This is recorded in Psalm 69:21; "They gave me also gall for my meat; And in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. This was a poor mans wine, and it was given to take away pain.

There are five occasions when Jesus was offered something to drink, and observe the accuracy of what is said, instead of creating "discrepancies":

1. On the way to Golgotha, as recorded in Mark 15:23 where the offering was made in the Imperfect Tense. Jesus did not drink. The word for "vinigar" as recorded here is "oinon" which is wine, which is drugged with myrrh, making it smell like perfume.

2. When they arrived there as recorded in this verse 33, Jesus tasted but would not drink. This sine was mixed with gall, a wormwood, and poppy greenish bile substance which is somewhat poisonous.

3. Later, by the soldiers after He was on the cross, recorded in Luke 23:36, which was probably at the soldiers own meal. The drink offered to Christ here was a sour wine, in the Greek, "oxos".

4. Later still, a proposal made by some and checked by others, but afterward carried out as we will see later in verse [48]. This also was just a sour wine, the "oxos" in the Greek, as given in Luke 23:36.

5. The last about the ninth hour, in response to the Lord's call, as written in John 19:29. Once again they tried to give Jesus a very sour wine. So we see that these are the five occasions that they tried to give Jesus drink, and He refused the drink.

This is one of the hills that Abraham made the journey up to offer his son as a sacrifice, some 2000 years before Our Lord Jesus Christ made His trip. God stopped Abraham from doing the act, however the crucifixion of Christ will not be stopped. Jesus Christ was the seed of Abraham that was promised to be the Messiah by the Almighty God.

Matthew 27:35 "And they crucified Him, and parted His garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, "They parted My garments among them, and upon My vesture did they cast lots."

This is quoting Psalm 22:18; "They part my garments among them, And cast lots upon my vesture." This action of the soldiers was even as given in prophecy, even though they did not know that it was. This shows us how much God does have His hands on the control of all events of our age.

Matthew 27:36 "And sitting down they watched Him there;"

These soldiers watched to see just what would happen.

Matthew 27:37 "And set up over His head His accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS."

With this sign over Jesus head, though it be in mockery, the Kenite chief priest came by latter in anger and reminded Pilate that he told them not to write it.

John 19:19-21; "And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS." [19] "This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin." [20] "Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate, "Write not, 'The King of the Jews;' but that He said that I am the King of the Jews" [21]

Matthew 27:38 "Then were there two thieves crucified with Him, one on the right hand, and another on the left."

Jesus Christ hung on the cross between two robbers, in the Greek it is "lestai", and not malefactors, or unknowns as many teach. Both were brought with Christ up Calvary hill to be put to death also. The death came on a Roman Cross, and not just a pole as many claim. That cross is shaped in the small letter "T".

Matthew 27:39 "And they that passed by reviled Him, wagging their heads,"

Matthew 27:40 "And saying, "Thou That destroyest the Temple, and buildest it in three days, save Thyself. If Thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross."

The religious leaders caused doubt in the peoples minds, and the people said, "If your really the Messiah, then come down from the cross."

Matthew 27:41 "Likewise also the chief priests mocking Him, with the scribes and elders, said,"

Then here comes these Kenite religious leaders, and they had to mock Jesus also. Jesus could see all this mocking taking place, ye He said not a word.

Matthew 27:42 "He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He be the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him."

Notice that this chief priest finally gave it correct, "King of Israel". The words were not for this Kenites mind, but by the Holy Spirit forcing the words, that all scripture might be fulfilled.

Matthew 27:43 "He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now, if He will have Him: for He said, 'I am the Son of God'."

These words of the chief priest was written long age by David, in Psalm 22:8; "He trusted on the Lord that He would deliver him: Let Him deliver him, seeing He delighted in him."

Matthew 27:44 "The thieves also, which were crucified with Him, cast the same in His teeth."

One of these thieves mocked Jesus while the other did not. It is written in Luke 23:39-40; "And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on Him, saying, "If Thou be Christ, save Thyself and us." [39] "But the other answering rebuked him, saying "Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation" [40] "And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this Man hath done nothing amiss." [41]

Luke 23:42-43; "And he said unto Jesus, "Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom." [42] "And Jesus said unto him, "Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with Me in paradise." [43] Friend, paradise is where ever Jesus is.

Matthew 27:45 "Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour."

This then was from 12 noon to 3: P.M., and you can see where all the people are getting a little on edge with the darkness coming in the middle of the day.

Matthew 27:46 "And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" That is to say, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?"

This phrase, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani" is perfect Hebrew, except of the word "Eli", which is Aramic. Jesus spoke loud here, because He was teaching. Many teach in ignorance that this shows that Christ had taken on the sins of the world and He was a little dirty, how ignorant of the word.

Jesus was teaching and quoting David from the Psalm of the events that would transpire during the going to the cross, to His resurrection. Let's go to Psalm 22: for the words of Christ on the Cross that are given to us.

Psalm 22:1 "My God My God, why hast thou forsaken Me? Why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?"

Jesus was quoting from the words of David, to teach those that were not spitting, and caring on like a pack of mad men. God is not forsake Jesus. When Jesus referred referred to the Father, He called Him Father, not God.

Psalm 22:2 "O my God, I cry in the daytime, but Thou hearest not; And in the night season, and am not silent." David also when he was in his tribulations made this statement.

Psalm 22:3 "But thou art holy, O Thou That inhabitest the praise of Israel."

Psalm 22:4 "Our fathers trusted in Thee: They trusted, and Thou didst deliver them." If you trust in these words, you also shall find delivery and salvation.

Psalm 22:5 "They cried unto Thee, and were delivered: They trusted in Thee, and were not confounded." When they trusted in God, they were not confused, or disgraced.

Psalm 22:6 "But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of me, and despised of the People." The Kenite scribes really messed this verse up. In the Massoretic Text, the word is ""tola", and means scarlet, crimson and scarlet. From the blood that He shed for the sins of the world, and the People despised Him for it, in ignorance.

Psalm 22:7 "All they that see me laugh me to scorn: They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying," We Just covered this in verse [39].

Psalm 22:8 "He trusted on the Lord that He would deliver him: Let Him deliver Him, seeing He delighted in him." This is the mockery that was spoken in verse [43] by the chief priests and the elders of the People. The reason I told you to remember those words of the chief priests, is the Psalm 22:8, shows us that those words were placed in their mouths as a seal by the Spirit of the Living God. This seal allows us to know exactly that Jesus was the Messiah. For when those words are spoken, it identifies the Christ, as a fact.

Psalm 22:9 "But Thou art he That took me out of the womb: Thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts."

Psalm 22:10 "I was cast upon Thee from the womb: Thou art my God from my mothers belly." The statement of the prophecy that Christ truly came from the seed of David, and the root of the stem of Jessie, David's father.

Psalm 22:11 "Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help."

There is none to help, while Christ hung on that cross; for every disciple had scattered and denied Jesus. Friend, this is God speaking to David a thousand years before Jesus hung on that cross.

Psalm 22:12 "Many bulls have compassed me: Strong Bulls of Bashan have beset me round.

The bulls of Bashan were know for their size and strength, This is a figure of speech, or idiom showing the power of the evil that came against Jesus. Even though Jesus could have called down thousands upon ten thousands of angels to protect Him, He did not. He suffered the cross alone. Friend, for your salvation to be, and the price to be paid, this prophecy had to be fulfilled.

Psalm 22:13 "They gaped upon me with their mouths, As a raving and roaring lion.

You can see that massive crowd that cried with blood in their eyes, "Crucify Him, Crucify Him." It was like our Lord was thrown to these raving and roaring lions.

Psalm 22:14 "I am poured out like water, And all my bones are out of joint: My heart is like was; It is melted in the midst of my bowels."

Christ's blood is being drained from him, as it poured from His hands and feed, and then the Roman soldier ran that spear into His side. The nails are pulling the bones of my hands out of their sockets.

Psalm 22:15 "My strength is dried up like a potsherd; And my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; And Thou hast brought me into the dust of death."

A potsherd is an old piece of broken pottery laying dry in their heat of the sun. The "dust of the death" is the death of this flesh body.

Psalm 22:16 "For dogs have compassed me: The assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: They pierced my hands and my feet.

The "dogs" are the enemy that has done this to me. Do you understand Christ is crying this form the cross, and it was written one thousand years before by David, and it came to pass exactly as God planned it to come upon Himself. Jesus knew what had to be done so that you could even have the chance to utter in shame, "forgive me Lord," in repentance.

This is why Jesus cryed out aloud, "Eli, Eli, lama, sabachthani?". Jesus is teaching as He cries out, "can you not see that I am teaching, as I hang here with these nail through my hands and my feet.

Psalm 22:17 "I may tell all my bones: They look and stare upon me."

They mock and spit at me, as they stare at my broken bones.

Psalm 22:18 "They parted my garments among them, And cast lots upon my vesture."

Here these same Romans that placed the Robe on Jesus and slapped Him, and spit upon Him, and drove that crown of thorns into His head, gambled for the very garments of Christ. How much proof does it take, to show you that all these events took place, even to thase that were against Christ, such as the religious leaders words, and the actions of the Roman soldiers. In the divine intervention where the sun would go dark at the noon hour, and reappear at three P.M.

Psalm 22:19 "But be not Thou far from me, O Lord: O my strength, haste thee to help me."

That is the only strength that we need, the strength of the living God.

Psalm 22:20 "Deliver my soul from the sword; My darling from the power of the dog."

"Darling" here should be translated soul, and "the dog" is Mine enemies. There is a time where we had better be concerned about our souls, rather then being so taken up by this flesh world.

Psalm 22:21 "Save me from the Lion's mouth: For Thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns."

The "unicorn" is incorrect, in the Hebrew text it reads "wild ox". The horns are the powers of the wild ox. It should be, I will declare the powers of the wild ox..

Psalm 22:22 "I Will declare Thy Name unto my brethren: In the midst of the congregation will I praise Thee."

This praised is declared in Hebrews 2:12-14, "Saying, "I will declare Thy Name unto My brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praises untoThee." [12] "And again,"I will put my trust in Him," And again, "Behold, I and the children which God hath given Me." [13] "Forasmuch Then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; That through death [crucifixion] He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;" [14]

These verses were given before in reference to Matthew, and here we see that it also has reference to the prophecy of the future event.

Psalm 22:23 "Ye that fear the Lord, praise Him; All ye the seed of Jacob, glorify Him; And fear Him, all ye the seed of Israel."

This is the whole house of Israel.

Psalm 22:24 "For He hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; Neither hath He hid His face from him; But when he cried unto Him, He heard."

Don't let anyone tell you that God, even for one instant deserted His own Son, while He hung on the cross. When Jesus cried unto Him, the Father heard every word.

Psalm 22:25 "My praise shall be of Thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear Him."

This great congregation is coming, when we all shall be gathered to him, at the sounding of the seventh trump. The whole congregation, of all races, and tongues.

Psalm 22:26 "The meek shall eat and be satisfied: They shall praise the Lord that seek Him: Your heart shall live for ever."

When you eat of His word, and are satisfied, your mind can not help but praise Him, and you heart, or mind [soul] shall live for ever.

Psalm 22:27 "All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord: And all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before Thee."

We are at the end of the world age of the flesh, and many hearts are turning to the Lord from every nation. This is the start of the Millennium age, when every knee shall bow to Jesus Christ. This is also part of what Christ is teaching from the cross.

Psalm 22:28 "For the kingdom is the Lord's: And He is the Governor among the nations."

Psalm 22:29 "All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: All they that go down to the dust shall bow before Him: And none can keep alive his own soul."

You had better be in Christ, my friend, or your soul is going to die. These last two verses are written to the people that live in the time of the parable of the fig tree, it is written to you and I.

Psalm 22:30 "A seed shall serve Him; It shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation."

The generation here, is the generation living during the parable of the fig tree, when Israel is reestablished by both the good and bad figs. The Kenites, and the Judah.

Psalm 22:31 "Thy shall come, and shall declare His righteousness unto a People that shall be born, That He hath done this."

They shall come and declare that Christ has done this, and it is finished. The price has been paid. This is Christ's words from the cross, and it was written one thousand years before it came to pass, friend, just how much proof do you need before you can see that Jesus is the Christ and the redeemer of your soul.

Matthew 27:47 "Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, "This man calleth for Elias."

"Elias" is the Greek for of the Hebrew word "Elijah". The hearers mistook the cry which was given in Aramaic 'eliy-yah' is to us God the Father.

Matthew 27:48 "And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave Him to drink."

Go back to verse thirty four, and read the notes. Jesus would not touch the sour mixture of wine offered to Him. Jesus refused this drink also. The drink was laced with poppy, which was a drug, it was poison, and deadened the mind. The Romans offered this drug to those that hung on the cross, and Christ refused the drink when the drug was present. Why did Christ say, "I thurst," when He did not take the drink?

The answer is in Psalm 69:21; "They gave me also gall for my meat; And in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink." Every detail of the crucifixion is covered in prophecy.

Psalm 69:22-23; "Let there table become a snare before them: And that which should have been for their welfare, let it become a trap." [22] "Let their eyes be darkened, that they see not; And make their loins continualy to shake." [23] What this is saying is their cornerstone Jesus Christ shall become a stumbling block. Because in that final generation, the fake Christ will come, and all those that are taught through the religious system to love Jesus, and never study the Word, will become snared, or deceived by Satan, the Antichrist.

What God is saying is that those that have their eyes darkened simply can not see the truth of the deception that is taking place, because of a decree from the Heavenly Father. A sin committed in ignorance is no sin, and as long as they are blinded from the truth in this spirit of slumber, they will be taught in the Millennium age.

Psalm 69:24 Pour out Thine indignation upon them, And let Thy wrathful anger take hold of them." This anger is poured out on all those that have disobeyed His word, and this will happen at Jesus coming at the second advent.

Matthew 27:49 "The rest said, "Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him."

All the people stood there in the dark, and as they stood there they were saying, "lets see if Elijah will come and save Him. As the weird things were on around them, they still have not applied it to Prophecy. The whole time, Christ never said what they thought He had said. He was crying out, "Eli" or "My God", and not "Elijah".

Matthew 27:50 "Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost."

Matthew 27:51 "And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;"

Pay attention of what happened here. In the Temple there are two veils, one of them leads to the holy of holies, and one that is in the holy of holies. This vale is the one that separated the Gentiles from the priests, and by custom the priests would stand before this veil at 3 P.M. each day. That one standing there, at 3 P.M. on this day, was the chief priest Caiaphus, the same priest that demanded Jesus death.

Caiaphus was the priests that repeated those evil wicked words from Psalm 22. As He stood there on this day at 3 P.M., the darkness was removed, the earth quaked, and the rocks trembled, as the veil that separated the holy of holies, for Gentiles was tore apart from top to bottom. This veil was a huge curtain, and with the veil split, it meant that the way to Christ, and the holy of holies was open to all who chose to follow the one that paid the price for their sins.

To believe on Christ, is to be released from perishing, and to come into everlasting life. It is to have your name placed in the Lamb's book of life, and not be faced with having your very soul be blotted out, and be as if you never existed.

This is the turning point of all history of all ages.

Matthew 27:52 "And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,"

Matthew 27:53 "And came out of the graves after His resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many."

The people that do not have eyes to see the spiritual things that are going on around them, and must see things physically to understand. These were the very souls of those that had passed on, and they were in heaven, in paradise. God allowed this appearance of the dead, to go back to the people in Jerusalem, and it would be people that had died and every one in town would recognize. An example of this would be the old baker on the corner, that everyone bought their bread from, or the doctor, or what ever. Here he was walking the street alive. What does this document?

It documents that He who was crucified was Jesus the Messiah, the Christ. On that day there were many that came alive spiritually, as their eyes were opened. They saw the Christ on the cross, and they had the prophecy from the prophets of old. Today we have God's written word, and that knowledge must be hid in our minds, and accepted as the truth beyond doubt. This is what we call faith.

When Christ came out of the tomb, He had defeated death. But while He was in the tomb, as it is written in I Peter 3:18-20; "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: [18] "By which also He went and preached unto the spirits in prison," [19] "Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water." [20]

After death, while Christ was in the prison of the tomb, He preached to all those that did not have the availability of salvation all the way back to the time of Noah, which is a figure of speech, which means to even Adam. That when that veil was rent, that salvation was offered to Israel and the Gentile, all the way back to the beginning of the flesh age. God is good and God is fair.

At the end of this flesh age, at the close of the tribulation by the Antichrist, we shall all be changed into our new spiritual bodies, and then starts one thousand years of the Millennium age, which is the kingdom of Jesus Christ, as recorded in Ezekiel chapters 39-48. It is a time of learning and discipline. At the end of that age, will be the great white throne judgment, when Satan and all his followers will be turned to ashes.

Matthew 27:54 "Now when centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, "Truly This was the Son of God."

'To those that were there and took part in the crucifixion it was obvious that Jesus was truly the Son of God.

Matthew 27:55 "And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto Him:"

The men all fled, and praise God for the women. They were there to give support to Jesus and minister to His needs where they could. Many men in the Religious system tell the women to remain silent in the church, and that is wrong. They take a verse where Paul tells women not to gossip or chatter in church, and using that verse they like to place a dominating authority over them.

Friend the women earned the right to represent Christ, for they stood by Him, when the men were on the run scared. Next time you let your male dominance get out of hand, you might think of this verse.

Matthew 27:56 "Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's children."

Mary Magdalene was a sinner, but she believed, and Jesus freed her from her evil spirits. She was cleaned up and God made her a strong witness for Him, as she spread the gospel throughout France, and Europe. These all were fine women that believed in Christ and would not let their faith be moved.

Matthew 27:57 "When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus disciple:"

Joseph of Arimathaea was more that Jesus disciple, but historically it can be documented that he was Mary, the mother of Jesus' uncle. Therefore he would be Jesus uncle. The book, "The Traditions of Glastonbury", documentation is given to show that Joseph was a very rich man, with many ships carrying tin from the lead mines or the Mendip Hills, to all points of the Roman Empire.

Joseph of Arimathaea held a very important position in the Roman Government, and carried the title "Nobilus Decurio." Joseph knew of Jesus death on the cross, from the very early time of Jesus conception, for he was part of the family. As a member of the family, he had the right to claim the right of Jesus broken body, when it was taken from the cross.

Matthew 27:58 "He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered."

It was Joseph of Arimathaea that went to Pilate for Jesus body, and Pilate gave the body over to him. For those that desire to know more about Joseph and Jesus early life, after Joseph His father was gone, the book "Traditions of Glastonbury", by the historian and archaeologist, E. Raymond Capt would be fine reading. Joseph of Arimathaea had kinsman's rights, and that is part of the law, from the beginning of time. Joseph was Jesus kinsman redeemer, just as Christ is our kinsman redeemer of our souls.

Matthew 27:59 "And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,"

Matthew 27:60 "And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed."

This verse is fulfilling a scripture that is so simple that many just read over. In Isaiah 53:9; "And He made His grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death; because He had done no violence, neither was any deceit in His mouth. In other words, on the cross there were robbers on both sides, and in death Jesus would be buried in a rich man's tomb. That rich man was His uncle, Joseph of Arimathaea. Joseph, the tin man.

Matthew 27:61 "And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre."

They were sitting and watching the tomb where Christ had been laid.

Matthew 27:62 "Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate,"

In the Companion Bible, Appendix 156; there is a six day report that covers the events of the six days before the Passover feast day. When you make a personal study of that Appendix, it will explain all details surrounding all events concerning Jesus Christ's death burial, and His resurrection. You will see that Jesus body was laid in the tomb before 6 P.M on Wednesday, as was required by law. For that Thursday was the High Sabbath, and nothing could be done on Thursday.

It was Wednesday that all preparation and and purchases were made, and on Saturday was the regular seventh day of the week Sabbath. Jesus came out of the tomb Saturday afternoon, exactly three days after He was placed in the tomb, as prophesied by Jesus in Matthew 12:40. This was the 14th day of Nisan, and the resurrection had to have occurred prior to sunset, for at sunset, the tomb was visited, and the stone was rolled away, and the body of Christ gone.

Matthew 27:63 "Saying, "Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while He was yet alive, 'After three days I will rise again.'

These Kenite religious leaders knew the Old Testament prophecies, and they are calling Jesus the deceiver, and remembering what He had told them, for the only sign that Jesus gave them was that of Jonah, that He would be in the earth just three days, just as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish.

Matthew 27:64 "Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night, and steel the Him away, and say unto the People, 'He is risen from the dead:' so the last error shall be worse than the first."

For these Kenite priests their last error was worse that the first. When Christ defeated death, then Christianity became a reality, and not a religious form, as the Temple worship was.

It is interesting that at the end of this earth age, there will be two witness murdered by Satan, the Antichrist, and at that time there will also be a guard placed on them, for the religious people will also know the prophecy concerning them. Their minds are blind to the truth just as the chief priests were concerning Jesus. The conclusion of the three and a half days, life will enter the witness, they will stand to their feet, and the end of this earth flesh age will end with the return of Jesus Christ. Revelation 11:7-13 records this event.

In the phrase; "so the last error shall be worse than the first", it is not given what the first error was, but many feel that error of the Kenite religious leaders was in the crucifixion itself.

Matthew 27:65 "Pilate said unto them, "Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can."

By this time Pilate saw and understood how he was used by these Kenite religious leaders, and told them to use their own soldiers to make the watch.

Matthew 27:66 "So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch."

The chief priests took their own guards, and went to the tomb [sepulchre], and they not only set a watchmen over it, they sealed the tomb. I'm sure they would have placed their finest, and most alert guards over the tomb. In the next chapter we will study the burial process, and the resurrection, and the events that occurred following the resurrection.

Let's take a close look at all the facts that surround the resurrection, and in the conclusion I'm sure you can only agree that Jesus Christ did come out of that tomb. There are many theories that existing, surrounding the resurrection, However, before we take a look at these theories, there are certain things we must accept as being true. Without these basic truths, we would be just spinning our wheels, and going in circles. So let's look at the basic assumptions, to accept as historical fact.

1. JESUS LIVED. This is easy to prove, as even heathen historians of Jesus day, such as Josephus states Jesus lived, and gave details of parts of His life. This he writes about in his "Antiquities of the Jews, Chapter III, verse 3.

2. JESUS WAS CRUCIFIED, AT THE INSTIGATION OF JEWISH LEADERS. This is not stated to cause hatred towards Jews, but merely a statement of fact. This fact is what Matthew 27:1, 2 states. "When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the People took counsel against Jesus to put Him to death:" [1] "And when they had bound Him, they led Him away, and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor." [2]

3. CONSIDERED DEAD. Jesus was pierced with a spear until water flowed from His insides, then inspected by the Roman soldier and he declared Him dead. Jesus was wrapped for burial, and buried in a known tomb. We can assume they didn't bury a live person. Proof of Jesus death also comes from John 19:34; "But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced His Side, and forthwith came there out blood and water." The water comes forth when the vital organs are sliced open. Jesus was truly dead.

4. JESUS WAS BURIED IN A KNOWN ACCESSIBLE TOMB. Today it is assumed to be the location of "Gordon's tomb", in Jerusalem. For the first four centuries the location of the tomb was not important, as it contained no body. Jesus arose and came out of that tomb, and the owner of the tomb, Joseph of Arimathaea was not buried in Palestine, but in Britain. The scriptures tell us that the Jewish leaders knew, the Roman knew, and that guards were posted and the tomb sealed by the Jewish leaders. Jesus' followers certainly knew the location of that tomb.

5. DISCIPLES PREACHED A RISEN CHRIST, ASCENDED, AND AN EMPTY TOMB. The gospel preached by the disciples, following the filling of the Holy Spirit, of the day of Pentecost, was that of a "resurrected Christ". Peter, in Acts 4:8 is filled with the Holy Spirit, and speaking to the rulers of the people, and elders of Israel. Then in verse 10 we see the message that was preached by the disciples. "Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised form the dead..." going on to verse 12, Neither is there salvation in any other. For there is none other name under heaven given amongst men, whereby we must be saved."

There are many other references, such as I Corinthians 1:17-18; "Christ sent men not to baptize, but to preach the gospel,...For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God." This is what the Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Corinth.

6. CHRIST'S DEATH WAS AT THE HANDS OF THE JEWISH LEADERS. After the Jewish leaders heard the claims of Jesus, they pronounced Jesus a blasphemer, which was one of the most serious crimes of the day [Matthew 26:65, Mark 14:61-64]. Following these actuations, they went to the Roman authorities to get a civil conviction against Jesus, to have Him crucified. Following the death of Jesus, came the news of His resurrection. On the basis of their religious stand, who stood to loose the most over the news of the crucifixion of Christ, the truth of the resurrection only made the gospel that Jesus followers taught stronger. The Jewish leaders stood to loose much, as their livelihood depended on a cover up. This was not just a casual interest to them [Luke 9:22].

7. THE DISCIPLES WERE PERSECUTED FOR THEIR MESSAGE. Peter was ordered to keep still about the resurrection, and persecution and death followed. Every Apostle of Jesus was killed for their gospel message, except for John, who died on the Isle of Patmos. Acts 12:1-3 tells of the death of the Apostles James and John, by the sword at the hand of King Herod, just because it pleased the Jews. Tomas was run through by a sword in India; Andrew was drug threw the streets in Egypt, and on and on. It is well known and recorded in both religious and Roman history, of the multitudes of deaths of those carrying the message of faith of a resurrected Christ.

8. THE TOMB WAS EMPTY. There were many accusations and statements of denial of the resurrection, and all the Jewish leaders had to do to put down the story of a resurrected Christ, was to produce the body. Go to the tomb and get Jesus' body, but they could not. This would have stopped the message of the gospel, silenced the disciples and followers of Christ, and killed the basic foundation of Jesus as being the promised Christ, and Redeemer of mankind. There was no body in the empty tomb.

So with these eight concrete facts in mind, we can take a look into the theories existing today, giving the reason for the tomb being empty, by the so-called higher critics.

1. THE DISCIPLES TOOK THE BODY. This theory has to assume that all the disciples, and followers were liars. After the resurrection, over 500 people saw, touched and even ate with Jesus. After Pentecost, most of the followers and disciples were scattered around the world, and in these separate places, not one of them ever denounced, or admitted to such a plan.

A theory such as this, confirmed the fact that Jesus truly did die at the hands of the Romans and was buried. The mere fact of the many witness who saw, talked, ate, and heard Jesus message, following the crucifixion, destroys this theory. There would be no need to steal the body, as Jesus made himself known to them both in the resurrected and glorified body.

2. THE JEWS TOOK THE BODY. The Jewish leaders had much to defend, most of all their image and integrity, as well as their livelihood. The message going forth by the disciples, was that they have just taken the Messiah's life, and Jesus came out of that tomb alive. It seems that the quickest way to kill the resurrection story, would be for the Jewish leaders to simply produce the corps of Jesus. This would require Rome to give permission, to remove the stone, so that the Jewish leaders could see the crucified marks on the body of Christ. It was the Jewish leaders that demanded that the tomb be guarded and sealed by the Romans prior to Christ's resurrection.

3. THE ROMANS TOOK THE BODY. This theory has the Roman image at stake, as Rome was the one who hung Jesus on the cross, then verified and certified His death. It was Rome who saw to it that the body was in the tomb, when they released Jesus' body to Joseph, and placed it in the tomb. Palestine was an area of the Roman empire which had seen many revolts, and Jewish uprising over religious matters, and this hit the very heart of the Jewish faith.

The center of the Jewish thought was that the coming Messiah, the Redeemer of Israel would come as as their King. The Religious leaders of the time were teaching a form of the law that had been changed and added to, to make up a totally different form of teaching then Jesus taught. Jesus rejected the religious forms of their religious system, and He did not subject Himself under it. This is what the chief priests charged Him with, the serious crime of blasphemy.

If the Roman government did take the body, all they had to do to quiet the Jewish leaders was to produce the body. This would protect their image, and quiet the Jewish leaders. The gospel of Jesus Christ, a resurrected Redeemer was also in total conflict with all religious forms of the entire empire. This message of the gospel caused a decree that cost many lives to Christians for three centuries, until the conversion of Emperor Constantine in the fourth century.

If Rome could have produced the body, they would have, and the message of the gospel would have been stopped.

4. THE WOMEN REPORTING THE EMPTY TOMB [RESURRECTION] SIMPLY WENT TO THE WRONG TOMB. This theory starts out telling about the sorrow and grief the women were under, and tearful eyed, went to the wrong tomb. All the Jewish leaders had to do under this theory, was to take them to the right one.

That still doesn't explain the story of the angel reporting Jesus resurrection. Then Jesus visual sighting by over 500 people; His talking and eating with the disciples, or the many who witnessed Jesus ascension into heaven,

5. THE HALLUCINATING ON THE PART OF HIS FOLLOWERS. Here again, the resurrection message could be stopped by simply producing the body. This theory requires all followers to be of a certain mind-set, all at the same time. In reading the Bible we see that the disciples were actually in the opposite mind-set, which is required if they were hallucinating. So under this theory, instead of hallucination, you have a conspiracy.

This conspiracy would require a grave robbery, where those hallucinating could not be part in the robbery. If all the followers of Jesus are hallucinating at the same time, who then is robbing the grave. This question caused an extensive investigation of Christ's resurrection, which is covered in the book, "Who Moved the Stone", by Frank Morison (Zondervan books). The study showed Christ did rise form the dead, and the elements requiring this theory to take place could not have happened.

6. CHRIST RESUSCITATED. This theory was promoted in the book, "Holy Blood, Holy Grail", by Michael Baigent, and promotes the idea that in the coolness of the tomb, Jesus was revived. The problem here is you don't revive a dead body.

The authors of this theory say Jesus practiced for His resuscitation on Lazarus, as told in the Gospel of John, and took advantage of the political and religious unrest in the area to pull off his plan.

When you see the certification of the Romans to verify Jesus death, and the preparation of the body, it is hard to give any value at all to this theory. The author of this theory tries to explain how Jesus escaped to Europe, married Mary Magdalene, and their offspring created a bloodline of Kings which have controlled Europe for many centuries.

A person sentenced to death by a Roman crucifixion simply can not plan such a death as this theory requires. The Roman soldiers make sure that the person is dead, and they use their spears to insure that it happened.

8. THE DISCIPLES TOLD THE TRUTH. The only two theories that could possible be correct are the last two. The disciples either lied, or they told the truth. The faith of all Christians in this world hinge on this point, the honesty of the resurrection report. If Jesus came out of that tomb, and ascended into heaven, He is God, and what He said was the truth. to evaluate the truth of the message, lets take a close look at the messengers, His disciples, and see if their lives lived up to their message.

There are several points to bring out here to show the honesty of the disciples. The men were changed for the better. Following the resurrection, and contact with their risen Lord, to the last disciple every one's life took a change, and they became firm in their beliefs and actions. The weak, sleepy-eyed Peter, who could not stay awake the night of Jesus betrayal, and denied Jesus three times, became strong as a rock, and the stable leader of the church.

James and John, the selfish disciples became humble, and fully dedicated to the preaching of the gospel message, which according to Acts 12:1-3, cost them their lives by the sword of King Herod.

Doubting Thomas, always in disbelief, and seeking proof; when told by the other disciples of seeing Jesus, was in total distrust. In John 20:20-28 is the story of Jesus asking Tomas to "reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side..." Jesus also said to Thomas, "reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands" [27] "And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God".

Thomas went on with the gospel to the most difficult missionary field in the world, to India, where he met his death at the hands of a Brahman's sword." As each disciple met his death, not one ever changed their story, or the message of the resurrected Savior. Even when just one word of denial could have saved the lives. Not one ever did. Even in the many corners of the world that they traveled, when what they said would never reach the ears of the other disciples; they held fast. That was the hope of their salvation, of reuniting with the Lord that they all observed ascending up into heaven.

The price that they paid in suffering and death had to be worth more than any riches on earth, and there is no lie or cover-up that could ever hold twelve men firm and bound to, without one man breaking, when it cost them all their lives.

Lies do not change people for the better. The problem with lies is that it is hard to remember, and stick to the same cover-up story. However the truth remains the same, and fresh in your mind. In viewing the gospels, we see a honest reporting of the message, with no hiding of the frailties of the disciples. Each writer tells the story as he sees it and together we have an accurate revelation as the Holy Spirit of God led them.

Of the eight possible theories, there is only one that could be fact, and that is the final one. The disciples told the truth, and Jesus did come out of that tomb just as the prophets of old prophesied. 

Jesus is the Christ and in Him is our only hope of salvation.