My Last Day – Jesus’ Crucifixion

 

My Last Day – Jesus’ Crucifixion

It’s so unique that this animated short film unfolds what happens before and after Jesus’ crucifixion through the eyes of a thief. The thief tells us what’s going on during his last day, that is, he witnesses how Jesus is tortured and crucified. The thief will be crucified for robbery and murder, so he knows that he has sinned, which highlights that Jesus is innocent. Meanwhile, the thief sees the resistance of the scribes, Pharisees, soldiers and the masses to the Lord Jesus, and also sees the Lord Jesus’ attitude toward all these. Finally, the thief confirms that Jesus is the Lord, then he repents to Him sincerely, and his spirit is saved …

The short film really pains us and makes us think. Why were the scribes and Pharisees who were familiar with the Bible and desperately yearned for the coming of the Messiah unable to recognize that Jesus was the coming Messiah of the Bible prophecy? Besides, they constantly tempted and bitterly hated Jesus, even colluded with the Roman government and incited the masses to crucify Him, and committed a heinous crime. What did they do so?

Later I got the answer from a book: “Do you wish to know the root of why the Pharisees opposed Jesus? Do you wish to know the substance of the Pharisees? They were full of fantasies about the Messiah. What’s more, they believed only that the Messiah would come, yet did not seek the truth of life. And so, even today they still await the Messiah, for they have no knowledge of the way of life, and do not know what the way of truth is. How, say you, could such foolish, stubborn and ignorant people gain God’s blessing? How could they behold the Messiah? They opposed Jesus because they did not know the direction of the Holy Spirit’s work, because they did not know the way of truth spoken by Jesus, and, furthermore, because they did not understand the Messiah. And since they had never seen the Messiah, and had never been in the company of the Messiah, they made the mistake of paying empty tribute to the name of the Messiah while opposing the substance of the Messiah by any means. These Pharisees in substance were stubborn, arrogant, and did not obey the truth. The principle of their belief in God is: No matter how profound Your preaching, no matter how high Your authority, You are not Christ unless You are called the Messiah. Are these views not preposterous and ridiculous?”

This passage clearly reveals the source of the Pharisees’ resistance to Jesus. They just abided by the doctrine of the Bible rather than seeking the way of the truth preached by Jesus. They were not believing in God but the Bible and their notions. Once the Lord Jesus’ work and word were not in line with the Bible, they hated and resisted Him. This painful historical lesson warns Christians of today that as long as we believe in God, we should focus on seeking the current utterances of God, put aside our definitions and opinions, just as the Lord Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). We have been watching and waiting for the second coming of the Lord Jesus, and many biblical prophecies about the second coming of the Lord Jesus have been fulfilled. So, can we learn lessons from the previous generations and humble ourselves to seek just like Peter, disciple of that time? Peter modestly listened to Jesus’ teachings and put them into practice, and still stayed true to his faith and never left Jesus while all people were resisting Him, and he became someone who was approved of by God in the end.

Have you prepared well at this crucial moment to welcome the second coming of the Lord? Recommended for you: Do You Know the Deeper Meanings of the Lord Jesus’ Resurrection? Let’s learn how to discern the voice of God and get prepared to welcome the second coming of Jesus.

From the internet

Will the Lord Jesus Descend Only With Clouds When He Returns?

By Xunguang, United States

Many brothers and sisters believe that the Lord Jesus will descend only with clouds to receive His followers into the kingdom of heaven when He returns. Is this really the fact? Let’s discuss about this viewpoint together through the following article.

According to the prophecy of the Lord Jesus in Matthew 24:30: “and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory,” many brothers and sisters believe that the Lord Jesus will descend with clouds to receive His followers into the kingdom of heaven when He returns. But in fact, apart from the verses relating to the Lord’s descending with clouds in public in the Bible, there are still those mentioning the Lord will come in secret.

Recently, I studied the Bible and found that the scriptures concerning the second coming of the Lord could be roughly divided into two categories: One kind predicts that the Lord will descend with clouds and every single eye shall witness Him; the other foretells that the Lord will come like a thief, just as it is said in Matthew 25:6: “And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom comes; go you out to meet him,” and in Revelation 3:3: “I will come on you as a thief.” From these verses we can see that there are two possible ways that the Lord shall come: One is that He’ll come as a thief and no one knows it, which means the Lord will come in secret. The other is that He’ll descend with clouds and be seen by all, which means the Lord will appear to all people publicly. According to my understanding, the Lord will probably come in secret first, and then will appear publicly after He has finished His work. It will be like when the Lord Jesus came to do His work: He was first incarnated as the Son of man and descended in secret. After completing His work, He was nailed onto the cross, after which He was resurrected and appeared to people for forty days, and then ascended to heaven.

Some brothers and sisters may say: The words “as a thief” and “midnight” here mean that nobody knows the time of the Lord’s second coming. They are not saying that the Lord will come in secret.

As to this question, I found that there’re many parts of the Bible predicting the second coming of the Lord will be “the coming of the Son of man.” Just as the Lord Jesus says in Luke 17:24-25: “For as the lightning, that lightens out of the one part under heaven, shines to the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day. But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.” This “Son of man” refers to God’s incarnation. In this verse it also mentions that “But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.” Since He must be forsaken by this generation, it’s very possible that this means the coming of God incarnate arrives in secret. Just as when the Lord Jesus came to do His work, nobody knew that He was the coming Messiah. People all regarded Him as an ordinary person, condemning Him and rejecting Him. If the Lord directly reveals Himself to all people in public when He returns, then He’ll not suffer for it and can’t be rejected by this generation. Therefore, I think “as a thief” and “midnight” doesn’t simply mean that no one knows the exact time of the Lord’s coming. They could well be referring to how the Lord will return as the Son of man, in secret.

We cannot neglect any matter involving the second coming of the Lord. We cannot define that the Lord will come again only with clouds according to one aspect of verses. Instead, we should investigate in many aspects. This is the only way that we won’t miss the chance to welcome the Lord’s return.

From the internet

Are the words “being raptured in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” right?

Question: The Bible says, “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). how do we explain this verse?

Is the Hope of Rapture to meet Jesus Christ Achievable?

Li Huan

Like many brothers and sisters who truly believe in the Lord, I have been longing for the return of the Lord Jesus, holding to the words in the Bible, “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:17).

Without Holiness, No One Will See the Lord

By Hemiao

The sky was dull and the clouds were hanging low, the thunder blaring dimly out from a distance. A storm was striking soon. These days, people were all baked like the cracked land due to the dryness and fervor. At the moment, the cool wind accompanied the drizzle took away the dryness of these days, bringing coolness to people. It was the time for the rain to come. Heyu hurried to fetch the washing in, and then she gazed to the sky while waiting for the arrival of Tao Yun and Zhang Ruirui. Recently they were all busy sustaining the church they each led and hadn’t met for days. So Heyu invited them to her house to have a chat and have an understanding of the situations of the brothers and sisters.

What Makes the Wise Virgins Wise?

By Jing Xin

Seeking Enthusiastically to Be a Wise Virgin

A Christian’s Diary – How to Distinguish the True Christ From the False Ones

By Li Xin

On June 8, 2017, Thursday, Cloudy

During today’s meeting, the pastor preached to us, “The last days have already come. The prophecies of the Lord’s return have basically been fulfilled. The four blood moons have appeared. The great disaster is right at hand. We must wait for the Lord watchfully. The Lord Jesus told us: ‘Then if any man shall say to you, See, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; so that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect’ (Matthew 24:23–24).

If We Follow Our Pastors, Can We Enter the Kingdom of Heaven?

By Shang Jing

In a church which could accommodate hundreds of people, there were sitting only a few dozens of believers. Some were playing with their phones, and some listening to the pastor’s preaching attentively. In recent years, each time when attending a gathering, Zhou Ling really threw herself into hearing the pastor’s sermons.

If We Follow Our Pastors, Can We Enter the Kingdom of Heaven?

By Shang Jing

In a church which could accommodate hundreds of people, there were sitting only a few dozens of believers. Some were playing with their phones, and some listening to the pastor’s preaching attentively. In recent years, each time when attending a gathering, Zhou Ling really threw herself into hearing the pastor’s sermons.

How Can Those Living in the Sins Enter the Kingdom of Heaven?

By Wen Ying, Japan

Clouds drifted in the blue sky, while some birds were alighting in a tree near the meeting place, chirping like playing a vivid song. In the meeting place of a house church, preacher Li Xun invited her classmate Yang Min (a co-worker works in another area) to attend the co-worker meeting, and they were talking about the topic of “being saved” and “entering into the kingdom of heaven”…