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Anyway, let's continue. When I left off last time, I promised to tell you of the "final blow" that fell against Satan from the forces of Heaven. Well, since this entire controversy has been about the character of Yah, and whether or not His government is just or unjust, and how mercy and justice can coexist in perfect harmony, naturally, this decisive move would have to be an expression of the goodness of God that would be so plain, so clear, that no one could deny it.
"O my people, what have I done unto thee? And wherein have I wearied thee? Testify against me. For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of servants; and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron and Miriam." Micah (6:3&4)
Do these sound like the words of an exacting and harsh God? Does this sound like a being that delights in the destruction of the very creatures He made, just waiting for us to slip up so He can punish us? And yet, these have been the pictures painted of Yah by humanity through the years, even (shamefully) among those who claim to be His servants. Our Father is not one who lays traps for His children. Even in His most terrifying moments, His intention is to correct wrongs, to bring the erring individuals into a greater understanding of the benefits of right and the consequences of wrong actions.
The book of Job is a dramatic example of this; in which we have a cut-away view of the two worlds, spiritual and material, and how they relate to each other. It was not God who struck at Job's livelihood, but Satan. If we remember that the world is truly Lucifer's kingdom, we can appreciate the futility of relying on the things of this world for our happiness. For God allows the dark angel almost as much control as he can grasp here, so that the difference between good and evil can be thrown into as stark a contrast as possible. It is at times a hard lesson to learn, but humanity has shown itself to be a stubborn student on occasion.
As the quotation from Micah has stated, not only does Yah lead us out of troublesome situations if we allow Him, but He also sets before us examples, so that we do not fall again into such states. Moses before the people of Israel, Job before his three friends. The prophet Elijah was a man who stood alone against kings and armies, fearlessly speaking out against the evils of those in even the highest offices of government. So courageously did he stand up for righteousness, and so closely did he come to know the God on whose behalf he spoke, that he was allowed to pass into the Heavenly kingdom untouched by death. Even so, Elijah, who so perfectly reflected the Father's character, was not the most impressive example of Yah's love to His wayward children.
The history of God's chosen people is a tale of ups and downs. The people of Israel seemed to be stuck in a real rut. They would sin, calamity would befall them, they would repent and turn back to God, He would forgive them, they would prosper, and then they would sin again. They seemed powerless to avoid the influence of nearby nations, and fell often into the evils of idolatry, ignoring the God who had done so much for them, to bow at the statues of animals and deities that had never sent them so much as a ray of sunshine, nor had they the power to do so. So it is with many who claim to be God's people today. They are stuck in a "sin/repent" cycle, which offers neither security against the consequences of the sinful actions, nor the promise and assurance of life ever after.
The nation of God eventually came to so low a point that even the prophets Yah sent to them were rejected, exiled, or even killed. They had been in this cycle for so long that their hearts had become hardened against the messages of warning and love being sent to them from Heaven. Satan's corruptive influence had become so widespread that there seemed nothing that could be done to remind them of their dependence on the Creator.
All along, the faithful of God had been sacrificing animals as an atonement for sin. By killing innocent lambs and goats and birds, they were reminded continually of the evil that results from turning to ungodly practices. The blood of the sacrifices reminded them that the penalty of these practices was death, yet at the same time, they lived. Another could be chosen to die for their sins, and this was a faithful promise of Yah's desire to forgive them for their fallen state. But now in the nation of Israel, the temples were run by corrupt priests. The people had forgotten the reason for the sacrifices, and it had become formalized, it became a mere "mass," a mere set of motions that had no significance other than the fact that it was a tradition.
Now came the time for the ultimate sacrifice; the death of the final lamb, the last and sufficient atonement for the sins of all the people from the beginning of history to the end of time. This symbol would be lifted up ever after as a reminder of both the evils of sin and the love of God. The cross became an emblem of the lamb provided by God for our salvation, and also a symbol of the snake lifted up in defeat.
"And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, 'We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray unto the Lord, that He take away the serpents from us.' And Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said to Moses, 'Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived." (Numbers 21:6-9)
The foreshadowing of this great sacrifice was given even from the days of Abraham, when he was told by God to sacrifice his son. When Abraham was about to do so, Yah stayed his hand, and provided instead an alternate sacrifice, a young ram. In the days of Moses, the other side of the sacrifice was displayed. All the sons and daughters of Adam today (as in all ages) have been "bitten by the serpent," and it is by beholding the snake lifted up on a pole that we may live. In the death of Jesus, Satan also was lifted up on a "pole" as it were - displayed to the heavens as a murderer and a liar. This was the "final blow," that ended forever the question of God's mercy before the courts of Heaven, and gained the sure victory for the side of good and light.
To the people of earth, Christ's death was as the "lamb of God," the utmost reminder of the consequences of sin, the purest innocent to die for the sins of their own hearts and hands. To the citizens of Heaven, it was the decisive end of the battle, and the holding out of the defeated serpent for all to see. But why was Jesus chosen? What was so special about Him that made him an acceptable sacrifice to Yah for, not only all the sins that had ever occurred, but all that would ever occur even after such a time passed?
The answer to this is found in the entire Bible. From cover to cover it points to the love of Yah, and the redemption of mankind and the destruction of Sin. To understand the life of Yashua (Jesus), is to understand all that I have said before and more. To know it is to know all of the Scriptures at their plainest meaning, and to accept it is to live forever.
In no plainer manner than the life and death of Christ could the words of the prophet Micah be made more manifest - that of a pleading God, eager to show us the way out of destruction and willing to heal every sickness of body, mind and spirit. In no purer fashion could the laws of God be shown to be the way to live in happiness both on this earth and in the world to come. The Gospels are like a textbook for humanity.
And so it came to be that God Himself stepped down from His throne. The Prince of the everlasting Kingdom, He who had at times been in the form of the archangel Michael, the One through whom all things were created, lay aside His crown and descended to earth as a man to do what the prophets and angels could not do. Even the faithful Elijah was not a fitting candidate for this job. However magnificently he reflected God's character, he too fell short of perfection, for he fled for his life from the wrath of queen Jezebel, forgetting for a moment that his Father was the very source of life and protection. But in the person of Yashua, filled with the Holy Spirit from His conception, was one who would never break His connection to the Father, not even for an instant, and would be preserved as the "lamb without spot," for the final true Passover.
In the book of Daniel, Christ is seen in the prophet's visions as a rock. This rock would come and smash a gigantic statue in the shape of a man, and then would grow into a mountain which would cover the entire world. The Jews saw this prophecy as a great hope, for they knew what the vision meant. The head of the statue was of gold, the chest of silver, the abdomen and thighs were of brass, the legs of iron, and the feet were made of iron mixed with clay. The golden head of the statue was the kingdom of Babylon, and the other lesser kingdoms were the ones which would succeed it, the Media-Persians, then the Greeks, then the Roman empire, and finally a mixed empire, which was never fully unified (as iron will not form an alloy with clay).
The end of the vision had the rock striking the feet of the statue and breaking it all into pieces, and then the rock grew to cover the world. The people of Israel looked forward to this day as the coming of their Messaiah, a king to lead God's people out of bondage, and establish a monarchy which would cover the whole world, replacing all the kingdoms that existed before it on earth. Whereas this is a true statement, it is also true that they completely missed the nature of their King when He did appear.
Not in glory and power was He to appear at first, but as a servant. He was to be "a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; and we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth." Isaiah (53:3-7)
Oh, if only they could see! The Jews were SO blinded by their ambition for an earthly kingdom, for a life of wealth and ease, that they completely overlooked this scripture. Either that, or they applied it to their own faltering nation's history. To the letter was this passage reflected in the life of Yahshua. Had they realized the true significance of these words, they would have recognized in the life of the man of Galilee the one they had been awaiting from the calling of Abraham, even from the fall of Adam.
There have been several wonderful books written about the life of Jesus. Some go into great and wonderful detail, and indeed, if I tried to include all the important things He did in this letter, there would be no room for anything else. In fact, as John said, "And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen." (John 21:25) So, that having been established, I won't even try. There are a few incidents, however, which are worthy of note from the perspective of the sin war, and those will I relate - not to indicate that there was anything "unimportant" about His life, but you get my meaning, hopefully.
If you take a browse through the fist chapter of the four gospels, you'll find that each tells the beginning of the life of Yahshua from a slightly different perspective. Some have Him just appearing on the scene, one tells in detail the events that took place leading up to His birth, and another describes the annunciation, conception and birth in regards to Mary His mother. The place at which they all seem to converge is at His baptism by John and the leading out of His ministry at the age of 30. This specific number is of some significance, but I'll get to that in a later letter.
Anyway, immediately after He went into the water and came up, the Spirit of His Father descended upon Him in the form of a dove, and in the very language of the humans that stood nearby, the Heavens declared the divinity of Christ, and the sanction of His mission. He then immediately left inhabited regions and went into a desert, where He fasted for 40 days. There, in that desolate place, the battle between Michael and Lucifer continued.
Satan did not fully understand the mission of his former Commander on earth. He knew that having the incarnated god around was bad news for him, because Christ was turning his slaves' minds to Yah, and setting them free by the multitude. Wherever He went, He demonstrated God's love; with every word and deed, humans were reminded of the purity that their souls longed for. The blessings being poured out upon humanity were without count or value, and when Yahshua taught in the temple, the building was more blessed than its previous structure, when in the days of Solomon there was a ball of heavenly fire glowing forth from the inner room of God's house.
Yah's law was being plainly revealed to mankind in simple, easy language. From a perfect vessel fell the exact words the listeners needed to hear, each lesson a seed that would grow into the mighty tree of truth in the hearts of those who accepted them. Lucifer knew that this had to be stopped at any cost. All of his best laid plans were being disrupted. For centuries had he carefully planned the downfall of Yah's chosen people, and now, finally, when they were slipping into peaceful, Godless routines and traditions, Michael appears and starts throwing wrenches into the machinery. Lucifer could always try to have Him killed, of course, but that would accomplish little.
Destroying Christ in the flesh would only result in His return in a new body, and a continuation of His work after a minor delay. Besides, all of the fallen angel's previous attempts via Herod had failed anyway. No, Satan's ultimate goal was to corrupt the spirit itself, to turn the mind of God Himself to rebellion, producing a lasting failure, and pronouncing the doom of humanity. If Yahshua himself were to sin as a man, it would prove that mankind was INCAPABLE of living up to Yah's standards, and would validate Lucifer's charge that they must all be destroyed if he was to be. The adversary seized upon Christ in an apparent moment of weakness, and proceeded to attack.
After 40 days with no food, it seemed a simple thing for the son of God to make bread out of stones. There could be nothing wrong with that, could there? How would satisfying a basic need be a sin? Lucifer tried to get Christ to give in to this temptation.... to simply use His natural, God-given (literally) powers to satisfy His hunger. But Yahshua knew His purpose on earth. He was to do what any of us could do. He was to rely on nothing but what WE have to rely on in our temporal environment. Even with His walking around healing the sick and raising the dead, He did NOTHING that ordinary men cannot do when we have a connection with the Father. In regards to raising the dead... both Elijah and Elisha did this on various occasions, as did Peter and Paul, for they knew the Father and understood His will.
Were Christ to use His abilities for His own purposes, He would be violating His prescribed role to come as a servant to mankind, and this He was not willing to do. In realizing His role, and submitting to the office of humility, He turned aside the first temptation.
Not giving up, Satan was given charge to transport the Son of God to the top of a high tower. "If you are truly who you say you are," he said, "cast yourself down from here, for it was written that when the Messiah appears, Yah will send the angels out to protect Him." Now this may seem simple enough a temptation to overcome, but remember, Christ took on a fully human nature, and had little if any memory of His former self as the commander of the forces of Heaven. He had to go on faith, just as we do, and the potential for doubt was always there. However, it was not because He doubted that He did not throw Himself from the top. "It is written," He said, "that we should not attempt to test the Lord our God."
Of course, in our lives we are invited to prove our Father's power. He delights in revealing Himself to us as we draw closer to Him in both time and character. What we are NOT to do, however, is to deliberately set out to force His hand. What if all Christians could fly? We would have droves of people flocking to churches to learn this skill - all seeking our teachings for the wrong reason. Aside from that, and even worse, there would be such an exaltation of SELF among those who had learned that the message would quickly shift from the putting away of sins. In short, it would be a disaster.
There is a time and a place for miracles, but alone in the desert, Christ being floated gently to the earth by invisible servants would have been for the benefit of no one.
The adversary had one more weapon to try. He caused all the kingdoms of the earth to flash before the Savior's eyes. He revealed to Him the glory and riches of the nations around Him, the gold of the eastern regions, the precious jewels of countries as yet unknown... and made the offer: "All these things can I give to you, if you will but bow down and worship me." Even coming from a life of relative poverty, a quick response was on Yahshua's lips, along with a rebuke, "Get thee behind me Satan, for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him alone shalt thou serve." Defeated for the moment, Lucifer fled from the victorious Avatar.
Having prepared Himself in this way, He went out from the desert to draw His disciples and preach the will of His Father.
It is of significance to note that it was not from the rabbis and scribes, not from the governors or wealthy landowners that Christ won His first followers. He called the fishermen, the tax collectors, the workmen, whose simple lives had provided them with a humility which allowed them to see through the plain clothing of our Redeemer, and to behold the true majesty and greatness of His character. They did not even hesitate when they were invited to follow our Lord.
This isn't to say that these are the only kinds who may be of use to our Father, of course. They were taken from all walks of life, and each used his skills and position for the furtherance of the gospel. Remember always, it is not slaves our Father desires. Yah delights when we use our individual gifts and talents to work for the improvement of the world. Luke was a doctor, and to him was committed in later years the writing of one of the most detailed of the Gospels, as well as the book of Acts, the only Canonized record of the early church, from which many important lessons have been preserved. Paul was in a very high position within the Jewish religious hierarchy, and on more than one occasion, that fact, along with his status as a Roman citizen, allowed him to reach those in positions of authority.
Judas was a very skilled financier, and highly educated as well. Had he committed fully to Heaven's cause, his abilities and mental gifts would have made him a mighty force for the drawing and salvation of souls. Yahshua saw all these things in His betrayer, and loved him for them until the very end.
All of Christ's ministry was one of service. With never a thought for Himself, He ceaselessly travelled where His Father's Spirit sent Him, teaching men how to overcome the burden of sin, and to prepare for the cleansing of the earth and the destruction of evil. He healed all according to their faith - to some, He went to their homes and spoke to the sick or departed, calling them forth from their maladies. To others, they believed in Him enough that they needed only the assurance that He had made them well. A Roman centurion, hearing of Yahshua's powers, went to Him to ask that his sick servant be healed. Demonstrating great faith, he said, "Lord I am not worthy that you should go to my house, but only say the word and my servant will be healed." Even among the Israelites was such faith not found. They, who had historical evidence of Yah's great accomplishments among them... and it took a man from a pagan nation to demonstrate true trust in the Divine Teacher.
But not only healing, Christ gave many opportunities for those who knew Him to prove their faith. Peter's walk on the water is a perfect metaphor for a Christian's walk to Heaven. He and the other disciples were in a boat, and they saw the Messiah coming toward them, walking over the waves. Peter saw him, and said, "Lord, if it is really you, bid me to come to you on the water." And Jesus answered, "Come." With great trust, Peter jumped out of the boat, and started walking towards Him.
Almost there, he took his eyes off of his Master, however, and looked at the stormy waves and began to fear. At that very moment, he started to sink beneath the turbulent waters. It is the same with us. Being born anew in Christ, we become new creatures, able to do things we could not before, to live righteous lives and to "walk toward" Him in character, becoming more like Him, and ever closer to Heaven's ideals. But when we take our eyes off of our goal, when we look around at the turbulent world, and start heeding our own stormy emotions, we start to sink. When we begin to doubt, and to worry about our own safety, we lose the ability to "walk on water," and then our lives are truly in danger - not because of the circumstances, but because we lose our trust in the perfect protection of the one who bids us, "Come."
But neither does our loving Savior leave us to drown in our fears. Peter was not yet fully converted to his Master's way. Even some time later, during Yahshua's trial, he denied Him, proving that he was not yet ready to stand firm in his faith. Jesus understood that like no one else, and with tender mercy, He reached out a hand to help Peter up when he cried out to Him in his distress and fear. Even those who do not fully know Yah's ways, if they sincerely seek Him with their words and with their hearts, He would rather empty the Heavens of its angels than allow such a one to come to harm. This is a comfort to us in our ignorance, not a warning, that God knows our true hearts.
The fact that Peter and the other disciples did not fully understand their Teacher's way and mission in life was a constant trial for our Redeemer. How lonely it must have been for Him, that even His best friends on earth did not understand Him, and could not even bear to accept His talking about the necessary death that He was to suffer at the hands of unjust civil powers. They all expected Him to set up an earthly kingdom, and all looked forward to their "reward" for following Him with a bit of selfishness in their hearts.
The foremost among these was Judas. The truth is, Judas DID love Christ. No one who met Him and went about preaching in His name and healing the sick with His power could avoid loving Him. This disciple's fatal flaw was similar to Satan's. Whereas all the other disciples also cherished some greed in regards to their desire for position and power, they were willing to give it up if such was not to be. When James and John had their mother come to Jesus to ask that her two sons be given the highest positions in His Kingdom, He answered that they must also be willing to drink from the same cup He was to drink from, meaning His sufferings.
They said they were able, and indeed, when they understood the nature of the "cup," they proved themselves worthy. James was one of the very first martyrs for Christ when the persecutions began, and John was the last of the disciples left alive. He was the one who suffered the longest in this life for Yahshua, and to Him was given the honor of recording the book of Revelation, the signs of things to come.
Judas, however, loved position and power just a little more than he loved Yah's son. He did believe that He was the son of God, and he did believe that He was the one chosen to rebuild the Heavenly kingdom, but he also thought that he (Judas) had the better idea of how to go about it. "Why does not Yahshua just reveal His power to the corrupt priests? They will accept Him then, and then He can avoid all the suffering He keeps talking about." But rather than asking his Master this question that plagued him, he kept it to himself, thinking himself clever enough to either figure it out, or find a way around it. Does this sound familiar? That's right... it's the beginning of the Sin cycle.
The cycle continued along it's inevitable path in Judas, and he refused to seek Jesus' council in overcoming these temptations. Christ understood very well what was happening to His disciple, and He constantly gave Judas opportunities to confess his troublesome thoughts and be made clean. He put Judas in charge of the apostles' treasury, so that his love of money could be made manifest, and he would see his sins. We are also sometimes put in similar positions so that our faults can be revealed to us. But temptations are not to be lamented, for to be tempted is not to sin. We are to realize, however, when we are in error, and ask that we be given the power to overcome. Judas, however, did not do this.
It did not take long for Judas' questions to degenerate into doubts, and soon, just like Satan, he began to whisper among the disciples; as much as he loved Jesus, misery must have company, and he could not stand to be alone in his quiet rebellion. Just before He was arrested and given over to His executioners, Mary, one of His dearest friends, broke an expensive jar of perfume and anointed Him with it when they were all seated at a meal. She did this with a pure motive, one of inexpressible love and gratitude, for Mary had been forgiven many sins. Judas, however, could not see past the financial implications. "Could not that expensive gift have been sold and the money given to the poor?" he whispered to the disciples that sat around him.
Upon hearing this, Mary became embarrassed, and knowing the degree of respect that Judas held with the other followers of her Lord, she assumed also that Jesus felt the same way. She felt the searing pain of shame, and bitter disappointment that her thoughtful gesture might have been misunderstood by the One she loved best. But she need not have worried. Christ knows and loves each of us as if we were the only person on the earth. "Why trouble ye the woman?" He said, "for she hath wrought a good work upon me. For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always. For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial. Verily I say unto you, wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her." (Matthew 26: 10 - 13) Such sweet praise! How Mary's heart must have filled with love, when she realized that her kind act (given at such great personal cost to her, for the ointment described would have cost almost a year's wages for one in her position in those days) had been understood and appreciated.
But again He had spoken of His death. So often, and yet the disciples could not understand. They still expected that somehow their Master would establish an earthly reign. Christ knew that as long as they felt this way, they would never give up the greed in their hearts. They would never understand the principles of loving others as much as themselves... they could never truly be His Father's children. When He spoke of knowing the Father as the only way to salvation, Phillip said, "Show us the Father, then, so that we can Love him." Christ answered, "Have I been with you so long, yet you still don't understand?" Yah is Spirit, and He is expressed through principles. Those who knew and loved Yahshua in the flesh knew and loved the Father in the spirit. The disciples NEEDED to understand true humility and true love for each other, even at the expense of personal, selfish greed, and this need led our Saviour to give one of his most touching lessons.
On the eve of the Jewish passover, the disciples and Yahshua gathered to have a meal. Before eating, it was customary that a servant would come in and wash the feet of all the guests of the house. The twelve sat with their beloved Master, and a bowl of water was in the room, but there was no servant. Each of the twelve knew the custom, but not one of them moved to perform the humiliating task. For any to take the bowl and wash the feet of the others was to admit that he was the servant of the others, to admit being inferior and of lesser esteem. Jesus sat and watched them all, reading their hearts to see if any understood the lesson. Sadly, not one of them did.
Then He rose, and took off His outer garment, and took the bowl of water. To the amazement of those seated, He, who had healed the sick and raised the dead... He who Peter, James and John had seen in His angelic form, transfigured on the moutaintop talking to Elijah and Moses... He who had so often left the Rabbis and teachers in the temple confused and wrapped up in their own stupidity... He who has been their Master for three and a half years, knelt before them and washed the dirt from their feet, all the dignity and majesty of Heaven bowed before them and served.
Finally, they began to understand. His words, "Let him who would be great among you be your servant," began to ring in their ears. All realized the utter self-seeking nature of their hearts, and they were extremely ashamed and sorrowful. The perfect example had been before them for years, yet they had thought only of themselves and their futures, when their Friend was facing the prospect of the most painful possible death, and was looking to them for love and comfort. When it was Peter's turn, he could not hold back the tears any longer. Looking down on his beloved Teacher, he asked, "Lord, dost thou wash my feet?" He answered, "What I do, thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter."
Peter was overcome by emotion, and unable to bear it anymore, he said, "Thou shalt never wash my feet." But he needed the lesson, he needed to fully understand the patient, loving and kind nature of his Father, or else he would never be able to have this example ever before him when he would be called to teach Yah's principles to the world. Jesus said, "If I wash thee not, thou has no part with me." Peter, ever impulsive, but nonetheless thinking that nothing could be worse than separation from Yahshua, said, "Lord not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!" Peter still had some lessons to learn about hasty actions, it seemed, but all that would come in time. There was a more important issue going on in that room. Though He had washed them all, yet Christ declared, "Ye are not all clean."
When he had completed his task, Jesus returned to the table, and proceeded to explain the lesson. "Know ye what I have done to you?" He asked. "Ye call me master and lord, and ye say well, for so I am. If I, then, your lord and master, have washed your feet; ye also are to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you." They needed to have it ever before them that humility is a vital step to understanding the principles of Heaven, to becoming as Christ Himself, and to overcoming the snare that even the greatest of angels fell prey to. And Lucifer was not quiet during this time either.
Over one of the twelve he still had control, and as Christ knelt before the feet of Judas, he entered the heart of the stubborn disciple, and urged upon him how unlikely it was that this servile Teacher would ever reign as King over the earth. It filled Judas with disgust to think that the One whom he had trusted in to obtain for him wealth and influence would do something as selfless as this humiliating labor. Little did he understand that he was being offered one last chance to let the tender mercy of Yah influence him, to shame him into repentance over his greed and to save his own soul from the slavery of the dark angel.
But just as Lucifer in Heaven, the stubborn soul saw Michael's pleading mercy as an insult, as a violation of his pride, and in that moment, Judas turned his heart fully away from the principles of life, and passed under the shadow of death.
After he had rejected this final lesson, what more could Jesus do or say to bring him back to the light? The cycle of Sin was complete, and it was not that Yah was unwilling to forgive, but that evil had become so much a part of the human's essence, that he no longer had any desire for love or mercy. Anyone who asks for forgiveness with a sincere heart is given this priceless gift. The true danger of sin lies in its effectiveness of changing US. God is always willing to save, it is WE who may become unwilling to accept, if we dwell too long in the shadow of evil. His heart breaking within Him, Yahshua proclaimed, "Verily, verily, I say unto you that one of you shall betray me."
What a shock this must have been to the disciples! Such a thing was unthinkable to them, especially just after they had been so humiliated by their own selfishness. They were in a repentant attitude, in realization of their need for Christ, and with tender hearts for the love of the Father. How could it be that any of them would stand against their Master? One to another, they looked, trying to figure out who among them could be so evil.
One by one they asked their master, doubting even their own love, "Lord, is it I?" Peter asked Jesus directly, "Lord, who is it?" Jesus answered that the one who dipped his bread into the bowl at the same time as He did would be the one. Judas alone of the twelve did not hear this. While the others were searching their souls to see if they could possibly have the potential to betray their Master, his mind was dwelling on the new plans that were forming in his mind. Because of this, when Christ dipped his bread into the bowl, he did so at the same time, unaware of the sign this would be to the other eleven.
After he had done so, Lucifer no longer had any reason to hide his influence. He knew his servant had been found out, and he had leave to take full possession of Judas' mind. The plans that had been filling the betrayer's mind bloomed full. If Christ is lord, he reasoned, then if He was turned in to the civil authorities He would HAVE to use His powers to free Himself. He would use His divine abilities to overcome His enemies, and that would force the Rabbis and teachers to believe in Him, and so the earthly kingdom would be established.
Remember the way Christ resisted the second temptation? "Thou shalt not test the Lord thy God." This was just what Judas was doing with his rationalization. It has often been said by those benefiting from evil practices, "What does it matter if I do it? If I don't someone else will." This is the rationale behind the actions of many who sell guns or drugs or any questionable items. To them Christ has an answer. "It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him through whom they come! It were better for him that a millstone were hanged around his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones." (Luke 17: 1 & 2)
As Yahshua saw the evil traits of His ancient enemy become fully manifest in Judas, He felt keen pain for his lost child. So shall He weep over all unrepentant sinners on the day of the judgement, bemoaning the loss of so many wonderful souls, who were too blinded to desire freedom and life eternal. "How can I give you up?" He will ask, "How can I let you go? Will not any be willing to accept My gift of salvation?" To Judas he said, "What you are planning to do, do quickly." Judas ran out into the darkness of the night, his soul empty of the capacity for love, the very essence of life. To the Jewish authorities he went, to those who had been seeking the life of the great Teacher ever since He began to teach the people the true spirit of Godliness, so different from the hardened forms and neglected principles from which they were so far removed. Such a great tragedy; such an incalculable loss...
Though there is a bit more on this particular topic, I fear I have run on very long with this one letter, and I think I should give you a break here to absorb what I have said so far. I will wait and see if you have any questions or comments so far before continuing. I will await your reply. Yah be with you.
Sincerely,
David.
