ON THE RIGHT HAND

How did Jesus SIT at the right side of God since He and the Father are One?

How can this be since Jesus IS God? “Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God.” Luke 22:69)

Sitting at the right hand is not spatial in geometric coordinates; it is relational. Before He arose, Jesus became sin (2 Cor 5:21) and as such was crucified as if a traitor (zealot) against authority.

Because he had been made sin, He would need reprieve from the Father. Hence, the crucifixion was followed by reconciliation (John 29:17).

Being at the right hand of a former enemy is reconciliation and was a Jewish custom whenever enemies reconciled. They were not physically at the right side but was there in spirit. 

As an example from Josephus, King Herod Agrippa sent his representatives to Cestius, Roman governor of Syria, and the present enemy of the Jews, “that Celsius should give them his right hand, to secure them of the Roman’s entire forgiveness of what they had done amiss (against the Romans and Caesar).

Agrippa reconciled himself and his people to the Roman rulers so that he could rule for Caesar in Jerusalem. 

Agrippa extended his right hand from afar. He sat distant to Nero Caesar but sided with him despite the insurgence of the Jews against Roman rule.

As such, he sought to bridge the breech between himself and Caesar. He “sat” at the right hand side of Caesar in goodwill toward him. The right hand that he extended was the extension of goodwill, which is the very definition of agape (love).

Applying that to Jesus and the Father, after taking on sin for the Jews (which is what Agrippa did), that finished, the Father restored to His Flesh divine love. Hence, Jesus at the right hand of God is full restoration after taking on sin and the Father and Son becoming one again after isolation from God’s Existence and the separation of the Father (Mat 27:46) and His Spirit (Mark 25:37).

The Three Substances (Holy Trinity) had been torn asunder (Luke 23:45), but when Jesus was at the Father’s side; the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost were One again. God had to die! Since He is the Alpha and Omega, He would never die, but His Substances only separated for a short time while the work of redemption was in process.

It was at the right hand of the Power of God just as Agrippa was the right hand of the power of Caesar, as his representative and mediator. 

Jesus remains as the Power and Mediator of God as He sits with Christians in Spirit, just as Agrippa was the spirit and power of Caesar in Judeae.

THE DEEP STATE BEHIND THE CRUCIFIXION - Final Part

  Books could be written on the events on the day that Jesus was crucified, but I kept this brief so that it could be read in one sitting... even all five parts.

  Just as Antichrist, whoever it is that has Satan in him, will have a high position in politics and his false prophet, a high office in the church. It is important to know who, what, and why Jesus was crucified so that Christians understand that some wicked government and corrupt religious figure will work together to have the "Final Solution" for Christians just as Hitler did for Jewry.

 So, on this Good Friday, good for us, consider this commentary in whole and see how politicians and religious figures have and will continue to persecute Christians.

______________

  Resuming with the events of Good Friday, they were “good” for all mankind except for Jesus Himself, in that He redeemed all mankind. Only one week before, Jesus was celebrated as a king on Palm Sunday, but now palm fronds were replaced with cat-o-nine-tails as they scourged the Creator:

¹ Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him. ² And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe, ³ And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote Him with their hands. (John 19:1-3)

  God would go through with it this time! This time? Was there a time before?

  Hundreds of years before, on Mount Moriah, the “Passion Play” had been acted out. It was not a “play” but much like a wedding rehearsal, for the soon to come “wedding” of Jesus, the Groom, with His “Bride,” the Church.

  The Bible seems to be a “book of coincidences,” but the death of Jesus was preplanned to every jot and tittle. The prophets and psalmists revealed the “script” well in advance and God even had an “opening act” before the main “Passion Play,” and the lead roles were played by father Abraham and His only remaining son, Isaac (since Ishmael had been emancipated).

  God had given Abraham specific instructions, to wit:

And He said, “Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of” (Gen 22:2)

  But did not Abraham have two sons? Was Ishmael not still his son? There was a difference between Isaac and Ishmael; the latter was the son of Abram and Hagar, in sin. As such, Ishmael was “shapen in iniquity” just like David admitted that he was (Psalm 51:5). Ishmael was born, like Cain, of the Wicked One.

  I have written before that Isaac was perhaps the son of God alone; that he was born of God in a barren womb, based mostly upon, “The Lord visited Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did unto Sarah as He had spoken. For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him,” and ““Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do?” (Gen 22:2,17). [1]

  Isaac was the Son of God, if that is true, and Abraham was about to sacrifice his son born of God; not that Isaac was Jesus, but that he was an imperfect sacrifice before the final sacrifice would be provided by God. Whereas Jesus was born in a clean virgin womb, Isaac was born in a defiled womb, so his sacrifice would be somewhat like an animal sacrifice, and imperfect.

  Now back to Jesus. Many believe that Jesus was crucified on Mount Moriah, and on the same mountain that Isaac was to be sacrificed. From Gen 22:2 above, Abraham was to take Isaac to the “land of Moriah,” to some mountain in the place Moriah. Mount Moriah, in scripture is literally, the mountains of Moriah. [2]

  Traditional sites of holy places were established by Helena, Constantine’s mother, years later. It makes sense that Isaac was presented to die in the mountains of Moriah, and that Jesus was crucified on one of the mountains of Moriah; perhaps the same mountain that may or may not be at traditional “Calvary.”

  Now consider, Jesus who on whom the soldiers, “platted a crown of thorns.” Is it merely coincidence that the ram that God provided, a sheep, would have about its head thorns in a thicket, and that Jesus would also wear a crown of thorns? God plans with great details, but a ram would not do, being an adult sheep, but the Lamb of God, Jesus would suffice. At both times, God provided the sacrifice and each time it was innocent “sheep.”

  After scourging Jesus and dressing him in royal apparel, they said, “’Hail, King of the Jews!’ and they smote Him with their hands.”  Jesus never claimed to be king of the Jews and never sought royal garments. In fact, the “coats of skin” of a lamb, just as with Adam and Eve, made those who would put it on, “royal priests” (1 Pet 2:9). The color purple represents Lucifer in symbiology. They as well said, This king is Lucifer!

  The crowd wanted Jesus to be a criminal to Roman Law — to be King of the Jews — without Caesar’s approval. If that was accepted as the narrative, then the Jews’ hands would be clean of shedding the blood of the innocent one, much in the same manner as Herod’s murder of the innocents was carried out after his death because of a false narrative.

  Many deny the slaughter of the innocents because Herod never did that when he was king of the Jews. However, as it turned out, in death, he did murder the innocents, and in like manner, Herod, in death, but living in his seed, did finally slaughter the Most Innocent — Jesus. The spirit that was in Herod the Great, remained in Herod Antipas who was, like Cain, of the Wicked One!

  As the prelate of Caesar, Pilate as well as declared Jesus, “King of the Jews,” when he said, “Take ye Him, and crucify Him: for I find no fault in Him” (John 19:6). With that said, the Roman prelate, in the absence of Caesar, found Jesus innocent of all charges; that He was not King of the Jews, but Lord God of all!

  After Pilate vindicated Jesus, the Jews continued their charade: “Whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar” (John 19:12). That is a true statement. Only Caesar could declare kings, but that applied only to his realm, called “Syria” at that time, but was inclusive of all the Kingdom of David.

  However, Jesus did not make Himself king as accused, but was God, the Father, who willed that He be King, not of this world, but in another realm just as Jesus tried to explain (John 18:36). Caesar had no authority outside his empire, and heaven was certain out there!

  Therein was also a lie as usual: Jesus never spoke against Caesar, instead declaring what was Caesar’s was Caesar’s. Jesus laid no claim to Syria in the Roman Empire but to Paradise in heaven. Caesar was not Zeus, so why would he care?

  Finally in verse fourteen, Pilate made it clearer when he declared, “Behold your King!” Jesus was not a Roman’s king but their King on whom they had been awaiting ever since John Hyrcanus was priest and king of the Jews. As it turned out, within 300 years, Jesus would be Gentile King as well, since they too are the “whosoever” in John 3:16 as the sign implied in verse eleven.

  When Jesus said, “It is finished,” and bowed his head, to give up the ghost, what was finished? All the previous Covenants, the “Ten Prescriptions” for Eternal Health, the complete covering of the fleshes of men by those who would “wear” the Holy Ghost, the redemption and resurrection of Adam as Jesus was raised from the dead, Satan himself, sin defeated, the defiled blood of all of Adam’s kind cleansed and made anew, and the glorification of Jesus (John 7:39). All things theretofore that were promised was finished, and the land of milk and honey (Paradise) was willed to all who would go in!

 And let us not forget the Temple that was never the Will of God at all; no longer would the Presence of God be covered, but the curtain that concealed Him was torn (Mark 15:38) so that all could see that the Face of God is called, “Jesus.” The revealing of the supra-nature of God was finished.

  Longinus finished the provenance. He was the centurion who pierced the side of Jesus to release the Virtue (dymamis) so abundantly that all can be healed. “And when the centurion, which stood over against Him, saw that He so cried out, and gave up the Ghost, he said, ‘Truly this man was the Son of God’” (Mark 15:39)

  Longinus said it almost rightly. It should have been “is the Son of God” not “was” because although dead, that Man was very much still alive in Spirit, as He demonstrated when He saved Dismus that day, and withered the limb on which Judas hung, thereafter, to finish off Satan by delivering him and sin to Hell.

  Longinus was persuaded that the man, Jesus, is the Son of God. What persuaded him of that? He saw that the Holy Ghost of that man was God Himself. Like Luke at the baptism of Jesus, perhaps Longinus saw the Ghost of Jesus in bodily shape! Just as the apostles had seen that Jesus and Yahweh are one at the Transfiguration, Longinus saw the same at the Glorification of Jesus (John 7:39)

  Because all those who sought power over Jesus failed, those who see Jesus as God and who has the Power (Virtue) to heal broken spirits, then it is those who are royal priests and as such are remade in the image of God.

  Those who seek power, such as the chief priests, the Herods, the Pharisees, and even Simon Magus; lose but those who are like Simon the Cyrene and carry the Cross of Jesus have the privilege of being servants to the King. That is what the priests were meant to be, but throughout the centuries, they became more like Lucifer.

  Jesus paid it all with His own life, and now anyone can reap the wages that He paid. It is low fruit hanging from the Tree of Life that is in reach of all who will eat of it!

---

[1] Herrin; “Marvel Not!”; July 13, 2021; https://kentuckyherrin.blogspot.com/2021/06/marvel-not.html)

[2] Herrin;  “Emmanuel: God’s House”; Jul 26, 2021; https://kentuckyherrin.blogspot.com/2021/07/emmanuel-gods-house.html)

(picture credit: Consisntious Catholic; "St.Longinus")

THE DEEP STATE BEHIND THE CRUCIFIXION - Part 4

  According to precedent established throughout Roman rule, before any pretender to the throne was killed, he had to be brought before Caesar in Rome. That had been the case for Herod’s three sons and even his wife, Meriamne, who by intrigue were considered guilty of sedition against King Herod the Great.

  Jesus went before the chief priests and the Sanhedrin, then to Pilate, then to Herod Antipas, and then back to Pilate. None of the leaders wanted the blood of the Messiah on their hands, and finally Pilate washed his hands of the blood of Jesus. Somehow, they all knew what they were doing, and Jesus knew that they knew what they were doing. The only ones that did not know, according to Jesus, were those who performed their job, which was assigned by Almighty God as nothing could happen unless allowed by the Father (Rom 8:32).

  Thus, those who were the instruments of death were cleared by Jesus who judged them ignorant of what they were doing. They had no idea that they were killing God Himself. Jesus took umbrage at those who knew what they were doing.

  Herod Antipas was playing the role of king of Judaea but was only a tetrarch, meaning that he shared power with the other Herods. He had no authority over Jesus and seemed to realize it. Those who killed Jesus were the “Church” of that time who was a government itself. The ecclesia killed their own God who they claimed to worship. Never had the chosen ones killed their own god, so that makes the Sanhedrin the exception, and Christianity exceptional. But even they were weak because God killed God. Like Judas down below in Gehenna, Jesus on Calvary sacrificed Himself. The big difference is that Judas with Lucifer in him pretended to be God, but Jesus was the real deal.

  Judas’s self-sacrifice had no efficacy, but the Self-sacrifice of God redeemed all mankind. What was the difference? Judas sacrificed himself because he was guilty of all charges, but Jesus was innocent of all of which he was accused. That He is God is the only truthful thing of which He was charged. Judas was not God but had the pretender to the throne of God in him. His sin was even greater than the chief priests.

  If the law had been just, then Jesus would have been taken to Caesar just as Paul was years later. After going through many of the same mock trials of Jesus, Paul appealed to Caesar as a Roman citizen. It was his birthright because of where he was born. Paul was subject to the laws of Caesar but Jesus to Jewish, or Mosaic Law. The Law of Moses was responsible for the death of Jesus, and God knew that when He made the Law.

  To this day, Mosaic Law continues to “crucify” Christ over and over, if it was possible, just as Paul suggested to the Hebrews (Heb 6:6). God used His own Law as a means of justifying Himself dying for the sins of mankind.

  Up to this time, Caesars had been fair and friendly to Jews and Jewish Law. Jews had always appealed to Caesar for impartiality. Herod the Great always appealed to Octavian for impartial judgment. When Jesus was accused, Tiberias Nero was Caesar, and at that time, he was kind to the Jews.

  Given his demeanor then, Jesus would have been judged impartially by Roman law in Rome. That would not happen because it had to be the Law of the religion of Yahweh for the sacrifice to be acceptable. It could not be an unclean Gentile but a ritually washed chief priest that made the sacrifice himself for it to be pleasing to God. That was the ritual from the Law of Moses.

  Two could not be chief priests in Mosaic Law. It had to be one. The legitimate chief priest was Caiaphas. He had to be the one to make the sacrifice, and it had to be in the Holy of Holies.

  The Most Holy Place is where God IS. It was once under the Tree of Life, then in the Tabernacle of God wherever in the wilderness, and finally in the Temple itself. By then, it had been made unholy by merchants.  Therefore, the Most Holy Place was Calvary. It was there that the Presence of Yahweh appeared to witness His own Flesh perishing.

  God was there on the Cross, not just His Person (Jesus) but His Mind and Spirit. Jesus asked His Father why He had forsaken Him (Mat 27:46). The crucifixion was an anti-transfiguration. On the Mount of Transfiguration, the Presence of the Father had entered the Son, and at the baptism of Jesus, the Holy Ghost had done the same. God in three substances was on the Cross. Yahweh felt pain and showed His Face and His Innermost Being all at the same time on Calvary.

  Both the Father and the Holy Ghost removed themselves from Jesus. That isolation was perhaps the Man Jesus experiencing Hell for mankind for all of Adam’s kind.

  What would have Nero done to Jesus at that time? Administered Roman law fairly and impartially. Perhaps, he would have asked, Why do you foolish people desire to kill your own God? Pilate washed his hands of the matter; and he represented Caesar. What would have Caesar done? The same thing! He would have sent Jesus back to the Sanhedrin for them to kill their own God. He had no authority over Jesus because Caesar allowed the Jews to live under their own laws unless it countered Roman law.

  After leaving Judas, perhaps Satan entered Caiaphas. Satan had to be in Caiaphas for him to knowingly kill his own God. As it turns out, Caiaphas may have considered himself to be God. From an ancient inscription, ruled authentic, his granddaughter’s ossuary read, “Miriam, daughter of Yeshua, son of Caiaphas, Priest of Ma’ aziah from Beth ‘Imri” (Wikiepdia, “Caiaphas”).

  Caiaphas named his son “Jesus” and Jesus, son of Caiaphas named his daughter “Mary.” Certainly, he was not honoring Jesus but mocking Him. He appears to be Antichrist after Judas.

  By the time Paul appeared to Nero, the nature of Tiberius changed, and he became Nero. His name changed from Tiberias (“Good Vision” in the Hebrew) to Nero (“Black”). As biblical custom goes, his nature changed from good to black, and many theologians believe that Nero was Antichrist when Paul was killed, Christians were persecuted, Rome burned and blamed on Christians, and Paul was beheaded. Tiberias would have been a “familiar friend” of Jesus just as Psalm 41:9 implies about Antichrists, Lucifer and Judas, and as it turns out, about Nero Caesar.

  Throughout this commentary, I have stated that they knew who they were about to kill. When they came to take Jesus away, they asked Jesus His identity, and Jesus responded truthfully.  “As soon then as He had said unto them, “I am He,” they went backward, and fell to the ground” (John 18:6).

  Something is not so obvious in English. His exact words in Greek were Ego Eimi. In the Hebrew that is JHWH, or as written in the English, the “Great I AM.”

  Jesus identified Himself to the chief priests, Judas, and the others, as God Himself! No wonder they fell to the ground; they were marveling because they believed that He was who He claimed to be. If they had not believed, they would have laughed and called him “crazy” as some had done before! They knew that they were about to kill their own God!

  With that explained, it sheds light on Jesus’s Words, “Marvel not; ye must be born again” (John 3:7). They marveled, were not born again, but were accomplices in killing God.

  What is the process of rebirth? Jesus had foretold of this event when He said, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up” (John 3:14). They were about to lift up the “Son of Man” indeed. As they lifted the Cross of Jesus, down below the son of man (Adam) was lifted on his tree by the hands of himself. Rebirth is looking at the two trees, the two sacrificial deaths, and choosing the right “Tree” just as with Adam and Eve.

  Because the Jews had chosen the Serpent on his pole, King Hezekiah had that “tree” destroyed. When Jesus made the acceptable sacrifice on the Tree of Life, it withered the Tree of Knowledge and the limb broke, Judas fell, and Lucifer was exposed as the “worm” he was.

  When Jesus died, that is what happened to Satan in Judas, as the pole of Moses was the symbol of the Judas Tree. Many forget the sacrifice of Judas by his own hands, and still try to redeem themselves by the Tree of Knowledge. It is not what anyone knows, but what they believe and who they trust! Trusting over time is faith whereas knowing may be believing but doing nothing with that belief.

(picture credit: Everyday Catholic; "Repay to Caesar What is Caesar's)

 

THE DEEP STATE BEHIND THE CRUCIFIXION - Part 3

   Jesus did claim to be God, but there were many in those days who did, even Caesar. The Jew tolerated Romans who claimed godhood, but Caiaphas comprehended that Jesus was the Messiah and the son of God and feared Him. Why would the chief priest fear God so intensely that he would take the life of His Savior? Because Caiaphas was not right with God and probably never had been!

  Under the Hasmoneans, the Pharisees in the Sanhedrin, when Alexandra was queen, were de facto rulers of Judaea. Alexandra was queen in name only and the Pharisees had ruled with an iron fist. Because of that history, there was political animosity between the Sadducees and the Pharisees for both sought political power. When Jesus was arrested, Ananias and Caiaphas did the dirty deed. Ananias had become as a king, and as a religious figure, he most certainly considered himself as God.

  This was only the second time in history that there were two chief priests and just as those under David were political, so were Ananias and Caiaphas. Not only were there Hasmoneans and Herodians who would be king but also A dynasty of chief priests who were of the line of Ananias. Furthermore, there were thieves who were as much as rulers who surely had themselves in mind.

  Barabbas was a political threat more so for the Jews than for Caesar. As Jesus, Jews would be inclined to see him (Barabbas) as the “son of the Father” which was the very meaning of the name. In scripture names always means things. Whenever a name appears, it means that will be the person’s role in scripture. By custom one criminal could be released, ostensibly to show the grace of the Sanhedrin who were judges, and when the crowd was asked which one, they cried out, “Not this man, but Barabbas” (John 18:40).

  Note that Jesus was accused of being a malefactor (kakopoios; John 18:30) but Jesus Barabbas, a thief (lēstēs; John 18:40). Jesus was the “evil doer” and Barabbas a member, probably the leader of a band of plunderers. In other words, Jesus did some type of evil in their eyes, but Barabbas was the insurrectionist who was the source of most of their troubles.

  What was the crime of Jesus that made him “evil”? He claimed to be God. Some before had thought Him to be a drunkard and others that He was crazy. It was not the custom to kill drunks or crazy people in Judaism, so at least Caiaphas thought His claim was plausible. Would they fear a man not in his right mind after tolerating the Herods all those years whose rules were many crazy things such as killing the innocents and their own family members, or things like robbing the wife of the brother as Herod Antipas had done with Herodias, the wife of Herod Philip?

  Jesus had done nothing but speak the truth, and Caiaphas feared truth because if Jesus was really God, he would be the Chief of the High Priest rather than Ananias.

  The crucifixion was all about political intrigue even for Lucifer who was in Judas. He instigated it all back when Judas kissed Jesus. They were all operating to the plan of Lucifer so that he could be the one Most High rather than Jesus. As such, Judas was “Antichrist” as Jesus was Christ.

  I have written before that Kerioth from where Judas was from, has the same root noun as Qur’an. All branches of Islam deny Jesus as the Messiah. Some have it that a switch was made and others that it was sorcery, but others that Judas was the true Isa (their “Jesus”).  

  As such, Mohammad was only a prophet but in practice, Judas was “Isa” in the flesh of their Allah. The number of the “Beast” Judas (Kerioth) would be “666” and many Muslims have written that the number of the Qur’an is “666.” If so, then Islam was established in Gehenna the day that Judas gave up his “ghost” (Satan). With that said, Islam and Sharia Law, according to Revelation is perhaps the end of time religion and government, and they were planned when Satan fled from the gross bowels of Judas.

  Theologians deny the existence of Barabbas and some think that Jesus Barabbas was Jesus Himself. (Theologians are usually the most heretical.)  

  Pilate knew Judaism and Mosaic Law. He was a studied man, even asking the Platonian question, “What is truth?” To what custom was Pilate referring, when he knew their custom?

⁹ And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the Lord's lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering. ¹⁰ But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness. (Lev 16:9-10)

  The high priests, when making a sin offering, were decked out in regal apparel. It would be made in the most holy of places, as one goat would be killed and the other allowed to escape into the wilderness. Pilate recognized the hidden meaning of the crucifixion. Jesus was the “goat” and Barabbas was the “scapegoat.”

   The chief priests knew that ceremony quite well, and they were knowingly killing their own Messiah as the “Goat” that would not escape! When they cried out to free Barabbas, they were performing Lucifer’s duties in the most holy place ever — Calvary.

  How is it known that the chief priests were aware of the unholy thing that they were doing? Because they were the Wicked Ones who were ritualistic without any Spirit of God in them. Jesus, to them, was just a “goat” that could be killed and not even to appease God but to satisfy their own desires.

  The malefactors were expected to take umbrage and free the thieves as is usually the case with a band of robbers; the brigand, or gang, would always have a plan to free their leader, but the brigand of apostles and disciples stood silently by. There would be no cords cut or nails pulled to free Jesus, but the religious band of thieves, robbers of the Temple, would free their leader, to wit:

⁶ When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, “Crucify him, crucify Him.” Pilate saith unto them, “Take ye Him, and crucify Him: for I find no fault in Him.” ⁷ The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made Himself the Son of God” (John 19:6-7)

  The charge was what? Rather than God created Him, He claimed to be the Creator. He put His Face out as the face of God in violation of the First Commandment. Jesus did not claim that someone else was God but Himself! Was that arrogance?

  The Jews would think so, and so would most people. Nowadays, the “religion” of psychology even identifies those who claim to be God as schizophrenic, or as one psychologist calls them, “crazy.” Jesus was thought to be a madman by some, but the chief priests knew He was not crazy but a danger to their power and influence over the people.

  After Jesus was dead, Caiaphas continued his quest to demolish Christianity because in his mind, he knew that Jesus remained alive in them. He pursued Christians till his death.

  When Jesus claimed to be Yahweh, how serious a crime was that. Jesus overstepped His bounds, or so it seemed to the mob. That was a sin worthy of death:

³⁰ But the soul that doeth ought presumptuously, whether he be born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth the Lord; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people. ³¹ Because he hath despised the word of the Lord, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him. ³² And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day. ³³ And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation. ³⁴ And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him. ³⁵ And the Lord said unto Moses, “The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp. ³⁶ And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the Lord commanded Moses.(Num 15:3-36)

 Jesus presumed to be God, but in truth, Jesus was and is God! The priests knew that He was God and cut Him off, according to God’s own statement. Perhaps God was planning His own death when he commanded that a presumptuous man be put to death.

  Had Jesus overstepped His bounds? Most thought so, but the apostles, Pilate, and even Pilate’s wife found no fault in Him. Pilate inferred that Jesus was who He claimed to be by not finding fault. Using the criteria of persuasion, then Pilate was convinced that Jesus was who he claimed to be, and his washing of his hands was a ceremonial baptism as John would have done for him if he was alive.

  By the way, there are letters presently in the Vatican wherein Pilate writes to Caesar that inferred that Jesus was the genuine thing.

  Pontius Pilate was not removed by Caesar for killing innocent Jesus but for killing a band of bad Samaritan hybrid “Jews” on their holy Mount, Gerizim. He was dismissed not for killing the Savior but for killing a band of irreligious marauders. Is that not modern law… for the good of the criminals? It pans out that Pilate was dismissed for doing justice, but did that include washing his hands so to not include himself in the injustice?

  Jesus was disfigured. Some believe that He was stoned just as the Law required, and that makes sense because presumptuous sin required that. But in addition to stoning, there was another punishment:

  “Because he hath despised the word of the Lord, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him” (ibid). What happened on the Cross? Jesus was pierced by the centurion (Longinus) as Jesus gave up the Ghost. Jesus, if he had not been God, was punished according to Mosaic Law. Roman Law was disregarded.

  Whenever anyone claimed to be king, both the real king and the pretender to the throne were called to Rome to be judged by Caesar who was the final word. By Roman Law, Jesus would have been taken to face Caesar to be judged. When Jesus said to give unto Caesar what was his, maybe he had Roman Law in mind which would have vindicated Him because He laid no claim to be king of the Jews without Caesar authorizing it as required.

  Herod was authorized by Octavian Caesar three years before he was king and recognized by the Jews as such. Caesar’s word was Roman law, and Jesus respected that. Although He was arrested for claiming to be God, that was truth, and Pilate knew that Jesus was God.

  So, they trumped up a charge:

¹ And the whole multitude of them arose, and led him unto Pilate. ² And they began to accuse him, saying, “We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Christ a King.” ³ And Pilate asked Him, saying, “Art thou the King of the Jews?” And He answered him and said, “Thou sayest it.” (Luke 23:1-3)

  Pilate knew that Jesus was the rightful King of the Jews. The Romans had written a sign that read, “This Is the King of the Jews.” But that upset the priests, and it was written over, “King of the Jews” (Mark 15:26). Pilate knew who Jesus was, but the priests denied the truth, knowing full-well who it was that they were murdering.

  He was accused of saying that He Himself is Christ a King. To verify that claim, Pilate made a point: Was it a civil affair or is it religious? Are you the King, God, or are you the political leader of Judaea? Jesus made no such claim to being King of the Jews as he affirmed that presumption to be theirs, not His. In other words, Jesus never presumed to be King of the Jews albeit many others sought that dignity.

  Jesus never claimed to be anything or anybody that He was not. He laid claim to be God in the Flesh. As He was dying, He cried out to His Father. A fake would not have done that!

  In the moment of His death, Jesus revealed the Holy Ghost to all who would look upon Him much like He did on the Mount of Transfiguration. Just as Luke saw the bodily shape of the Holy Ghost when Jesus was baptized (Luke 3:22), at least the centurion saw the same thing: The Holy Ghost in the bodily shape of Jesus ascending as a dove, certainly to take the repentant thief to Paradise that day, and to deliver Satan and sin to Gehenna that same day.

  When the Holy Ghost of God left Jesus, He was vindicated of presumptuous sin and the injustice of the powerful was revealed.

  There is more… stay tuned.

(picture credit: Hoshana Rabbah; "scapegoat")