Welcome to a place to study, ponder, and go deeper into all things Bible, Christ, and the Cross.
“Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light.” – Psalm 148:3
Who is Jesus?
Jesus was born in Bethlehem to a virgin named Mary from Nazareth who became pregnant when an angel named Gabriel came to her to deliver the message that she would carry a mighty King in her womb. He was born in a manger (a trough where animals fed from) because Mary and her husband Joseph had to flee when King Herod wanted to kill all of the Jewish male babies. He wanted to do this because he heard the prophecy that a powerful King was to be born and this threatened Herod. As a young boy, He could be found in His Father’s house (the temple) where He hungrily learned the Word and challenged the Pharisees of the day.
John the Baptist was born to Elizabeth and Zechariah, a Jewish priest. John was about 6 months older than Jesus and survived King Herod’s massacre of the Jewish male babies because his parents lived in the wilderness and because Elizabeth hid her pregnancy. When Mary found that she was pregnant, God instructed her to go stay with Elizabeth for a time. When Mary met with Elizabeth, John the Baptist leapt in her womb because of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit within John within Elizabeth recognized itself, Jesus Christ, within Mary. Many years later, when both Jesus and John the Baptist were 30 years old, Jesus walked many miles to be baptized by His cousin who recognized Him immediately. Even though John said that it was Jesus who should’ve been baptizing him (John knew that Jesus was to bring baptism of the spirit which was a baptism only He could do) he did indeed baptize Jesus just as Jesus insisted. The Bible recounts that when Jesus came up from the water, the Heavens opened and the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove rested upon Jesus as a voice from Heaven sounded, saying “Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.”
Jesus’ face shined and His disciples saw Him at His transfiguration. This was the moment when His divinity shown on Earth. His disciples were frightened by the changing of His appearance, but it also proved to them that He was indeed God in the flesh and the Son of God. At the time of his transfiguration Jesus was seen speaking with Moses and Elias (these two are believed by some to be the two witnesses of Revelation) about His death which was to shortly come. It was Peter who asked of Jesus if it was okay for them to stay there, but a cloud came and overshadowed them all and a voice out of the cloud said “This is my beloved Son: hear him.” When the cloud cleared, Jesus was found alone, and none of the disciples told anyone else what they had seen or heard.
When Jesus was crucified, He wore a crown of thorns that they pressed into the crown of His head. It was a made to be a mockery of the prophecy that He would be the King of Israel. After only a few short years of His ministry, Jesus was rounded up and accused by His own people. He was then sentenced to be whipped and beaten, and then to die by crucifixion. It is said that we can’t even comprehend what Jesus looked like after He was beaten and forced to carry the cross. His bones would have been visible, His flesh so mangled that He wouldn’t have even looked human. He was lashed with a nine tails forty times. A nine tails was a whip that had nine strands. On the end of each strand was glass, razor sharp stone, and sharpened bone. After this beating, He was forced to carry His own cross. The cross was not a smooth couple pieces of two by fours. The cross was a large column of a tree that was full of rough. jagged splinters that would have been digging into Jesus’ already raw, mutilated flesh. When Jesus finally reached the destination of His death, He was nailed to the cross, one nail in each hand, and one nail through both feet. While up on the cross, one is being suffocated by the weight of their body being pulled down by gravity. Every time He spoke on the cross, He had to push His weight onto those nails, which would’ve been excruciating, just to get enough breath to utter words. The last thing Jesus spoke before he died and was pierced in the side with a spear was “It is finished”.Jesus’ body was taken down and placed in a tomb. His tomb had a particularly large stone in front of it and was guarded constantly by two armed men. However, it wasn’t until three days later when the two Marys came to visit the tomb, that a great earthquake happened and the large stone was rolled back by the angel of the Lord. The guards that stood watch went stiff as dead men with fear and the angel told the women not to be afraid because the Jesus they sought was not there, but He has risen. Jesus appears first to the women who were on their way to get the disciples to tell them what they had seen at the tomb and what the angel had told them about Jesus. He then appears to His disciples in Galilee where He instructs them to tell everyone what He has taught them, and He lets them know that He is always with them. Today, the Cross is a symbol of Jesus’ resurrection, not just His death, for He defeated, death, hell, sin, and the grave. Today, we remember that we serve a Living God, and the power is not in just the symbol of the cross, but in what Jesus did at the Cross.The ascension of Jesus before His disciples was proof that He did indeed rise from the dead and go to heaven alive. Before Jesus ascends, He tells his disciples that they will have power when the Holy Spirit comes to them. These were the last words he spoke before he was taken up into a cloud and out of their sight. As they continued to look toward heaven, they saw two men standing in white apparel, and they said “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” These words offer us comfort and hope in knowing that Christ is alive and He will return. Jesus Christ, son of God, will come again to gather His people and defeat the Devil. Just as the disciples heard, and as we now know, Christ promises to come back to gather His people, destroy His enemies, and reign as King in Israel forever. When Jesus comes back on a white horse He has flaming eyes of fire and a sharp sword comes from His mouth. Jesus is coming for war. He will send all those who have the mark of the beast, along with the beast, and all the evil on earth into the lake of fire. The Bible tells us that the blood of Christ’s enemies will reach the height of His horse’s bridle and all the fowls of the air will be filled with their flesh. God is a God of mercy. But He is also a God of perfect justice.
Standard Bearers
Discover THE TRUTH, POWER, AND LOVE OF CHRIST.
Did you know that over 2,000 years ago the son of God died for you? Jesus brought an end to the law for all, being the one true sacrifice for all sin for all time for all who believe. When He was on that cross breathing His last breaths, He saw your face, He heard your name. For you, He said, “it is finished” (John 19:30). There is nothing you or I will ever be able to do to be good enough to get to heaven. In order to spend eternity with the Father, we have to believe, accept, and trust in what He did for us. When we do, Christ’s righteousness is accounted to us and we become justified and free. The power is not in you or in me. The power is in The Blood (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
TIMELINE OF THE BIBLE
Adam – In the beginning, God created everything and He saw that it was good. But sin entered the world and man fell when man was tempted by the Devil and disobeyed God. Thus God banished man from the Garden of Eden and the Earth was cursed.
Noah – Because sin entered the Earth, man became increasingly wicked, therefore causing God to repent of making them. God chose to flood the whole Earth saving only 2 of every kind of animal and 8 souls belonging to Noah and his family. The entire world changed after the flood and God limited man’s years to 120. Even though God cleansed the Earth and started again with Noah’s family from which the whole Earth was repopulated, the problem of sin was still not solved.
Abraham – God makes a covenant with Abraham in his old age, promising that from his seed a nation numbering the stars would come. Abraham demonstrated deep, unshakeable faith when he believe that he would have a son in his old age. His faith is only further highlighted when God asks him to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. Abraham was obedient to God, he was genuinely going to sacrifice his son. But God sends an angel to stop him. Because Abraham was so devoted and obedient to God with such confidence and trust, God promises that every nation would be blessed through him. The covenant made between Abraham and God still stands today.
Moses – God hears the affliction of His people enslaved in Egypt and He calls a stammering man to stand before Pharaoh and declare “Let my people go!” When the children of Israel finally flee from captivity, they are stopped at the edge of the Red Sea with Pharaoh pursuing after them. God demonstrates His power and might with an extraordinary miracle. He parts the waters of the Red Sea allowing the children of Israel to cross on dry land. He then swallows up Pharaoh and his men in the water when they attempt to pursue after Moses and the people. That path of dry land was made only for God’s chosen. A 40 year journey of wandering and complaining begins, and it is in this time that God uses Moses to deliver the law to the people, starting with the 10 commandments.
Law – The law was given so that we might see the problem of sin that we need a solution to. Under the law, the people were to sacrifice an animal when they sinned and once a year they did one big sacrifice for the whole of the nation. It is under the law that vain, religious repetition and hypocrites are begun. Because the person didn’t have to change on the inside and repent of their ways, they could continue to do wrong, just sacrificing a new animal to cover it each time. The only solution to sin was going to have to be a perfect sacrifice, sinless, that was to take the place of all sins for all time for all who believe.
Jesus – Jesus was born in Bethlehem to a virgin named Mary. In His young age, He could be found in His Father’s house, learning and challenging the pharisees. His ministry begins when He is 30 years old where soon after He demonstrates miracles, heals, and speaks to the masses, teaching them in wisdom and in parables. But Jesus’ greatest accomplishment was saving the world from sin. He gave us a way to the Father, a way to eternity in Heaven. He fulfilled the law, brought an end to the law, and ushered in grace. Jesus was the sinless, spotless lamb crucified as the one true sacrifice for all sin for all time for all who believe.
Grace – Today we are under grace and are in the church age. Because the Jews in Jesus’ time did not accept Him and what He did at the Cross, God turned His attention to the gentiles to deliver to them the Gospel of Salvation. Today, we do not do works to get to heaven or to be righteous. Today we are saved by faith in what Jesus did at the Cross for us. For accepting what He did, Christ’s righteousness is accounted to us. We are washed clean, we are not captives to sin and its consequences, we are free.
Apostasy – The Bible tells us that at the end of the church age, before the rapture and tribulation, there will be apostasy. This means that what some Christians once believed, they no longer do. They start to believe other doctrines, and love runs cold. People seem to turn from the faith and fall into worldly ways. Many believe that this is the time we are currently living in. It is more important than ever to cling to the truth and to seek truth at every turn.
Rapture – We are given a great hope during these tumultuous times. God promises to gather His people unto Himself before He deals with His enemies on Earth. The rapture is also known as a plunder. God is going to plunder from the Earth its greatest gem, which is Christ’s bride, the church. He does this so that God can go back to dealing with His chosen people who will still be on the Earth during the time of the tribulation. When we are raptured up, we leave our blood behind and receive glorified bodies, like Christ. This is great hope for those of us waiting expectantly for the second coming of Christ.
Antichrist – The Bible alerts us that there have already been many antichrists in the world. An antichrist is any spirit that denies Christ and the Cross. The Antichrist that book of Revelation details has to do with a specific figure who will be revealed in the end times. The end times is the period of time between apostasy and armageddon. The Antichrist of the end times will first be revealed as the Man of Sin. He will be a man who assumes some great measure of power over all the nations of the Earth. At first, most people will be deceived by his flatteries, and he will even bring some sort of peace between Israel and their enemies. But this is all deception. The tribulation lasts 7 years and in between those years right at the 3 1/2 mark, the Antichrist is assassinated. After 3 days the Antichrist comes back (this is a blasphemous attempt by the Devil to mimic Jesus in the grave for 3 days and his resurrection) as the Son of Perdition. This being is no longer the human Man of Sin, he is now an empty vessel filled with the spirit of the Devil. Some time during the last 3 1/2 years of the tribulation, he causes all to receive the mark of the beast in their right hand or forehead. Any who refuse will be killed. This Antichrist, who once made peace and flatteries, will break his peace deal with Israel and descend upon her. He will then sit upon the Mercy Seat in the third temple of Israel (which will be built any time during the end times, but before the Antichrist comes back as the Son of Perdition). This event is known as the “abomination of desolation” and when the children of Israel perceive this event, they are instructed by God to flee into the wilderness.
Tribulation – The tribulation is a period of 7 years when God releases His wrath onto the Earth. He does this to judge all evil and to punish the nations for their wickedness. The tribulation is a time period for the Jews. God goes back to dealing with them as He would’ve had they accepted Christ. But because they didn’t and still haven’t, He will send two witness from the Old Testament to witness to the children of Israel that Jesus was and is their Messiah. During this time period the Earth will experience cataclysmic disasters and events. Natural disasters will be larger and more devastating than ever before. Thirds of populations of animals and people and drinkable water will be destroyed. Strange, demonic beings torment man. And, if it wasn’t bad enough, persecution by the Antichrist will be among history’s worst tragedies. The Bible tells us that this time period will be so terrible that at some point man will seek death, but will not find it. For this reason, it is is imperative that we share the Gospel of Salvation with all who hear. Jesus will not come back until every single living soul has had the chance to accept Him.
Armageddon – The Battle of Armageddon is the end of the tribulation and the end of the end times. At this future event, the Antichrist gathers all the nations in the Earth to come against Israel and destroy her. But Jesus Christ comes on a white horse with eyes of flaming fire as the judge and executioner of the wicked nations of the world. The Antichrist loses and all of the enemy men are destroyed by the sword that comes out of Christ’s mouth. At last, the world will be rid of evil.
Millennium – After Christ smites all of his enemies at armageddon, He will throw the Devil and all the evil into the bottomless pit for a thousand years. Those thousand years are spent with Christ reigning as King and the Earth’s cursed removed. After those thousand years, the Devil will be loosed again for a short time. Again he attempts to come against God with a great army of men, but God destroys them swiftly. After which, the Great White Throne of Judgement appears and all the dead (those who were not alive or in a glorified body in the millennium) appear before the Lord. All those who were in hell will be judged according to what they’ve done, and all those whose names are not written in the Book of Life are cast into the Lake of Fire along with the Devil and all evil. Finally, God will destroy the old heaven and the old Earth and make all things new. And, forevermore, we should live with Him in paradise. All tears wiped away, all pain removed, and all former things forgotten. For God says, “Behold, I make all things new.”
Standard Bearers 