Killing God - Part 26 It Is Finished

It Is Finished:

In murder mysteries it is often and inside job. Someone close to the victim is responsible for betraying them. In the case: the World against God, the traitor within was easily identified. God allowed Judas Iscariot to betray him. With His foreknowledge, God could have ended the plot but if that had happened, God would not have died. Foreknowledge is not dismissing mankind’s wills such that everyone is an automaton; it is knowing what mankind will do before they choose to do it. God is quite familiar with everyone’s will. He knows on what everyone’s heat dwells.

                The heart is similar to the flesh. The heart is the desires and will of humankind. The flesh is the receptor of pleasure, prestige, and the wisdom of the world. The flesh is the antenna for pleasure, and the heart is the receiver. Mankind’s flesh is there until death. That can’t be helped. On the other hand, the heart can be circumcised so as not to receive. ⁴⁵⁶ A heart with the flesh intact is the old creature, made Frankensteinian by sin. The new creature has a circumcised heart; that removes the beast within and tames the human animal. After the original sin, the hearts of men were like the beasts. Circumcision of the heart neuters the evil within, and the new creature becomes docile and servile.

                Judas chose to follow God. Jesus said to the twelve apostles, “go not into the way of the Gentiles.” ⁴⁵⁷ As he said that, God knew who would and who would not.  He did not select a bad egg. He knew that the egg would soon rot. There is no reason to believe that when Judas was chosen that he would ever murder in his heart. On the other hand, none of the apostles were likely to have been “born again” because few 100% trusted Jesus, as demonstrated at the crucifixion. With the death of Jesus, that changed things for everyone! Judas, like the others, were possibly “good” men in the sense that they responded to Jesus but they all had their doubts, except perhaps, Matthew and John the Beloved. People thinking of “doubting Thomas” who almost failed to believe his own eyes. However, Judas was the greatest doubter of all!

                Now, perhaps is the time to mention the patriarchs. Those were the Old Testament righteous men who trusted the Word. The Word identified Jesus, ⁴⁵⁸ his birth, ⁴⁵⁹ his crucifixion, ⁴⁶⁰ and resurrection ⁴⁶¹ long before God ever became incarnate! The patriarchs knew God, that He is Emmanuel, and that he had to die! They too knew that he wouldn’t lie in a tomb for long, believing in the resurrection. Abraham understood God’s purpose well. As he was about to willingly sacrifice is son, he put himself on the cross because he trusted Jesus. With that, “the faith of Abraham” ⁴⁶² is the ultimate faith exceeded only by sacrificing oneself for Jesus’s sake! Abraham had great faith because trusted God before He was even dead, whereas after God’s death, modern Christians trust because it has already happened. 

                Judaism was, at one time, Christianity. It only ceased to be when Paul abandoned the stiff-necked Jews to preach to the Gentiles. Joseph of Arimathaea was a Messianic Jew. Pure, unadulterated Judaism was pre-incarnate Christianity. God’s birth, death, and resurrection threshed out the Church. The chaff (those merely under the Law), and the good grain (those who trusted Jesus) were separated. Calvary was the “threshing floor” just a few hundred feet away from the old on Mt. Moriah. The death of God changed the Church. It went from Jewish to “whosoever” as the temple curtain was ripped asunder. ⁴⁶⁴  

                The Church is the bride and Jesus the groom. ⁴⁶⁵ Scripture says the following in regard to Holy Matrimony: ⁴⁶⁶ 

Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. 

                Not only was Jesus referring to Holy Matrimony but also to the Church. Only God could thresh out the Church and tear the veil between Him and the Law! The Church became the bride, as the temple became the widow. God died to change people’s hearts and to resurrect the Church. “Resurrect” is used because the temple at one time was the Church. With God’s death, the temples are in the bodies of mankind. ⁴⁶⁷ With the old Church drowned in the blood of Jesus, a new Church was built in it’s place. Jesus laid the cornerstone, and all the individual temples are “lively stones”: ⁴⁶⁷ 

Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.  

                Christians are the Church. Just as God told David way back when, He doesn’t need a building with walls. Look at the history of the Church: from Adam to Abram (no walls), with Abraham (a veil only – the tabernacle), with Solomon (walls of his temple), with Nehemiah (more walls with the second temple), and with Herod (more walls). With the heavenly King, now walls required! God got His wish! The withering church died with God on the cross, and an everlasting Church was resurrected! The marriage between God and His people is for perpetuity. One only need to become His bride!

                Good Friday is “good” because that is the day God died. Why “good”? The murderer Satan got his wish but not on the manner he thought! Rather than killing God by assassinating the Church, God died but the Church was washed clean. Just as in the days of Noah, it needed a good scrubbing. God’s death purified the Church! God threshed out the chaff – the Jews, leaving only the right and fertile grain. 

                God gave up the Ghost! ⁴⁶⁸ The Spirit (pneuma) left him for a short time.  Because the flesh of Jesus died, his remaining Spirit was his Ghost, which scripture calls “the Holy Ghost”.

                That is important because God never fully died! He can’t die because He is everlasting; he Is Existence. Even when Jesus died on the cross, God was not dead but only his flesh! Just as God desired for His own death, mankind’s flesh must die as well. Being born-again is crucifying the old flesh in imitation of Jesus. Thus, Jesus blood is sacramental; nothing less will justify! ⁴⁶⁹ Just as all past sins are washed away with rebirth, all the past iniquity of the Church was washed away when the veil was ripped topped to bottom! As sin quickly returned to the world when God washed it clean in Noah’s days, the Church was soon to be dirtied with sin almost immediately. The same holds true for the hearts washed clean by Jesus’s blood.

                When Jesus spoke the following words, as it was finished, “my God, my God, why has thou forsaken me?” as related earlier. Did God really leave and forsake Jesus? Never! ⁴⁷⁰ However, Jesus felt abandoned. That was an emotion of his flesh. Mankind feels that way often as well. As God took all the sins of the world on His shoulders, ⁴⁷¹ it drew away His virtue. ⁴⁷² God died because, for a short moment” His “goodness” left Him. When goodness receded, sin was carried away with living water as Jesus blood and water flowed to the ground.

                Below Calvary, the skull of Adam cried out! He is redeemed. The blood flowed down through the crevices and washed Adam clean. With his cleansing, the one in whom sin entered the world, was washed clean by the One who came into the world to save.  God’s Plan was well on the way! He crushed the head of the serpent as promised long ago. It was not God who died that day but the serpent. Satan didn’t smile. He lost the war. Destiny would finish him off when the time came. God still could use him to test the Church.

                It was finished in regard to Jesus’s providing the sacrifice but God was far from dead! Who “killed God”? The gospels indicate that mankind did! As Eve blamed the serpent, and Adam blamed Eve, mankind blamed the Jews and Pilate: ⁴⁷³   

Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin. And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar. 

Who delivered God to be crucified? Certainly, the High Priest, Caiaphas did but the people cheered him. Even the Roman soldiers jeered and demeaned Jesus. The “greater sin” were of those who sin!  Mankind killed God! He died for everyone. “Whosoever” stood there by the cross and allowed God to die! The stone the builders rejected became he cornerstone of the Church. ⁴⁷⁴ Those washed in the blood of God, are the lively stones which is the Church. What must Satan then do? Tear down that church one stone at a time.

⁴⁶⁷ Holy Bible; 1 Cor 6:19-20

⁴⁶⁸ ibid; 1 Pet 2:5.

⁴⁶⁸ ibid; Mark 15:37,39; Luke 23:46; John 19:30.

⁴⁶⁹ ibid; Rom 3:25.

⁴⁷⁰ ibid; Heb 13:5.

⁴⁷¹ ibid; 1 Pet 2:24.

⁴⁷² ibid; Mark 5:30.

⁴⁷³ ibid; John 19:10-12.

⁴⁷⁴ ibid; Mat 21:42.