[Frank Dunkle] And I've got a little bit of an unusual message today. So, I hope it won't put anybody off. But it was inspired by a particular genre of writing. It's harder to say than I thought. If you're familiar with historical fiction, that's one of my favorites to read. And please don't think that I'm going to present a sermon that's fiction. But I'm going to try to paint a picture and tell a story that's going to take us back in time. And, you know, thinking about what it was like for the early disciples in the time of Christ, it's a time when they didn't have God's Word written out the way we do. So I'll be quoting a lot of Scripture today but not necessarily citing chapter and verse because those were added many years later. The people of Christ's time studied the Scripture as they could. But in many cases, because they didn't have their own copies, they had to memorize a great deal of it. And they talked about what it meant and shared that. So this might be one of those sermons where you're content to sit back and listen and imagine the story rather than take a lot of notes. I don't want to discourage note taking, but in some ways, it might be a little easier without, and we'll follow from there.

So, if you will imagine yourself in what we today call the 1st century A.D. But the people of that time might have just referred to it as the rule of Caesar Augustus or if they were in Galilee, the rule of Herod Antipas. Jews who were living in the Roman province of Palestine were well aware that they were a mere remnant of a once-mighty kingdom. A set of sacred writings guided the Jews' formal worship. These writings claimed to be given by the Creator God Himself. Some people believed that more than others do. These writings although, though, told of their national history, how they had descended from a great patriarch named Abraham whose great-great-grandchildren had migrated into Egypt and there increased dramatically in number. But there, they also became enslaved. Later, a great leader emerged. A man named Moses led these descendants of Abraham out of Egypt and to the area that the Romans now call Palestine. But these Israelites called it the Promised Land. God had promised to give it to His chosen people.

Moses also had recorded a set of laws, a system of worship of the one true God. And several generations after that, a mighty king named David reunited the various tribes that were living there. He called his kingdom Israel, named for the grandson of Abraham. But only a couple of generations after that, Israel split into two smaller kingdoms. And over the generations, both of them tended to decline in power. Eventually, the northern kingdom, which had retained the name Israel, it was conquered by the Assyrians who dragged off most of those conquered people to the east and the north never to return. A few generations later than that, the southern kingdom, which was known by the name of Judah, suffered a similar fate at the hands of the Babylonian empire. However, 70 years later, the Medo-Persian Empire that succeeded the Babylonian allowed some of the people of Judah to return to their homeland and even to build a temple in Jerusalem on the site that the Babylonians had destroyed.

For those Jews who studied their sacred writings, this seemed to be the fulfillment of some predictions of the future that God had inspired prophets to write many years earlier. The first of those I will cite begins in Isaiah 44:28 where it says, "Who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd, and he shall perform all My pleasure, saying to Jerusalem, “You shall be built,” and to the temple, “Your foundation will be laid.”'" It's important to note that this was inspired to be written long before the emperor who was known as Cyrus was ever born. It continues, "Thus says the Lord to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held— to subdue the nations before him and to loose the armor of kings, to open before him the double doors, so that the gates will not be shut: I will go before you and make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze and cut the bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the Lord, who call you by your name, am the God of Israel. For Jacob My servant's sake, and Israel My elect, I have even called you by your name; I've named you, though you have not known Me. I am the Lord, there is no other; there is no God besides Me. I will gird you, though you have not known Me."

Some scholars in Judah would also cite a prophecy in the book of Jeremiah. Jeremiah and what we would label as chapter 29 verse 14 says, "I will be found by you, says the Lord, 'and I will bring you back from your captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord. And I will bring you from the place which I caused you to be carried away captive." Those who believed these prophecies were the true revelations of a powerful God notice that some prophecies also promised much more. Different passages of the Holy Scripture spoke of God sending a special Person to lead His people, a Deliverer, a Ruler. This Man was sometimes referred to as the Coming One, but more often, the Anointed, Messiah in old Hebrew. But most people in Palestine these days speak Aramaic or Greek. So they use the term Christos or simply Christ, which still means the Anointed One. Some Jewish scholars claim that a prophecy written by Daniel predicted the time when the Christ would appear. And that time was now, perhaps even it had already passed. Some men had risen to prominence in recent years who convinced a few people that they were the Messiah. They had only brought disappointment.

Lately, though, a man from Galilee had caused a big stir. Though He had been a carpenter by trade, He was able to debate and discuss the sacred writings with the lawyers, the scribes, and the priests on their own level. He spoke with authority. Many people claimed that He performed actual miracles healing the sick, casting out demons, creating food from nowhere. Could this man named Yeshua or by alternative pronunciation Jesus, could He be the Messiah, the Christ? This was the great question discussed by two men, two men who had been learning from Jesus. On a spring afternoon, we find them walking to a village about seven miles or so from Jerusalem. If you will, let's use our imaginations to create an idea of what that conversation might have been like as they walked along that ancient road. The first man, we'll call him Nicolas, along the way he might be heard to say something like, "Yes, I understand that Jesus did some pretty impressive things. How many of us were listening to Him teach at the temple last autumn during the feast? But being popular does not make a man into Messiah."

His friend, Cleopas, might have given an answer that would sound something like this. "But I'm not saying the number of people who follow Him makes different. He commanded devils to come out of people. And the demons obeyed. Who could do that but the anointed of God?" Nicolas would answer, "Well, you know, some say that those people only pretended to be possessed by demons, right? He made it all up," to which Cleopas would say, "Yes, I know. And some of the priests said that even if He did cast out devils, it was because He was in league with the prince of devils. But it seems ridiculous to me. He has done so many good things." "That is true. I was there when He made a blind man see. They said he had been blind his whole life." "Exactly. Who but the Messiah could do such things? I read something in the scroll of Isaiah, the prophet. 'Behold your God will come with vengeance with the recompense of God. He will come and save you. Then, the eyes of the blind shall be opened and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer and the tongue of the dumb sing.' Surely, that is a prophecy of the great works of the Christ. And Jesus has done them."

Nicolas would give thought but then answer back, "I believe that is so. But I read that scroll recently too. It also says that water shall burst forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.’ And it says 'the wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them. And the deserts shall rejoice and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice even with joy and singing.’ Jesus may have healed sick people. But He never healed the desert." Cleopas dropped his voice with some disappointment. "Well, no, I suppose not. But He did many other great things. Perhaps He has more works yet to do." This is when Nicolas says the obvious fact that's disturbed them so much all day. "But He's dead now. How could normal people kill the Messiah? How could one who is dead ever have been the Christ?" Cleo shrugs his shoulders and dejectedly looks at the ground. "I don't know. But what do you think then? What of the prophecies and of the perilous times that we live in?"

This would be where Nicolas's face brightens a little as he thinks of a concept that he's been considering lately in his study and pondering of the sacred writings. "I have an idea about that. We've been waiting for the Messiah to come. But perhaps He will not come until after Israel is restored as a great kingdom. Much of that prophecy has already occurred. Consider Daniel's writing, how he interpreted a dream of King Nebuchadnezzar." "Do you mean the one of the great image made out of the different metals?" "Yes. The emperor saw an image whose head was made of gold. Its chest and arms formed of silver and its belly and thighs of brass, but the legs were made of iron. Does not the writing say that the Eternal revealed to Daniel that each metal represented a great kingdom that ruled over other kingdoms and that the head represented Nebuchadnezzar himself?"

"That is what it says. Babylon was the head of gold. It says then that an inferior kingdom would follow, then another that was still more inferior, and another after that. Think of it, Cleopas. That succession of kingdoms matches those that have ruled this area up to this time." "Do you mean that the gold represented the Babylonians?" "So the silver stood for the Medes and Persians who conquered them. Then the brass must match the Greeks whose Alexander conquered more than anyone before him." "Yes. And now, we ruled by the Romans. They are as strong as iron. And their culture is about as beautiful." "That part of the prophecy brings us to now. We are ruled by the legs of iron." "Do you remember what happened next in the vision?"

"Yes. Daniel wrote that a stone cut without hands struck the great image on its feet and broke it to pieces. Then the pieces were blown away in the wind and never found again. But that stone grew into a mountain that filled the whole earth. The prophecy says that represents a kingdom set up by God, one that would never be destroyed. Now, listen to this. I read further in the scroll. And Daniel later describes a vision that he had. And it seems to have the same meaning as that of the images of different metals. In this vision, Daniel saw four creatures rise up out of the sea. The first was a lion that had wings. I believe it represented Nebuchadnezzar just as the head of gold did. Then a bear rose up. It matches the chest and arms of silver that was a symbol of the Medes and Persians. Third, came up a leopard that had four wings showing great speed such as Alexander the Great and the Greeks used in their conquest. The fourth creature was not like any on earth, terrible, strong, and cruel, breaking in pieces and devouring. This is just like the Romans and Ceasar."

Cleopas has been nodding and listening the whole time but then looks quizzical and asks, "Yes. This is true. The two visions might be the same. But what then?" Nicolas takes a look of great satisfaction realizing he knows something his friend does not. "Next, Daniel wrote that the Ancient of Days took His throne. It was a fiery flame and thousands and thousands ministered to Him. This must be the Eternal, the God of Abraham. What it said next was so marvelous I wrote a copy out. Let me read it to you. ‘I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed.’" Nicolas and Cleopas both pause in wonder. And Nicolas says, "Surely, the Son of Man is the Christ. Perhaps Israel will become this everlasting kingdom that destroys Rome, and then Messiah will come. Could this be true?"

Cleopas thinks quietly and not addressing the question says, "Did you know that Jesus often called Himself the Son of Man? Perhaps He thought this prophecy by Daniel was about Him too. Remember, Isaiah also prophesied of a great kingdom. In his scroll, he writes, 'Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it. Many people shall come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between nations, and rebuke many peoples.'"

After quoting Scripture, Cleopas says, "I believe this great time will be led by the Messiah because later in the scroll it says, 'There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. His delight is in the fear of the Lord, and He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, nor decide by the hearing of His ears; but with righteousness He shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.'" Nicolas listened intently and said, "I see. But does saying a Rod from the stem of Jessie mean that Christ must be descended from David?"

Cleopas answers, "I believe so. In the second scroll of Samuel, he recorded a prophecy to David. God told King David that His throne, His dynasty would be established forever. The Babylonians ended that dynasty. But God will revive it through a Messiah who is descended from David. The prophet Amos wrote something that I believe refers to that. It says, ‘"On that day I will raise up the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, and repair its damages; I will raise up its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old; that they may possess the remnant of Edom, and all the Gentiles who are called by My name,” says the Lord who does this thing. “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “When the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him who sows seed; the mountains will drip with sweet wine, and all the hills will flow with it. I shall bring back the captives of My people Israel; they shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them; they shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them. I will plant them in their land, and no longer shall they be pulled up from the land I have given them,” says the Lord your God.'"

Nicolas listened intently. But then he says, "But, see, Jesus did not do such things for our people. He was descended from David though." Nicolas answers that "So they say, but they also say that His father was not really His father if you know what I mean." "Yes, I've heard those rumors. But Jesus' mother, Mary, is also a direct descendent of King David. And they say that Jesus was born in the city of Bethlehem. Remember the scroll of Micah, the profit, says this. 'But you, Bethlehem, Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting."

Nicolas listens but then counters. "I understand. I agree. Jesus seemed like He might be the coming One. I hoped He was. But how could He be? The Messiah is to rule, to conquer, not be killed by the Romans. Sure, He preached, and He taught us from the Scriptures like no one before. And sure, He may have healed people. Perhaps He was some other prophet. The scroll that Malachi wrote says, 'Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.' But Isaiah says of the Messiah that, 'For unto us a child is born, unto us a Savior is given. And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, an order to establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.’ The Messiah is to be a ruler, not only a teacher."

Cleopas answers, "Well, perhaps you are right. The prophet Isaiah wrote much concerning the Messiah. I heard Jesus read one of those prophecies in synagogue one Sabbath several years ago. It was near the end of the scroll. He stood up and read where it says, 'The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to those who are bound, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.' But He stopped there. He did not read the rest of the passage where it says, 'And the day of vengeance of our God.'" "Well, perhaps Jesus was only a prophet of the Christ. Surely, the Christ, when He comes, will bring the day of God's vengeance not only preaching to the poor and healing of the sick." Cleopas sighs deeply. "Perhaps. But wouldn't it be great if the Messiah did come right now?"

As our friends continue along the way, right then, a third man approaches. He calls out a greeting. And they respond in a friendly, though subdued, tone. He asked them if He might join them, as they seemed to be walking along the same way. And it's nice to have company. Nicolas and Cleopas eagerly invite Him to join them. The new Traveler asks what they have been discussing, for they seem very intense and somewhat sad. This surprises Nicolas and Cleopas. They ask the man if He's the only one in Jerusalem who does not know what they've been talking about. They explain that they had witnessed a crucifixion of the teacher named Jesus, how He had done so many amazing works, and how He had preached profoundly challenging the authority of even the priests and the scribes so they conspired with the Romans to execute Him then to seal and guard His tomb.

Cleopas said, "We had hoped that He was the One, the Messiah who would free Israel from the Romans and restore the kingdom to the glory it had under Solomon." Nicolas adds, "And to make it all even more strange, it's been three days. And some women who knew Him say that His body was taken from the tomb. The men who went to check on it could not find the body either. But they say an angel was there who said that Jesus was alive. It all sounds so crazy." Cleopas asked, "What are we to make of all of this?" Then the new Traveler surprises them by saying, "You're being foolish and not believing all of what the prophets wrote about the Messiah." Nicolas asked, "What do you mean? We've been discussing the prophecies about the Messiah all morning. We do believe." The stranger that joined them answers, "Then you should realize that the Messiah, the Christ, did have to suffer. He had to suffer and after that attain glory."

After the others remained silent, the newcomer continues. "You must realize the Messiah, the Christ, was not prophesied to glorify Himself. But it says that the God of all creation is His Father. And the Father gives the Christ his work to do and gives Him position. The second Psalm shows this. It says, 'I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, “You are my Son. Today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession.”' But the Eternal says in another place, the 110th Psalm, something that helps us to understand the Messiah's role. 'The Lord has sworn and will not relent. “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”’ Do you remember from the book of the law that Melchizedek was king of Salem, that is, king of peace? And He was a Priest of the Most High God. He was so great that Abraham paid tithes to Him. And Melchizedek blessed Abraham. So He must have been greater even than Abraham because the person of lower status is always blessed by the greater. The priesthood of Melchizedek must be greater than the priesthood of Aaron, for that priesthood descended from Abraham. And Abraham acknowledged Melchizedek. Now, the priests and the Levites offer sacrifices at the temple as commanded by God. There is, then, no need for a priest of the order of Melchizedek to offer those sacrifices. The descendants of Aaron are already doing this. So if the Messiah is a priest of the order of Melchizedek, He must have some other sacrifice to offer."

At this, Cleopas interrupts in confusion. "Oh, what other sacrifice could there be?" The stranger answers with confidence from the Scripture. "The prophet Isaiah explains this in a prophecy of the Messiah. It says, 'Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently; He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high.' This was true of your Jesus for a time, was it not? But it continues. ‘So His visage was marred more than any man,’ the marring was in the form of scouraging. You saw Him beaten, did you not? ‘And His form more than the sons of men; so shall He sprinkle many nations.’ Is not sprinkling of blood done when there is sacrifice?" Nicolas says, "Well, yes, but you said that Messiah would not sacrifice animals because the sons of Levi already do this. What other blood could this mean then?"

At this time, the stranger seems a little exacerbated that they have not yet understood. So He goes on to explain that the prophecy of Isaiah makes it very clear when one only reads further. "He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him." The Traveler explains, "This does not mean you two men rejected the Messiah and hid from Him, but that the chosen people, the children of Israel who should have loved Him instead rejected Him. Isaiah shows the purpose though, next. ‘Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him. And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we've turned every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth.’"

Cleopas interrupts showing some emotion. "Are you saying that this is a prophecy of the Christ, that the Messiah had to suffer because other people sinned?" The stranger allows a moment to pass and He says calmly, "Because every person has sinned. The penalty of sin is death. Without bloodshed, there can be no remission of sin and of its penalty. Isaiah says more. ‘He made His grave with the wicked— and with the rich at His death, because He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. You made Him an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. And by His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil of the strong, because He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.’"

Nicolas's face shows that he is astounded but he believes. He says, "I see it. The Messiah is the coming one. But He is to be sacrificed for sin, for my sin." Cleopas adds, "Then Jesus could be the Christ. He was not guilty yet He was killed. He was crucified among the transgressors, lawbreakers. They said that He did not even speak in own defense. He was mute like a lamb being led to the slaughter. It sounds as though this was a prophecy written about Jesus Himself." The Traveler nods pleased at their growing understanding. So He offers more. He tells them that Isaiah was not the only prophet to write that the Christ would suffer. Kind David was inspired by God to record numerous prophecies within the Psalms. He says “The 22nd Psalm shows many details of the Messiah's suffering. It begins saying, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’ In the common tongue, 'Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’"

He interrupts Him saying, "Hey, I heard Jesus shout those very words while He hung crucified." The Traveler looks to the distance. "Yes, He did." And after a thoughtful pause, He says, "The prophecy of the Psalm later says, 'I am poured out like water, and all My bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within Me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and My tongue clings to My jaws; You’ve brought Me to the dust of death for dogs have surrounded Me; the congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They've pierced My hands and My feet.’" Nicolas shudders a little. Under his breath, he says, "That sounds like Jesus. He was beaten so badly He was a mess. And then they nailed His hands and His feet to that beam." The Traveler continues reciting from memory, "I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots."

Cleopas cannot restrain himself. "I saw Roman soldiers do this. They cast lots for Jesus's coat rather than tear it. And after that, they each took some of His clothes." The Traveler smiles and slowly says, "Now, you are coming to the truth." Nicolas is in awe. After a moment of silence, a thought comes to him. So he asks, "I see. The prophecies do show that the Christ must suffer, even die, to pay for the sins of others. But what of the many prophecies that speak of Messiah ruling the nations, of Him being a King of kings? How can a dead Messiah do such things? Which of the prophecies is correct?"

The Traveler allows a pause and then answers calmly, "They are all correct. But they are all not for the same time. You know that Jesus suffered and died as the prophecies foretold. But do you know where Jesus is right now?" Cleopas bursts out, "No. The people say His body was taken. He was not in the tomb. What does this mean?" The Traveler says, "Another Psalm of David gives the answer. In the 16th Psalm, it says, 'I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my heart rejoices; my flesh also will rest in hope. For you will not leave my soul in the grave, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.' David did not write these words about himself. He is dead and buried. His grave is there in Jerusalem to this day. David did not ascend to heaven." Cleopas nods, his eyes widening. "But Jesus's body did not remain in the grave. That's why it was not found. He is the Messiah. He suffered and died for our sins. But God did not allow Him to remain dead."

The Traveler agrees. "Yes, Jesus did not remain dead. Consider what another Psalm, the 68th says, 'You have ascended on high, You have led captivity captive.' This is a prophecy that after the anointed one suffers and dies to pay for the sins of others, He not only arises from the dead but He goes to the very heavens to the throne of God. This is because the Christ belongs there. He is the Son of God. Daniel the prophet also wrote of this." Cleopas says, "Yes, we read that before you joined us. The 2nd Psalm says, 'I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, 'You are My Son. Today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give you the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron; you shall dash them as pieces of a potter's vessel.’" Nicolas appears to be thinking very hard. And he says, "Yes, breaking the nations to pieces. This is just like the prophet Daniel's vision when the stone cut without hands strikes the image of different metals and shatters it to pieces that blow away in the dust."

The Traveler answers back, "Yes, now you begin to see what progresses. After the Christ rises from the dead, He is ready to rule the earth as the Son of God. The 45th Psalm says, 'Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore, God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions.’ The Anointed One, the Messiah, the Christ, is the Son of God and thus, He is God.'" Cleopas responds, "Yes, many have believed that the Christ might be God in some way. But they never would have believed that the Son of God would have suffered and died. Even though you have shown us that the prophecies say this will be so, this will cause some to stumble in their belief." The Traveler answers, "Yes, this also was foretold in advance by Isaiah. He wrote, 'Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation.' And he also wrote, 'He will be a sanctuary, but a stone of stumbling, a rock of offense… And many among them shall stumble.'"

Nicolas adds, "I remember a saying similar from the scroll of Habakkuk where it says, 'Look among the nations and watch— be utterly astounded! For I will work a work in your days which you will not believe, though it were told you.'" Cleopas asked, "But isn't that a prophecy about the conquering of Judah?" The Traveler speaks up and says, "Yes, it was, but many prophecies may be fulfilled more than one time. An important thing to remember is that the works of God are so great, they are beyond the ability of man to understand without revelation from the Father. But the blessings of the Father will be very great indeed. Just as Isaiah said, 'For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing, and her people a joy. I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in My people; the voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her, nor the voice of crying.'"

Cleopas and Nicolas are both astounded and happy at the greater understanding they now have of God's Word. And now, they enter the little town of Emmaus. They see the inn where they had planned to spend the night. Cleopas says to their traveling companion, "You have opened the Scriptures to us in a new way, given us hope and excitement for the future." Nicolas adds, "Yes, it all seems to make sense. And I see that Jesus must have been the Anointed One. The prophets foretold that He would suffer and die and pay for our sins, then rise to assume glory in power. But where is He now? When will He restore the kingdom to Israel?"

I think most of you know pretty well what happens next in the story. Rather than continue imagining dialogue, let's turn to Luke 24 and read of that. Luke 24 beginning in verse 29. Luke 24 and verse 29 speaking of the ones that I called Cleopas and Nicolas. "But they constrained Him, the one they didn't know who He was yet saying, 'Abide with us, for it is toward the evening, and the day is far spent.' And He went in to stay with them. And now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, He took bread and blessed it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they knew Him; and He vanished from them. And they said to one another, 'Did not our heart burn when He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?' So, they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were gathered together, saying, 'The Lord has risen indeed,' or they said to them, 'The Lord has risen, and appeared to Simon!’ And they told about the things that had happened on the road, and how He was known to them and the breaking of bread."

We've read this account numerous times. Of course, it begins in verse 13 of this chapter. And I don't know if you're like me, I've often wondered. It just says, "They talked as they went," and that Christ came and opened the Scriptures. I've wondered what it might have been like. And so, I sort of looked to the Bible to see what they might have discussed. Now, in verse 25 it says that Jesus said that they were slow to believe all that the prophets had spoken and later that He opened the Scriptures. Well, the Scriptures that He opened, obviously, were the scrolls of the Old Testament. The New Testament was not yet written. Now, that made me think that, interestingly, in the 1st century, the early church, when they gave a pre-Passover sermon, they preached entirely from the Old Testament but explaining how it applied what they were doing. As far as citing Scriptures, that's what I've been doing.

But, of course, most people of that time, as I was trying to portray, did not understand that the Messiah would come to earth two times. They tended to look only at the prophecies of a conquering and a ruling Messiah. That's what they wanted. They didn't understand that He would be a sacrifice for sin until Christ allowed them to understand that. Once the Holy Spirit was given, then the disciples did understand. They understood all the prophecies of Christ, both the ones of His suffering, of His paying for sin, and also of what lies ahead.

Peter spoke strongly on that. Actually, if you want to turn to 1 Peter 1, I'd like to read that. But while we're going there, I'll mention that in the sermon that he gave on that first Passover, not first Passover, first Pentecost after the Holy Spirit had been poured out, he says, "But the things which God foretold by the mouth of the prophets that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled." Peter, at that point, realized that the prophets foretold Christ's suffering. Let's also look, as I said, at 1 Peter 1 beginning in verse 10. 1 Peter 1:10 says, "Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or in what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ which was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow."

There are a couple of important points here. One is that before Christ actually came, even more of the prophets did not fully understand how things would work. So, we don't have to be too critical of those in Christ's time who didn't quite see it. It's easier when we look at things from, you know, our perspective to see how all the Scriptures add together. And they expected the Messiah to be a conqueror and a ruler, not a sacrifice. Thankfully, we realize that He had to be a sacrifice. And how wonderful it is for us that He was our sacrifice. His blood does pay for our sins. We can be, we are forgiven. And the second point that Peter makes here is that after His suffering, glories would follow. You know, this time of year, we do focus on the suffering and sacrifice of Christ. But it's good to remember that that same Christ will be the Messiah who returns in power with all authority who puts or has Satan put away never again to deceive the nations eventually. Because He will rule and because the sacrifice was made, we can rule with Him. We look forward to that incredible destiny, for what we used to call incredible human potential to be in God's family and live with Him forever. God's plan is united.

We begin the Holy Day season tomorrow evening with the Passover. But it's connected, right from Christ's sacrifice 2,000-some years ago until the time He comes again and to the Great White Throne Judgment. What a wonderful plan it is. And how wonderful that God's Word tells it to us. That's something we can be thrilled with. His plan fits together, and His Word fits together perfectly. So, as we continue preparing for Passover and we know that this represents Jesus Christ, let's spend some time with Him. As I say, spend some time with Him in prayer and in study of His Word and so let us keep the Passover.