Good Morning ☕️?

An oracle concerning Egypt. Behold, the LORD is riding on a swift cloud and comes to Egypt; and the idols of Egypt will tremble at his presence, and the heart of the Egyptians will melt within them.
Isaiah 19:1 ESV

Egypt (mitzrayim) literally refers to Egypt, but it is also a metaphor of the world apart from Israel. Try reading this prophecy in that light and see if it speaks on both levels.

“Cloud” (ab) implies a dark storm cloud. It’s the same word translated as “thick cloud” in Exodus 19:9 ESV when God meets Moses on Sinai. God's presence is often accompanied by clouds, smoke, darkness, and fire.

Recently I have received some messages asking if what is called “the Way” began in the book of Acts. Paul refers to this as if it is something new, however Paul is drawing his language from the prophets. Malichi 2:8, “But you have departed from THE WAY, and your instruction has caused many to stumble. You have violated the covenant of Levi,” says the LORD of Hosts.” This language is used often but easily overlooked, so no The Way did not begin in Acts but long before.

Wow! What a breath of fresh air this place is so far! I am really excited and looking forward to meeting you all and sharing with you. It feels like it's been a long time since I've seen this kind of interaction online. Whoever developed this site, thank you!

012825
WORD FOR TODAY “can you hear it?”: Isa 40:3 A voice is calling, "Clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God. Isa 40:4 "Let every valley be lifted up, And every mountain and hill be made low; And let the rough ground become a plain, And the rugged terrain a broad valley;

WISDOM FOR TODAY: Pro 19:1 Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity Than he who is perverse in speech and is a fool.

www.BGMCTV.org

Question 230: Who were the guiltier of Moshiach’s death, the Jews or the Romans?

Answer:

Both were guilty, although the onus of the malevolent persecution of Moshiach rests with the Jews. When they brought Him before Pilate and that official, although representing the power of Rome and even admitting that he could "find no fault" in Yeshua weakly yielded to the fanatical clamour for the sacrifice, he became a principal with a full share of responsibility for the tragedy that followed. A stronger man, backed by the Roman authority and convinced of the injustice of the mob's demand, would have resolutely refused to permit the innocent to suffer. History is full of passages recording the nobility and justice of men whose firmness checked the commission of crimes in the name of law.
Roman justice even in that day, was proverbial. It was therefore the duty of Pilate to have executed justice as Governor of Judea. When he had examined Moshiach and declared that he "found no fault in Him" (John 19:6) and again when he declined to acknowledge responsibility for the "blood of this just Person," he was pledged by his judicial oaths to execute not injustice in obedience to clamour, but justice, even in the face of the whole Jewish nation. Roman laws governed Judea; the native laws, secular and ecclesiastical, could only be recognized and enforced where they did not conflict with those of Rome. Pilate stifled the voice of conscience, set aside the result of his judicial inquiry, disregarded the warning of his wife and basely consented to a murder in obedience to Jewish clamour. The priests, it is true never wavered in their demand for the Saviour’s death and even warned Pilate that if he refused to order the execution, he would not be Caesar's friend. This touched the Governor's weak point: his ambition. To stand well with Caesar he gratified the populace and ordered his troops to carry out their wishes.

Question 229: Was Yeshua happy?

Answer:

We cannot suppose so, although some have held that, because He was doing the Father's will, therefore He must have been happy even in the midst of suffering. But in the narratives of the evangelists, we find only the impression that He was filled with sorrow. From the time of the agony in the garden (see Matthew 26:37) until the last cry on the cross, this cloud was not lifted. On the way to Calvary, together with His sorrow for the people who "knew not what they did" - who were now as ready to mock and revile Him as they were only a short time before to joyfully acclaim him - there must have been a deeper burden of sadness for His base betrayal and for His utter desertion by all of His panic-stricken disciples, even by Peter that weighed down at every step. Yet, wounded, bleeding and subjected to the worst indignities, He bore it all without a murmur even while His heart was breaking. He was sustained by the sense of His high mission and bore His suffering with such fortitude that even His enemies remarked it (Luke 23:47). Thus, to the last moments of His earthly life, He was "a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief."

Question 228: At what hour did the crucifixion take place?

Answer:

Mark says (15:25) it was about the third hour or, as we should say, nine o'clock. Again, the sixth hour is referred to by three of the evangelists (Matthew 27:45; Mark 15:33; Luke 23:44), when Yeshua had apparently been three hours on the cross. In the next verses in all three cases, the ninth hour is mentioned as the time of death, which would be three o'clock. The statement of John (19:14) is believed to be due to a copyist's error or to his using the Roman method of reckoning.

Question 227: How many hours was Yeshua on the cross?

Answer:

It is uncertain how long Yeshua lived after He was nailed to the cross. At the longest it could not have been more than six hours. Mark says (15:25), "It was the third hour (or nine o'clock) and they crucified Him" and again (15:34), "And at the ninth hour (3 p.m.), Yeshua cried," etc. John on the other hand, describing the proceedings before Pilate (19:14), says: "It was about the sixth hour." But John was probably reckoning the hours by the Roman method from midnight, which allowing for the subsequent judicial farce and the journey to Golgotha, would bring him into accord with Mark. Matthew also (27:46), represents Yeshua as being alive at the ninth hour (three o'clock). Matthew, Mark and Luke, referring to the darkness, say that it lasted from the sixth hour (noon), until the ninth hour (3 p.m.), but it does not appear to have begun until Yeshua had been some time on the cross. The ancients had not the means that we have of accurately reckoning time; so that we cannot be certain of the hour and it may have been later than nine when Yeshua was nailed to the cross. He evidently did not live long after three, probably not many minutes.

Frequently asked questions and answers:

Question 226: Why was the inscription used on the cross “The King of the Jews”?

Answer:

From the fact that the evangelists give as three different forms for the inscription over the cross it has been argued that they were not accurate in their portrayal of things and events. There is however nothing here to disturb anyone. Matthew 27:37 has it, "This is Yeshua the King of the Jews," using probably the Greek form; Mark 25:26, "The King of the Jews" and Luke 23:38, "This is the King of the Jews," availed themselves of the Roman form and John 19:19, "Yeshua the Nazarene, the King of the Jews," probably employed the Hebrew form. Since the four accounts of the inscription do not differ in import the exact language of the insulting designation is of little or no consequence.