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crucifixtionTimeline:  The Final 24 Hours of the Life of Jesus

Timeline: The Final 24 Hours of the Life of Jesus

Jesus’s final 24 hours is something that has been debated over the centuries as to when those events occurred in relation to Passover. Each gospel account gives a different perspective of those events. Our Timeline of Jesus’s Final 24 Hours attempts to harmonize the gospel accounts and display the events in relation to the Jewish and Roman dates on which they occurred

last supper tteJesus’s Last Supper as a Passover Seder

Jesus’s Last Supper as a Passover Seder

Over the course of their accounts, Matthew, Mark, and Luke all seem to depict this meal as a Passover Seder (Matthew 26:17, 26-30; Mark 14:17, 22-25; Luke 22:14-23). Though the Passover meal itself is hardly the focus of John’s gospel, it too provides a few clues that suggest that Jesus’s Passover meal with the disciples included elements associated with a Seder.

sedertteThe Passover Seder

The Passover Seder

Incredibly, the roots of Passover Seders were celebrated as far back as the Exodus generation in obedience to God’s command to keep the Passover (Numbers 9:1-5). These services have evolved much over millennia.

passoverTTEThe Original Passover

The Original Passover

Broadly speaking, Passover evokes the entire story of Israel’s relocation to Egypt under the protection of Joseph, the flourishing of the Israelite people, the murderous decrees of Pharaoh, the birth Moses, his raising in Pharaoh’s palace, the burning bush, the ten plagues, Israel’s plundering of Egypt at their departure, and the miraculous parting of the Red Sea.

shutterstock 2012238422What is Righteousness?

What is Righteousness?

The Bible speaks often of “righteousness.” For instance, in the New American Standard Bible, the English word “Righteousness” appears 309 times in 296 verses; and the word “Righteous” appears 300 times in 282 verses. Thus, these words are of great importance. But what do these Biblical terms mean?

martyrdom1What Does it Mean to Be a Faithful Witness?

What Does it Mean to Be a Faithful Witness?

In the Bible, believers are called to be witnesses of Jesus. Today, believers in Jesus have not seen Jesus physically with our own eyes the way the original apostles and disciples did, but we have still experienced His working and being within and around us, and we can be a witness to others, telling them about what God has done in our lives.

EternalLifeWhat is Eternal Life? How to gain the Gift of Eternal Life

What is Eternal Life? How to gain the Gift of Eternal Life

When God created men and women in His image, He created them to live in partnership forever with Him as they ruled over the earth. But when our first parents disobeyed God, they broke relationship with Him. The result of their sin was “death”—separation from God and the eternal destiny/purpose for which they were created.

hellGehenna, Hell, and Hades

What is Hell? Hades and Tartarus in the Bible

Hades/Sheol is a temporary holding place of the dead until the final judgment. Within Hades are two separated regions: a place of coolness and comfort for the good people which is called, “Abraham’s Bosom”; and a place of agony for the wicked. This region of agony within Hades may be the same place as “Tartarus.”

hellGehenna, Hell, and Hades

What is Hell? Gehenna and the Outer Darkness

Gehenna and the Outer Darkness are cultural illustrations that describe the shame-filled, bitter, sorrowful experience of a believer in Jesus at his judgment if he is unfaithful. The tragic situations Gehenna depicts are the worst thing a believer who has the Gift of Eternal Life  can experience. Gehenna is Hebrew, “Hinnom Valley,” transliterated to Greek, and refers to a valley adjoining Jerusalem that is used as an illustration.

hellGehenna, Hell, and Hades

What is Hell? The Eternal Punishment and The Lake of Fire

The Lake of Fire is the final destination for the devil and his angels. It is also where humans whose names are not written in the Book of Life shall be cast (Revelation 20:15). The Eternal Punishment (which is likely the same place as the Lake of Fire) is where unbelievers in Jesus will be condemned to spend eternity. 

jehuSuzerain-Vassal Treaties

Suzerain-Vassal Treaties

The ancient Near East had a widespread type of covenant known as a Suzerain-Vassal Treaty. In these treaties, the “suzerain,” or superior ruler, promised blessings for loyalty and obedience, and cursings for rebellion. We can find archaeological evidence for these treaties in modern-day Turkey, which was once the home to the Hittite Empire.

overcomeOvercomers

Overcomers

Revelation promises an extra special blessing in the next life to the one who “overcomes.” The book of Revelation is written in order to exhort believers in Jesus, “His servants,” to understand that this blessing is available, and that it requires His servants to “read,” “hear” (understand), and “heed” (obey) the words Jesus conveys through His Revelation.

TempleThe Temple

The Temple

In Hebrew, the temple is called the “Beit Hamikdash” which means “the holy house.” It was intended to be God’s earthly dwelling place.

Facebook-Image-FatherhoodBiblical Fatherhood

Biblical Fatherhood

One of the most powerful truths for Christians is summed up by Paul in Romans 8:14-16. He writes that all who are led by the spirit of God are sons of God.

breakchainsThe Spirit vs. The Flesh

The Spirit vs. The Flesh

The Flesh and the Spirit are complete opposites. Our most fundamental choice as believers is choosing each day, each moment, which to obey.

creationCreation

Creation

“By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible” (Hebrews 11:3).

noahCovenants in the Bible

Covenants in the Bible

A covenant is a contract, a treaty, a ritual agreement or alliance between two parties. It formally binds the two parties together in a relationship, on the basis of mutual personal commitment, with consequences for keeping or breaking the covenant.

paradoxFounding Paradox

Founding Paradox

Philosophical systems based on logic can never explain their founding paradox. An example is the relativist’s belief that “all things are relative”. The proposition that “all things are relative” is only true if it is true all the time.

moneyMoney and Possessions

Money and Possessions

The Bible is neutral toward riches. It is our attitude toward riches and the way in which they are used that is celebrated or condemned.

somn-of-manSon of Man

Son of Man

Jesus often used the phrase Son of Man to reference Himself. In total, the four gospels will use the term Son of Man eighty-four times.