Friends, we’ve been looking at the prophecies concerning the last days and God’s plan to use the End Times events to draw His chosen people, Israel back to Him. These prophecies are from both the Old Testament, or Jewish Tenach, AND the New Testament, which is the B'rit Hadashah or New Covenant Promised in Jeremiah 31:31

Jer 31:31 "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a NEW COVENANT with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah [B'rit Hadashah] Jer 31:32 "NOT according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke...

And we know that God WILL bring the remnant believers of Israel back to Himself, under the NEW COVENANT, which was PAID FOR by JESUS/YESHUA as the substitutionary sacrifice for the WHOLE WORLD.

And THIS is the PASSOVER sacrifice and RESURRECTION that WE are NOW CELEBRATING as we gentiles call Easter, for those of us who have put our TRUST IN YESHUA/ Jesus FOR OUR SALVATION.

There is therefore NO MORE SACRIFICE FOR SIN. “It is FINISHED—PAID IN FULL” according to John 19:30.

This is why the temple was destroyed 40 years after Yeshua’s resurrection. To CLOSE the OLD TESTAMENT ordinances for sin, and leave ONLY ONE WAY for someone—Jew or Gentile—to be Justified in God’s eyes from our sin. ONE WAY, and that’s through the Precious Blood of His Son. Lev 17:11 says:

Lev 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the BLOOD that makes an ATONEMENT FOR THE SOUL.

Jesus CAME to “Seek and to SAVE the LOST” and be sure friend, that without Him, we are LOST souls most miserable.

These are important things to consider, particularly TODAY, which RECALLS that SATURDAY 2,000 years ago of Introspection and GREAT DARKNESS in the PASSION account, as JESUS, the Promised MESSIAH lay DEAD in a tomb.

The disciples were ROCKED by JESUS’S SUDDEN ARREST, TRIAL, SCOURGING, and EXECUTION ALL HAPPENING in about 12 hours.

And so on this DARK SATURDAY, they are all confused, and in SHOCK at the betrayal of JUDAS, and the LIES of the RELIGIOUS LEADERS, the TURNING of the CROWD against JESUS at the trial, after WORSHIPING AND PRAISING Him at His Triumphal ENTRY into Jerusalem.

But the Bible describes what is happening on this DARK DAY of mourning, as seen in this SELECTION of verses from throughout the Bible:

John 14:30 "I will no longer talk MUCH with you, for the RULER of THIS WORLD is COMING, and he has NOTHING in Me.

John 12:27 "Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save Me from this hour'? But for this PURPOSE I CAME TO THIS HOUR.

Luk 22:53 "When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize Me. But this is YOUR HOUR, AND THE POWER OF DARKNESS."

Mat 12:40 "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be THREE DAYS and THREE NIGHTS IN THE HEART OF THE EARTH.

Jhn 16:20 "Most assuredly, I say to you that YOU WILL WEEP AND LAMENT, but the WORLD will REJOICE; …YOU WILL BE SORROWFUL, but your sorrow will be TURNED INTO JOY.

Isa 14:12 "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations!

Isa 14:15-17 You shall be brought down to HELL, to the lowest depths of the PIT. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the EARTH TO TREMBLE, that did shake kingdoms; That made the world as a WILDERNESS, and destroyed the cities thereof; that OPENED NOT THE HOUSE OF HIS PRISONERS?

Psa 49:7-9 None of them can by any means REDEEM HIS BROTHER, nor give to God a RANSOM for him—For the REDEMPTION OF THEIR SOUL IS PRECIOUS, for it shall cease for ever—That he should still LIVE FOR EVER, and not see corruption.

Isa 52:3 For thus says the LORD: "You have SOLD YOURSELVES FOR NOTHING, And you shall be REDEEMED WITHOUT MONEY."

Hos 13:14 "I will RANSOM them from the power of the grave; I will REDEEM THEM FROM DEATH. …O Grave, I will be your destruction!

Zec 9:11 … by the BLOOD OF YOUR COVENANT I have sent FORTH YOUR PRISONERS OUT OF THE PIT wherein is no water.

Zec 9:12 Return to the stronghold, You prisoners of hope. Even today I declare that I will restore double to you.

Mat 16:18  … upon this rock I will BUILD MY CHURCH; and the GATES OF HELL SHALL NOT PREVAIL AGAINST IT.

1Pe 3:18-19 For Christ suffered once for sins, the JUST for the unjust, that He might BRING us to God, being put to Death in the flesh but made Alive by the Spirit, by whom He went and preached to the SPIRITS IN PRISON

Isa 61:1 "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;

Isa 42:7, 9 To open blind eyes, To BRING OUT PRISONERS FROM THE PRISON, THOSE WHO SIT IN DARKNESS FROM THE PRISON HOUSE… That You may say TO THE PRISONERS, 'GO FORTH,' To those who are in DARKNESS, 'Show yourselves.' …

Eph 4:8-10 Therefore He says: "When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men." (Now…He also first DESCENDED into the LOWER PARTS OF THE EARTH. And [He] who DESCENDED is also the One who ASCENDED far above ALL THE HEAVENS, that He MIGHT FULFILL ALL THINGS.)

Psa 30:3 O LORD, You BROUGHT my SOUL UP FROM THE GRAVE; You have kept me alive, that I should NOT GO DOWN TO THE PIT.

Psa 16:10 For You will NOT LEAVE MY SOUL IN HELL, Nor will You allow YOUR HOLY ONE TO SEE CORRUPTION.

Isa 26:19 Thy DEAD MEN SHALL LIVE, together WITH MY DEAD BODY SHALL THEY ARISE. AWAKE and sing, you that DWELL IN DUST: for … the EARTH SHALL CAST OUT THE DEAD.

1Co 15:3-4 For I delivered unto you … that which I also received, how that Christ DIED FOR OUR SINS according to the scriptures; And that he was BURIED, and he ROSE again the Third day According to the SCRIPTURES:

Heb 2:14-15 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through DEATH he might DESTROY him that had the POWER OF DEATH, that is, the DEVIL; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

1Co 15:20-21 But now Christ is RISEN from the dead, and has become the FIRSTFRUITS of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came DEATH, by man came ALSO the RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD.

1Ti 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, RECEIVED UP INTO GLORY.

And so Jesus accomplished a LOT that Dark Saturday, but Friends, as they say SUNDAY is coming. And Jesus ROSE from the DEAD on the FEAST of FIRSTFRUITS to be the FIRSTBORN from the dead to make a WAY for us!

And He has INHERITED ALL THINGS by His OBEDIENCE, and therefore WE have inherited ETERNAL LIFE Through our FAITH in HIM!

But FRIENDS, There is another DARK time coming on the earth, LOOMING ahead, called the GREAT TRIBULATION, or THE DAY OF THE LORD in the Old Testament, and the Bible tells us there has never been a more terrible day...