God is in Total Control

 

            Have you ever considered whether or not Almighty God is in control of all things within His creation? Events that happen, while appearing random, are not surprising to God.  He is sovereign, as in “One that exercises supreme, permanent authority”. Therefore, God holds divine authority over mankind’s destiny. 

Whether we realize it or not, the events that have taken place, are currently taking place, and will take place in the future did not and will not take place by mere chance. There is a divine orchestration to everything that takes place. Everything is part of a flawless grand design. We don’t have to understand or believe everything that takes place, because frankly some things are just not all that easy to accept or understand. Our acceptance comes in the belief that God IS in control and knows exactly what He is doing, why it needs to be done, and knows the exact perfect time for Him to do it. He doesn’t need to seek anyone’s permission or understanding for His plan is perfect, established from the foundations of the world. Knowing all that can be known, God knows exactly how all this ends.

Those who do not accept God in any form are missing the point or are afraid of the truthfulness of the Gospel message, thinking if they avoid dealing with it it will just fade away. If it’s true then they will need to make a decision which they don’t wish to make. However, not making a decision is in and of itself making a decision. You are deciding to abstain from making a choice and that is a decision. The fact that the decision is ours alone to make negates the statement that God sends people to hell. He does not send anyone anywhere. It is a personal choice to either accept and serve God or reject Him. Autonomy shall be the ultimate downfall of the unrighteous. They cannot be good enough to erase all their sins and they cannot save themselves. That’s because it has nothing to do with anything WE do with the exception of our decision to follow and surrender to the Lord who can revolutionize our life. Give control of your life fully over to Christ. You’ll never regret that decision.

Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries        

 

 

What does the six-hour timeline reveal about Jewish timekeeping?

The six-hour timeline of Jesus' crucifixion reveals that the Gospels used Jewish timekeeping, which began counting hours at sunrise (approximately 6:00 A.M.). This system is key to understanding the biblical accounts:

 

The "third hour" (Mark 15:25) corresponds to 9:00 A.M., the time Jesus was crucified. 

The "sixth hour" (Matthew 27:45) marks noon, when darkness fell over the land. 

The "ninth hour" (Matthew 27:46) is 3:00 P.M., the moment of his death. 

 

This timeline, detailed in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), contrasts with the Gospel of John, which uses Roman time (counting from midnight).  John's mention of the "sixth hour" during Jesus' trial (John 19:14) refers to 6:00 A.M., resolving the apparent discrepancy and confirming the crucifixion began around 9:00 A.M. Jewish time.

Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Source: www.gotquestions.org

 

 

What caused the darkness during Jesus' crucifixion?

The cause of the darkness during Jesus' crucifixion, which lasted from noon to 3 P.M., is not definitively explained in the Bible, but it is widely interpreted as a supernatural event signifying divine judgment and mourning. 

The Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) record that darkness covered the land for three hours. While Luke 23:45 mentions the sun being "darkened" (with some early manuscripts using a term that could imply an eclipse), a natural solar eclipse is impossible at Passover, which occurs during a full moon. 

Early Christian scholars like Julius Africanus and Origen rejected a natural eclipse, noting the Passover timing and the duration (three hours, far longer than any eclipse). The darkness is instead seen as a miraculous sign, symbolizing 3 things: 1) God's judgment on sin, as darkness often represents divine wrath in Scripture (e.g., Amos 8:9); 2) Cosmic mourning, as the "Light of the World" (John 8:12) was being extinguished; and 3) The spiritual weight of Jesus bearing humanity's sins, resulting in his cry of abandonment (Matthew 27:46). Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Source: www.rootedinchristjournal.com

Why did Jesus die at 3:00 pm?

Jesus died at 3 P.M. (the "ninth hour") because it was the exact time of the daily evening sacrifice in the Jewish Temple.  This timing is deeply symbolic, as Jesus is understood to be the ultimate fulfillment of that sacrifice. 

The ninth hour was when the second lamb of the Tamid offering was sacrificed each day. By dying at this precise moment, Jesus is presented in the Gospels as the true "Lamb of God" (John 1:29), whose death serves as the perfect, final sacrifice for the sins of humanity, replacing the need for all future temple sacrifices. 

This moment was also a traditional hour of prayer and confession for the Jewish people, underscoring the themes of atonement and reconciliation with God. The darkness that covered the land from noon until 3 P.M. further signifies the profound spiritual weight and divine judgment being borne by Christ in those final hours.

Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Source: www.gotquestions.org

 

The Scientific Death of Jesus, the Christ

 

At the age of 33, Jesus was condemned to death. At the time crucifixion was the "worst" death. Only the worst criminals were condemned to be crucified. Yet it was even more dreadful for Jesus, for unlike other criminals condemned to death by crucifixion Jesus was held to the cross by His hands and feet with spikes, rather than tied ... each spike was 6 to 8 inches long.

The spikes were driven into His wrists, not into His palms as is commonly portrayed. There's a tendon in the wrist that extends to the shoulder. The Roman guards knew that when the spikes were being hammered into the wrist, that tendon would tear and break, forcing Jesus to use His back muscles to support himself, so that He could breathe.

Both of His feet were spiked together. Thus He was forced to support Himself on the single spike that impaled His feet to the cross. Jesus could not support himself with His legs for long because of the pain, so He was forced to alternate between arching His back and using his legs just to continue to breath. Imagine the struggle, the pain, the suffering.

From common images we see wounds to His hands and feet and even the spear wound to His side... but do we remember the many wounds made to his body. A hammer driving large spikes through the wrists, the feet overlapped, and a spike hammered through His arches, then a Roman guard piercing His side with a spear. 

Before the spikes and the spear, Jesus was whipped and beaten. The whipping was so severe that it tore the flesh from His body. The beating so horrific that His face was torn and pieces of his beard were ripped from His face. The crown of thorns (two to three inch Judean thorns) cut deeply into His scalp. Most men would not have survived this torture.

Jesus endured this reality for over 3 hours. Yes, over 3 hours! Can you imagine this kind of suffering? A few minutes before He died, Jesus stopped bleeding. He was simply pouring water from his wounds.

Jesus was made to endure all this for 3 hours. He had no more blood to bleed. The human adult body contains about 5 liters (just over a gallon) of blood.  Jesus poured out all 5 liters of his blood; He had three spikes hammered into His body; a crown of thorns was beaten down upon His head and, beyond that, a Roman soldier stabbed a spear into His side ... all these without mentioning the humiliation He suffered after carrying His own cross for nearly 1-1/4 miles, while the crowd spat in his face and threw stones (the cross beam was somewhere between 75 & 125 lbs). Jesus had to endure this experience, so that you may have free access to God.  So that your sins can be "washed" away. All of them, with no exception!   JESUS CHRIST DIED FOR YOU!

            Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Why is it called 'Good' Friday?

 

Good Friday, the Friday before Easter, is the Christian day to commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus and His death at Calvary. This Christian holiday is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday, and Black Friday.

In the same way, Good Friday is “good” because as terrible as that day was, it had to happen for us to receive the joy of Easter. The wrath of God against sin had to be poured out on Jesus, the perfect sacrificial substitute, for forgiveness and salvation to be poured out to the nations. Without that awful day of suffering, sorrow, and blood at the cross, God could not be both “just and the justifier” of those who trust in Jesus (Romans 3:26). Paradoxically, the day that seemed to be the greatest triumph of evil was actually the death blow in God’s gloriously good plan to redeem the world from bondage.

Still, why call the day of Jesus’ death “Good Friday” instead of “Bad Friday” or something similar? Some Christian traditions take this approach: in German, for example, the day is called Karfreitag, or “Sorrowful Friday.” In English, the origin of the term “Good” is debated: some believe it developed from an older name, “God’s Friday.”Regardless of the origin, the name Good Friday is entirely appropriate because the suffering and death of Jesus, as terrible as it was, marked the dramatic culmination of God’s plan to save his people from their sins. Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Resource:  www.gotquestions.com

 

Think On These Things

Is there a reason why some only call on the Lord when there’s no one else to call? Is there a reason that we only seek Him when things don’t go our way? Why do we declare that God has failed us; that He is no longer there? Don’t we realize that we are only sleeping in the bed we’ve made?

Is there a reason why we enjoy our own free will, yet cry and moan at the consequences? Is there a reason that we ignore all the warnings that the Lord has laid before us, then get angry when we reap what we’ve sown? 

So WE BLAME GOD because our world isn’t coming out the way we want it to! And all the while the devil is masquerading as an angel of light. Just imagine all the pride, arrogance and gall we exhibit when we ask where God has been, when in reality we haven’t involved Him in our lives at all. Think about that... Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Note: The ideas expressed in this post are inspired by the lyrics from a song by the Christian Rock Group Theocracy called “As the World Bleeds”.