yet, without His death, Christianity would have never arisen to better the world for 2,000 years. Christ’s followers are well-advised, while celebrating His life and death, to recall the extreme ends His enemies went to try and kill His ideas and beliefs. But without Christ and His brave sacrifices up to death, the modern world could never have come into being, nor would Easter’s promise of everlasting resurrection even be imaginable.

CFP Comments

Kelly O’Connell — Bio and Archives

Kelly O’Connell is an author and attorney. He was born on the West Coast, raised in Las Vegas, and matriculated from the University of Oregon. After laboring for the Reformed Church in Galway, Ireland, he returned to America and attended law school in Virginia, where he earned a JD and a Master’s degree in Government. He spent a stint working as a researcher and writer of academic articles at a Miami law school, focusing on ancient law and society. He has also been employed as a university Speech & Debate professor. He then returned West and worked as an assistant district attorney. Kelly is now is a private practitioner with a small law practice in New Mexico.

 

Our Risen Lord and the Origin of Easter

Our Risen Lord and the Origin of Easter

     We celebrate a day we call Easter in remembrance of our risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, but what do we really know about this holiday? It is a time of rejoicing and prayer and thanks that God Loved us so much that He sent His only begotten Son into the world (John 3:16) to bring us the Truth (John 18:37), to die for us, and God raised Him after being buried three days and three nights. God did this because He loves us so dearly that He prepared a way for us to go to heaven to be with Him as we could not do it ourselves. By sending His Son to live a sinless life and conquer death, we likewise can enter heaven if, and only if, we are covered by Jesus Christ’s blood, accepting the Holy Spirit into us, and serve and obey Him (Matt 24:13).

     Christ rising from the dead is the most important and monumental event in human history and is the basis for our faith. Paul said, “And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain … And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.” (1 Cor 15:14,17).

What Date did God raise Jesus Christ?

     Christ conquered death and we likewise do not fear death (Hosea 13:14). Easter is a time in which Christian churches have a sunrise service in celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord. In 1894, Sir Robert Anderson (the Chief of the Criminal Investigation Dept, in Scotland Yard, London) wrote “The Coming Prince“, a work that details the timing of Daniels’s seventy weeks, and specifically the timing of Christ’s declaration of the Messiah on Palm Sunday. [Those that do not have this book, I implore you to get a copy and read it. It is a valuable resource in the study of prophecy.]

     Sir Robert Anderson detailed the timing of Christ’s first declaration very precisely as the Messiah as he sat on the colt of a donkey walking on palm branches into Jerusalem while the crowds shouted, “Hosannah to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” (Matt 21:9). In short, the prophecy in Dan 9:25-26 was so precise that it indicated that Christ would be killed during Passover as the sacrificial Lamb of God 483 years of days (exactly 173,880 days = 12 mo/yr x 30 days/mo x 483 yr) after the command was given for the rebuilding of the temple. King Artaxerxes of Persia decreed this in the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of his reign and the temple was subsequently rebuilt as a result of that decree.

     Therefore, the scribes and Pharisees should have known that Christ would come and be declared as the Messiah 173,880 days later, which fell on the Passover week in Nisan 32 AD. Jesus wept because the religious teachers of that day did not know the day of His coming (Luke 19:41-44) which was so clearly pointed out in the Scriptures. Sir Anderson chronologically detailed the span to end exactly on April 6th, 32AD. This is the date corresponding to the prophetic timeframe given and is believed that Jesus rode upon the cult into Jerusalem on that date. That Passover week when Jesus was put on trial, found to be without fault, and crucified. God the Father rose Jesus the Sunday after Jesus was buried three days and three nights, on April 13th, 32AD. Based on the prior works, this is the date in which Christ rose.

If Christ arose on April 13th, why don’t we celebrate that date each year?

     Soon after Christ rose, the spirit of the anti-christ was well established and essentially ran the dominate church for the next 1,400+ years, including the entire dark age. John warned the early Christians to be aware that the spirit of the anti-christ was already in the world (1 John 4:3). At one time this church executed everyone that even possessed a copy of the scriptures and forced as much of the world as they could to join their church through fear and intimidation. It is estimated that this church martyred over 50 million true Christians during this time that refused to join the “mother church”.

     To have as many pagans join their church as possible, they accepted and incorporated the most important pagan holidays into the church with a slight christian spin on each so the pagans could continue to worship their idols and “gods” and yet still be a part of the church. We are commanded by the scriptures to separate ourselves from the world, not merge into it, but this is not what they did. (2 Cor 6:14-17; Rom 12:1-2; 1 John 2:15-17; Gen 12:1-3; 1 Cor 1:26-28; 2 Cor 7:1; Eph 2:1-3; James 4:4; 1 Peter 1:13-16; Luke 14:26-27; John 15:19; John 17:3-4,17; 1 Cor 2:10-16; Heb 11:8-10; 1 Peter 2:9; 1 John 5:19-20; Rev 18:4; Ex 8:22; Ex 12:40-42; Joshua 24:2-3; Ezek 33:10-11; Matt 16:24-26; John 18:36; Acts 7:2-3; Phil 3:20; Col 1:13; Col 3:1; Heb 12:1,14; 1 Peter 2:11; 1 Peter 4:3-4; 1 John 3:1).

     One of these pagan holidays incorporated was celebrated in April, and various pagan cultures gave it a couple of different names. The Roman called it The Feast of the Vernal Equinox, while most cultures celebrated and worshiped Eostre (as a Teutonic goddess of both the dawn and spring and the pagan symbol of fertility). The holiday started on the sunrise of the day after the first full moon, after the spring equinox. When the church embraced this holiday in 325AD and included all the pagan practices and symbolism into the holiday, they changed the date of the holiday to start on the sunrise of the first Sunday, after the first full moon, after the spring equinox. With this type of definition, Easter can occur within a four-week span, mostly in April, on any given year.

WARNING: Following contains disturbing origin of Easter’s Symbolism

     There is a great deal that can be written about the origin and symbolism of this holiday, and there is also a tremendous amount of misinformation as well. Based on the careful study of cultures and traditions spanning two thousand years before Christ, I will present the most solid basis available for the origins of Easter, the practices and symbolism used, and why. It will then be up to you to see how they fit into the current version of how “Christians” celebrate this holiday. The following is but a brief summation of a few of the practices and symbolism in the worshiping of the goddess Eostre.

     Mystery Babylon: Our journey starts over 2,000 years BEFORE Christ at the beginning of Mystery Babylon, the very origin of pagan religions. The high priest and king of ancient Babylon in the Scriptures was Nimrod, and his wife was Ishtar. Ishtar had a son named Tammuz, whom she claimed was the son of God (the promised seed of the woman indicated in Gen 3:15). [Satan loves to create counterfeits, and this one extends thousands of years, and we still “worship” Ishtar, Tammuz, and Nimrod today via symbolism]. This also became the beginning of “Mother-Son” worship. Tammuz was also symbolized by a golden calf as the son of the sun-god, Nimrod.

     Easter Eggs: The name Eostre is traced having various spellings over the centuries since the original Babylon. Eostre (or Eastre) traces to Ostera, then to Astarte, and finally to Ishtar [pronounced the same way we pronounce “Easter” today]. Ishtar (Mother) is referring to the wife of Nimrod, the sun-god (Father) having Tammuz (Son), but where did the legend say that Ishtar came from? Legend tells us that a giant egg fell from the sky into the Euphrates River, which was rolled to the shore by huge fish, and then doves descended from heaven and incubated it. The goddess Ishtar then came out of the egg, and hence the egg throughout most pagan cultures world-wide became the symbol of fertility. The egg became the symbol of the goddess Easter herself. Therefore, the symbol of using the “Ishtar Egg” to worship Ishtar can also be traced back to the origins of Mystery Babylon. The practice and use of this symbol and spread world-wide for over 2,000 years in most cultures prior to Christ.

     Died and Raised Again? I mentioned in prior newsletters that Satan loves to deceive and create counterfeits and this one is a doozy as it extends more than 2,000 years BEFORE Christ. [In addition, after Constantine married Church and State in the 4th century AD, the church merged Babylonian paganism in church practices where they remain today in nearly all christian churches world-wide regardless of the denomination]. Ever wonder why this holiday was around the Vernal Equinox? Babylonian folklore tells us that Tammuz died, and his mother raised him from the dead with her tears and the manifestation of his resurrected life was the green spring vegetation. To incorporate this pagan holiday within the church, the church made the connection of Tammuz’s resurrection in the spring with Christ’s resurrection also in the spring, thereby giving pagans another reason to join the church. There also was a Babylonian tradition that the death and resurrection of Tammuz were celebrated by a great feast followed by a Lenten fast [known as “Lent” practiced by the ancient Egyptians and kept by much of the church today].

     Bunny Rabbit? This is all leading to the exact timing of the holiday to worship “the rising of Nimrod (the sun-god)”. The Bunny Rabbit (or Hare) is the next step in the timing of the holiday. [Rabbits clearly don’t lay eggs so what’s going on here? We see ads each year of a Easter Bunny carrying a basket of eggs and yet few question it. How else are they going to explain a connection unless they fabricate one?] The Babylonian custom actually referred to a “Hare” and not a Rabbit. Prior to 325AD, Easter fell on the first day after the first full moon (after the vernal equinox) but why? The full moon symbolizes “eyes wide open”. Hares are born with their eyes fully open and hence at this time symbolizes a date where your eyes should be open and watching – for what – for the sunrise and the sun-god. 

     Sunrise Service: Perhaps the most disturbing tradition (for myself) is the sunrise service. Please don’t get me wrong. There are no words to express the love, gratitude, and deep abiding comfort in Christ that we have as followers of Christ living within us through the Holy Spirit, and none of this would be possible if Christ had not conquered death. However, knowing the original pagan intention of a “sunrise service” makes me shutter in how far Satan will go to push his agenda. I can imagine Satan laughing at our sunrise service, knowing that Christians have incorporated a tradition that pagans have been practicing for thousands of years. We celebrate the resurrection of our blessed Lord, but for over 2,000 years before Christ and hundreds of years after, pagans stayed out all night on their lit hills on the night of the full moon with their eyes wide open, waiting for their sun-god to rise in the morning bringing life to the world (spring).

     There are other pagan symbols and practices that are associated with Easter which are embraced by most churches, but you get the point. The Easter Holiday counterfeit is perhaps one of the most disturbing to me as Satan shows his parallel trinity Nimrod, Tammuz, and Ishtar  vs the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit complete with a resurrected son and created a 2,000+ yr yearly cycle of him being worshiped at a sunrise service. Nowhere in the scriptures are eggs or rabbits connected with Jesus’ resurrection; nor does the scripture suggest that we should celebrate at sunrise Christ’s resurrection. All those are of pagan origin which give homage to Satan and the Queen of Heaven (Jer 7:16-20; Jer 44:17-25; 1 Kings 11:5; Ezek 8:14).

Are we Permitted to Celebrate the Easter Holiday?

     Yes, is the answer with a caveat. The current practice world-wide for Christians to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ is so widespread and universally understood that the original pagan traditions have all but disappeared in the background. The one caveat that I mentioned is on the possibility that a brother or sister in Christ understands the pagan origins and feels that you are sinning by celebrating in that manner (even though you’re celebrating Christ’s resurrection). Paul tells us in 1 Cor 8:13 what we must do under those circumstances. After explaining to them all the information available to you, if they still feel it is a sin, you are not to brush it off but comply with their request to refrain from celebrating it in that manner they feel offended. You do not want to risk implying to your brother or sister that you are intentionally sinning if they believe it to be a sin. We are not to be a stumbling block for anyone that might harm their growth in the knowledge of our Lord.

Have a Blessed Easter Holiday in celebrating Jesus Christ’s resurrection. Even now, Jesus is in Heaven preparing a place for those that love and follow Him!

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Would the Real Jesus Please Stand Up

This article written by AFA Founder Don Wildmon first appeared in the AFA Journal in 1993 and has since been re-printed in numerous publications. We believe, on this Good Friday, it is just as timely today as then.
Would the Real Jesus Please Stand Up?

I have met these people, many of them during the past 16 years. I know when it is coming. I can hear it (in the tone of their voices and in their suggestions on how I should act in order to be a good Christian). They all make about the same points. Here is a general outline of their suggestions.

  • Jesus didn’t criticize people; therefore, I should not criticize those who are responsible for filth on television or who produce and distribute pornography.
  • Jesus didn’t condemn anyone; He loved them. They usually point to the woman caught in the act of adultery on this one. They even quote Scripture: “Neither do I condemn thee: go and sin no more,” (John 8:11, KJV).
  • Jesus lived His life so that people respected Him and sought to follow Him. As Christians, we need to live our lives in a similar manner. That means that we don’t disagree with anyone; rather, we try to convince him or her by our actions and not our words.
  • Jesus made friends with everyone. He accepted everyone. He was even a friend to those with whom He disagreed. He didn’t turn them off simply because they disagreed with Him.

As a young minister, I read a story told by J. Wallace Hamilton, a preacher of note who died in 1968. According to the story, it seems that a not-too-dignified but somewhat successful preacher was preaching at a chapel service at a large respected university.

Now this preacher was not a good public relations person. He was somewhat unreserved and preached what many would call a straightforward, perhaps even blunt, sermon. I’m sure that you have heard that kind. He called sin…sin. Then laid out the plan of salvation.

He just wasn’t a very tactful preacher; his bluntness offended some who were present.

Following his sermon, he was met at the back by one of the professors. Calling the preacher aside, the professor told him that he had preached a good sermon but that if he would change it just a little, not be so straightforward, that he could do so much more good.

“You know,” the professor said, “if you will search the Scriptures you will find that Jesus was the most loving, non-condemning, forgiving, helpful person who ever lived. I’m simply suggesting that you make your sermons as tactful as Jesus made his. It would really help your ministry.”

The preacher thought for a moment. “You think I need to be more tactful?” he asked.

“I think it would be a big help to your ministry,” said the professor.

“Was Jesus a tactful person?” the preacher asked.

“The most tactful person who ever lived,” responded the professor.

The preacher thought a little more then spoke: “Professor, please answer a question for me. If Jesus was the most tactful person who ever lived, how did He manage to get Himself crucified?”

The professor did not answer the question.

Click here or call 877-927-4917 to order your own copy of Our Call to Faithfulness: The Voice and Legacy of Don Wildmon.

Amir Tsarfati Newsletter Regarding Israel

April 11 2022
So my suggestion today for all of you, as we conclude this message from the heart of Western Europe, from the place where I believe, by the way, that the antichrist is going to rise from, from the place where the greatest persecutor of Israel will arise – I’m telling you the doctrine, the Word of God, is saying to the Jew first. And, by the way, you need to learn to not only accept it, but enjoy it. You know, if you remember, Peter was kind of not so comfortable with what he heard that God had for John. And Jesus said to Peter, “What is it to you? If I want to say or promise one thing to him it has nothing to do with you.” The promises of God for Israel will never diminish His love for the Gentiles. But once you accept that which He has for them, you learn to understand His character. And, by the way, if God changed His mind on Israel, what can be your assurance that He will not change His mind on you?
It is bewildering how so many today choose the unbiblical path of antisemitism, Replacement Theology, etc., when there are so many wonderful things to learn about the nature and character of God by examining His relationship with Israel.

Deuteronomy 7:6-8
“For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth. The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; but because the LORD loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”

There are a multitude of wonderful lessons for us to learn from these verses, but there is something we need to recognize in order for us to see them. When God makes a statement to Israel that is based solely on His nature and character, we, as the church, are free to embrace that aspect of His nature and character as applicable to us as well. Why? He is the Lord and He does not change.

Think about the above passage in Deuteronomy. Israel is called a chosen people and special treasure among all the peoples of the earth.

1 Peter 2:9-10
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

Israel is a chosen people, and the church is a chosen people. Israel is a special treasure, and the church is His own special people. These, and other things, are true because they are based on the nature and character of God and they apply to all who believe.

The main thing, however, we need to remember and learn from Israel is that God is Omniscient. This, too, is part of His nature. Omniscient means “all knowing”. That means that when God chose to set His love on Israel, He did so with full disclosure. In other words, He knew full well what would happen in the future. He knew they would complain soon after plundering the Egyptians and ending over 400 years of enslavement.  

Exodus 16:2-3
Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. And the children of Israel said to them, “Oh, that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”

Numbers 21:4-5
Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.”

It was after ten plagues, the last of which killed the firstborn of all livestock and humans in the homes of those who did not apply the blood of a lamb to the doorposts and lintels of their home. It was after watching the Red Sea close over the pursuing Egyptian army, and after being fed miraculously each day and having had water supplied through supernatural means. It was after all those demonstrations of God’s great power that the Israelites said, “We had it better as slaves in Egypt.” God knew all this would happen before He ever chose them. He also knows all about each of us and yet called us chosen as well.

Romans 5:8
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

God demonstrated His love through the death of His Son while we were yet sinners. He knew that after He saved us we would, at times, question His timing, not obey His word, and walk in the flesh on occasion. Yet we can look back to the history of Israel and see that what Paul wrote to Timothy has always been true about our God:

2 Timothy 2:13
If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.

No Christian today should be denying that modern Israel is Biblical Israel. Every Christian should be rejoicing in the fact that there is a modern Israel, because God keeps His word and all of it is true. He promised to bring them back into the land and He did. If He did not do so then He did not fulfill Ezekiel 37, and Jeremiah 31 isn’t true:

Jeremiah 31:35-37
Thus says the LORD, Who gives the sun for a light by day, the ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night, Who disturbs the sea, and its waves roar (The LORD of hosts is His name): “If those ordinances depart from before Me, says the LORD, then the seed of Israel shall also cease from being a nation before Me forever.” Thus says the LORD: “If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, says the LORD.”

If God cast off Israel for all they have done and the Lord does not change, then that means He can cast off the church as well. 

But our God is faithful! He cannot deny Himself. He knew all about the Jews before He chose them and He knew all about the church before He chose them. What He chose to do for both is save them through the blood of His only begotten Son which is pictured in the Passover Lamb that allowed the Israelites to exit from Egypt.

We should celebrate the fact that after nearly 2000 years the Jews are back in their national homeland and rejoice that it proves, no matter how long it takes, God is faithful to His word. 

If you are in a season of waiting today, hang on and don’t give up. God is faithful to His word and He has called you, as a believer, His chosen and special people.

Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus
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