Good Friday is a couple days away. Once upon a time I had no idea what Good Friday meant, nor did I care. Now I know better. I copied this from an email I got. Its too powerful to not share it. Imagine, if you can stomach it, what Jesus really went through because He loves you so much:
The Day I Died So You Could Be Free
Good Friday Morning.“In the early morning, battered and bruised, dehydrated, and worn out from a sleepless night, I was taken across Jerusalem to the Praetorium of the Fortress Antonia, the seat of government of the Procurator of Judea, Pontius Pilate. You are familiar with Pilate's action in attempting to shift responsibility to Herod Antipas, the Tetrarch of Judea. I suffered no physical mistreatment at the hands of Herod and I was returned to Pilate. It was then, in response to the outcry of a mob, that Pilate ordered Barabbas released and condemned me to scourging and crucifixion.
Preparations for my scourging were carried out at Caesar's orders. I was stripped of my clothing and my hands were tied to a post above my head. The Roman legionnaire stepped forward with the flagrum, or flagellum, in his hand. This was a short whip consisting of several heavy, leather thongs with two small balls of lead attached near the ends of each. The heavy whip was brought down with full force again and again across my shoulders, back, and legs. At first the weighted thongs cut through my skin only. Then, as the blows continued, they cut deeper into my subcutaneous tissues, producing first an oozing of blood from the capillaries and veins of the skin and finally spurting arterial bleeding from vessels in the underlying muscles.
The small balls of lead first produced large deep bruises that were broken open by subsequent blows. Finally, the skin of my back was hanging in long ribbons, and the entire area was an unrecognizable mass of torn, bleeding tissue. When it was determined by the centurion in charge that I was near death, the beating was finally stopped.
Mockery
Half-fainting , I was then untied and allowed to slump to the stone pavement, wet with my own blood. The Roman soldiers saw a great joke in this provincial Jew claiming to be a king. They threw a robe across my shoulders and placed a stick in my hand for a scepter. They still needed a crown to make their travesty complete. Small flexible branches covered with long thorns, commonly used for kindling fires in the charcoal braziers in the courtyard, were plaited into the shape of a crude crown. The crown was pressed into my scalp and again there was copious bleeding as the thorns pierced my vascular tissue. After mocking me and striking me across the face, the soldiers took the stick from my hand and struck me across the head, driving the thorns deeper into my scalp. Finally, they tired of their sadistic sport and tore the robe from my back. The robe had already become adherent to the clots of blood and serum in my wounds, and its removal, just as in the careless removal of a surgical bandage, caused excruciating pain. My wounds again began to bleed.
Golgotha
In deference to Jewish custom, the Romans returned my garments. The heavy patibulum of the cross was tied across my shoulders. I, two thieves, and the execution detail of Roman soldiers headed by a centurion began the slow journey along the route Via Dolorosa.
In spite of my efforts to walk erect, the weight of the heavy wooden beam, together with the shock produced by copious loss of blood, was too much. I stumbled and fell. The rough wood of the beam gouged into my lacerated skin and muscles of my shoulders. I tried to rise, but my human muscles had been pushed beyond their endurance. The centurion, anxious to proceed with the crucifixion, selected a stalwart North African onlooker, Simon of Cyrene, to carry my cross. I followed, still bleeding and sweating the cold, clammy sweat of shock. The 650-yard journey from the Fortress Antonia to Golgotha was finally completed. I was again stripped of my clothing except for a loin cloth which was allowed by the Jews.
The crucifixion began. I was offered wine mixed with myrrh, a mild analgesic, pain-relieving mixture. I refused the drink. Simon was ordered to place the patibulum on the ground, and I was quickly thrown backward, with my shoulders against the wood. The legionnaire felt for the depression at the front of my wrist. He drove a heavy, square wrought-iron nail through the wrist and deep into the wood. Quickly, he moved to the other side and repeated the action, being careful not to pull my arms too tightly, but to allow some flexion and movement. The patibulum was then lifted into place at the top of the stipes, and the titulus reading "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews" was nailed into place.
My left foot was pressed backward against my right foot. With both feet extended, toes down, a nail was driven through the arch of each, leaving my knees moderately flexed. I was now crucified.
On the Cross
As I slowly sagged down with more weight on the nails in my wrists, excruciating, fiery pain shot along my fingers and up my arms to explode in my brain. The nails in my wrists were putting pressure on the median nerve, large nerve trunks which traverse the mid-wrist and hand. As I pushed myself upward to avoid this stretching torment, I placed my full weight on the nail through my feet. Again there was searing agony as the nail tore through my nerves between the metatarsal bones of my feet.
At this point, another phenomenon occurred. As my arms fatigued, great waves of cramps swept over my muscles, knotting them in deep relentless, throbbing pain. With these cramps came the inability to push myself upward. Hanging by my arm, the pectoral muscles, the large muscles of my chest, I was paralyzed and my intercostal muscles, the small muscles between the ribs, were unable to act. Air could be drawn into my lungs, but I could not exhale. I fought to raise myself in order to get even one short breath. Finally, the carbon dioxide level increased in my lungs and in my blood stream, and the cramps partially subsided.
My Last Words
Spasmodically, I was able to push myself upward to exhale and bring in life-giving oxygen. I uttered seven short cry’s that were recorded.
The first - looking down at the Roman soldiers throwing dice for my seamless garment: I uttered "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they do."
The second - to the penitent thief: I uttered "Today, thou shalt be with me in Paradise."
The third - looking down at Mary my mother, I said: "Woman, behold your son." Then turning to the terrified, grief-stricken adolescent John ,the beloved apostle, I said: "Behold your mother.
My fourth cry is from the beginning of Psalm 22: "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?". I was human,scared, in pain, dying and alone.
I suffered hours of limitless pain, cycles of twisting, joint-rending cramps, intermittent partial asphyxiation, and searing pain as tissue was torn from my lacerated back from my movement up and down against the rough timbers of the cross. Then another agony began: a deep crushing pain in my chest as the pericardium, the sac surrounding my heart, slowly filled with serum and began to compress my heart.
The prophecy in Psalm 22:14 was being fulfilled: "I poured out like water, and all my bones were out of joint, my heart was like wax; it was melted in the midst of my bowels."
The end was rapidly approaching. The loss of my tissue, fluids had reached a critical level; my compressed heart was struggling to pump heavy, thick, sluggish blood to my tissues, and my tortured lungs were making a frantic effort to inhale small gulps of air. My markedly dehydrated tissues sent their flood of stimuli to my brain. I gasped my fifth cry: "I thirst." You read in the prophetic psalm: "My strength is dried up like a potsherd; my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou has brought me into the dust of death" (Psalm 22:15 KJV).
A sponge soaked in posca, the cheap, sour wine that was the staple drink of the Roman legionnaires, was lifted to my lips. My body was now in my extremis, and I could feel the chill of death creeping through my tissues. This realization brought forth my sixth cry, possibly little more than a tortured whisper: "It is finished." My mission of atonement had been completed. Finally, I could allow my body to die. With one last surge of strength, I once again pressed my torn feet against the nail, straightened my legs, took a deeper breath, and uttered my seventh and last cry: "Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit."
Death
The common method of ending a crucifixion was by crurifracture, the breaking of the bones of the leg. This prevented the victim from pushing himself upward; the tension could not be relieved from the muscles of the chest, and rapid suffocation occurred. The legs of the two thieves were broken, but when the soldiers approached me, they saw that this was unnecessary.
Apparently, to make doubly sure of my death, the legionnaire drove his lance between my ribs, upward through my pericardium and into my heart. John 19:34 states, "And immediately there came out blood and water." Thus there was an escape of watery fluid from the sac surrounding my heart and the blood of the interior of my heart. This is rather conclusive post-mortem evidence that I died, not the usual crucifixion death by suffocation, but of heart failure due to shock and constriction of the heart by fluid in the pericardium.
Resurrection
Eternal Life
In these events, you have seen a glimpse of the epitome of evil that man can exhibit toward his fellowman and toward God. This is an ugly sight and is likely to leave you despondent and depressed. May your heart not be troubled my child , this story has an amazing ending and a fresh clean start.
You see the crucifixion was not the end of my story. How grateful and hopeful, you can be that there was a sequel: a glimpse of the infinite mercy ,love of God toward man-women kind,the gift of atonement, the miracle of the resurrection, and the expectation of Easter morning. I love you so much that I was willing to die, suffer and take the weight of man-women (sins, past, present, future) for you, but death could not keep me down. Over 700 hundred years before I came to the Father's earth, prophet Isaiah predicted my death in Isaih 52 and 53. True to his writings, I was crucified but on the third day I arose. Death could not keep me in the grave. Over 400 of my Brothers and Sister witnessed my resurrection and rebirth. I am the Alpha and the Omega, The Morning Star. I am the only true living God. I came to my Father’s earth to save man-women-child kind. My blood and death was a gift and shed for the sins of God’s children. My blood was offered and given that you would have away to the Father. My blood and sacrifice washes away your sin and makes you clean as snow. When you pray, know that I hear you. When you ask for forgiveness know that it has been done, given, through my blood. I sit at the right hand of the Father. I am the light, the truth and the way. No one comes to the Father but through me and whoever believes in me and trusts in me, shall not perish but will have ever lasting eternal life. I am a God of great Love but also of Truth. I gave my life for you and forgive you for your sins. I do not believe in religion but seek a eternal relationship with you.
Warning
Hear this warning, my Sacrifice and Grace was not given in vain. If you reject the son of man, God will reject you. Satan and his army of Demons are running wild. Many of God's children have been turned to believe that God, Myself, The Holy Spirit and the Bible are just a fairytale. They believe that Gods perfect earth, perfect earthly bodies, millions of stars............................................were just some how created through a bang or evolution. Only a fool believes in his heart and mind that there is no God. The only sin that God will not forgive is the rejection of his gift, his own son. I will return to the earth again. I am preparing our house and a room for you. I love you with ALL my heart. Thank You for worshiping and believing in me . For accepting my gift and living your life for me. Your faithfulness will be rewarded. Share my gift of Life with ALL and remember to give and share LOVE with one another always. Following me will not be easy, the world hated me first and it will hate you. This I promise you, it will be worth it. Know that I am the TRUTH and stay the course, as others fall away and rely on self and false teachings during these end of times. Enjoy Holy Week and know that you are loved and forgiven.
