Jesus’ Perspective on His own Death

These are Written
Believe
Should Not Perish
3:16
Never, Never
Life, Love, Light
Condemned by Choice
This and That
Seven Expressions of Love from the Cross
Why?
I know, I know!
What?
UGH!
Expedient
Gain Grace?
The Gift
The Hands of God
Immortality
COME UP HERE
Not by Works of Righteousness We have Done
Jesus’ Perspective on His own Death
I AM

Download or order the free booklet “The Gift” here: https://basictraining.org/the-gift/

Thanks to the American Bible Society “The Gospel of John” for the video scenes.

I want to remind us of the perspective that Jesus, our Savior, had concerning His own death. Because I think it helps us appreciate it a little bit more. His death was 1) Purposeful, 2) Voluntary, 3) Joyful, and 4) Glorious.

Well, first of all, His death was purposeful. He recognized that He was going to die. John 12:27 says, “What shall I say, Father, do not let this hour come upon me. But that is why I came.”

The purpose of his death was also voluntary. It was a voluntary or volitional outpouring of His love, and it showed full and true submission to God, the Father. Romans 5:8, “for God demonstrates his love towards us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” In the garden, Jesus said three times to the Father, “not My will, but Your will be done.” In John 10:17-18 Jesus said, “The Father loves me because I’m willing to give up My life in order that I may receive it back again. No one takes My life away from Me. I give it up of My own free will. I have the right to give it up and I have the right to take it back.This is what my father has commanded me to do.”

His death was purposeful. His death was voluntary. His death was also joyful. Hebrews 12:2 says, “Who, for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and He sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Jesus was fully aware of the pain and the suffering that He would face at the cross, but He had his eyes on the joy, and that joy was purchasing our eternal destiny.

And then finally, Jesus considered death as the path to glory. In John 12:23 He said those words, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to receive great glory.” And this is an amazing verse to me because this is shortly before the passion week. This is shortly before He would go through all of that suffering, the betrayal, the arrest, the scourging, the piercing of his hands and feet, the crown of thorns on his head, and the gathering up the sins of the world that pierced His heart. He didn’t say the time has come for the Son of Man to be tortured and tormented and suffer for the sins of the world. No, He said, “the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” He ignored the suffering and kept his eyes on the glory. And if we can grasp the truth of that verse, it would totally change our perspective of the sufferings in our life.

So this is His perspective of His own death. He was born to die.

Gene Cunningham - October 7, 2022

The Voice of the Archangel

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The Apostle Paul wrote 1st Thessalonians for the purpose of comforting them, because they (like many Christians today) misunderstand about those who have died in Christ (see 1st Thessalonians 4:13 and 4:18). Paul refers to the “dead in Christ” (1st Thessalonians 4:16) also as “those who sleep in Jesus” (see 1st Thessalonians 4:14). Somehow the Thessalonians had the impression that these people (dead in Christ) were missing out so Paul writes to comfort them. 1st Thessalonians 4:13 says, “Regarding those who have fallen sleep, lest you sorrow, as those who have no hope.” Comfort to believers always comes from a very real and certain “hope.” When the Bible talks about “hope,” it never uses hope in an uncertain way. Modern English is different. We say, “I hope tomorrow is a nice day.” That doesn't give us any certainty. That's just an empty hope. When the Bible talks about “hope,” it means an absolute rock-solid foundation for confidence and assurance. Paul says that we have hope. The key to taking advantage of the plan of God in hope, here in 1st Thessalonians 4:14, is “…if we believe that Jesus died and rose again.” Saving faith and Biblical faith is in a Person and a Work. The Person is the Lord Jesus Christ. And His work is the cross. So “if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, we have a confidence that God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.” When He comes, they (“those who sleep in Jesus) will come. 1st Thessalonians 4:15 continues, “For this we say to you by the Word of the Lord that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, we will by no means proceed those who are asleep.” In other words, we will not enter into the heavenly state before them. We don't have an advantage by being alive when Christ comes. As a matter of fact, He's going to show us that they're the ones who have the advantage. We tend to look at this in a backward fashion. As Christians, regarding believers who have died, we say “what a tragedy;” this perhaps referring to a young man or a young woman who die at the age of 17 or 18. We bemoan that they never had the opportunity to live. However, the Christian perspective could be that dying is a marvelous thing. The fact that they are now in the presence of the Lord, they no longer have an opportunity to mess up. The dead in Christ don't have all of the faults and flaws and failures that we tend to stack up in our lifetime. And so, we're do not have an advantage over them. 1st Thessalonians 4:16, describes the rapture of the church. It says, “The Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout with the voice of the archangel and the trumpet of God. The dead in Christ will rise first, and we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them to meet the in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.” So here's the scenario. Some believers are going to be living on the Earth and many will have died. Someday, “the Lord will descend from heaven with a shout.” What that shout will be we’re not told, but in Revelation 4:1, John, hears is a shout, “Come up here!” and that shout comes with a voice like a trumpet. As well, 1st Thessalonians 4:16 says that the shout is accompanied by “…the voice of the Archangel.” The Archangel is Michael. And Michael is significant at the rapture of the church because he's the commander of the armies in heaven for a particular purpose. What is that particular purpose? The defense of Israel. Isn’t it interesting that when the Lord calls the Church out of this earth, that Michael is on hand? It’s because of his particular role in the defense of true Israel. That's significant. Revelation 22:20-21 says, “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.’ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Be with you all. Amen.”