Participants: David Down
Series Code: DUTP
Program Code: DUTP000008
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00:01 Despite the prophecy of a promised messiah,
00:03 the Jewish people rejected and crucified Christ. 00:07 He didn't fulfill their expectations of a Savior who 00:11 would save them from the Roman rule, and turn them into 00:14 a great nation. 00:15 We're here at Nazareth, the home of Joseph and Mary, to find out 00:19 what they should have been looking for. 01:01 This is Nazareth, the home town of Joseph and Mary, 01:05 and where Jesus grew up as a boy and spent most of 01:08 his life here. 01:09 I don't think the Bazaar has really changed very much 01:12 since Jesus' day. 01:13 We're going to walk through it. 02:26 Well, there's some nice fruit and vegetables here. 02:29 I'm sure they're being sold just about the same way as they 02:31 were two thousand years ago when Joseph went to do the 02:34 shopping for the family. 03:09 This is a carpenter shop here, but it's very different from the 03:12 days when Joseph did his carpentry. 03:14 They've got power tools going in here. 03:16 Nevertheless, it is a carpenter shop in Nazareth. 03:36 This is the Church of the Enunciation in Nazareth. 03:39 It's a very fine church, fairly modern, and it is said to have 03:44 marked the place where the incident of the enunciation 03:47 of the angel Gabriel to Mary took place. 03:49 Around the walls there are a number of representations 03:54 presented by different countries with their concept of what the 03:58 enunciation was all about. 04:00 They are rather interesting paintings, or murals, 04:04 or whatever they are; in some cases mosaics. 04:11 Well, how do you like Nazareth? 04:13 I find it a fascinating place. 04:16 There's so much atmosphere here. 04:18 It really carries us back for 2,000 years, I think. 04:22 And, of course, what impresses me, what fascinates me, 04:25 is to think that here, in this city, Jesus Christ, 04:29 the Son of God, came and lived for most of His life. 04:34 In fact we're at the Church of the Fountain, and this is the 04:40 only fountain in Nazareth, so it is very likely that this is the 04:44 place where the Virgin Mary came to draw her water. 04:46 Now you might say to me, Yes, but look, how do we know that 04:51 Jesus Christ was the Son of God? 04:53 Well, the Jewish people had been expecting a Messiah for 04:59 thousands of years. 05:00 In fact, when Adam and Eve first sinned and were thrown out of 05:03 the Garden of Eden, they were promised that a savior 05:07 would come. 05:08 When Eve had her first baby she said, 05:10 I have gotten a man from the Lord. 05:12 She thought that was the promised Messiah, but thousands 05:16 of years were to go by. 05:17 And how were we to know that Jesus Christ was that 05:21 promised Messiah? 05:22 Because in the Old Testament, hundreds of years before Christ 05:25 came, there are many prophecies that specify just who we should 05:30 be looking for. 05:31 And when we see Jesus Christ fulfilling all these prophecies 05:35 we can be sure that He was the promised Messiah. 05:39 I want you to notice, for instance, in Isaiah 7:14 05:46 where it says, Therefore the Lord himself will give you a 05:49 sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, 05:54 and shall call his name Immanuel. 05:56 So they were told that the Messiah would be 06:00 born of a virgin. 06:01 Immanuel is the Hebrew word meaning God with us. 06:05 In fact in Isaiah 9:6 it says, For unto us a child is born, 06:12 unto us a son is given: and the government will be upon his 06:15 shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, 06:19 The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 06:23 So this was the sort of Messiah they were looking for. 06:27 Now how would they know that this was the Messiah? 06:30 Well, let us notice, for instance, 06:32 just concerning His birth. 06:34 Remarkable really! 06:36 In Micah 5:2 it says, But you, Bethlehem Ephrata, 06:42 though you are little among the thousands of Judah, 06:45 yet out of you shall come forth to me the one to be ruler in 06:49 Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, 06:52 from everlasting. 06:53 Okay, so now it tells us here that this promised Messiah was 06:57 to be born in Bethlehem. 06:59 Now that's a very strange thing because remember, 07:01 we're in Nazareth, and this was where Joseph and Mary lived. 07:05 This was where the angel came to Mary and said, Hail Mary, 07:09 and told her that she was going to be the mother of 07:12 the promised Messiah. 07:13 And they would have stayed here, and the baby would have been 07:17 born here, and the prophecy would not have been fulfilled, 07:20 except for one very interesting thing. 07:22 Away over there in imperial Rome the Roman Emperor made a decree. 07:29 You know it don't you? 07:30 In Luke 2:1, where it says, And it came to pass in those 07:37 days, that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, 07:40 that all the world should be registered. 07:41 You know, in Ankara, in Turkey, there is a temple to Augustus, 07:48 and on the wall of that temple is recorded a decree for the 07:53 whole Roman world to be enrolled, or taxed. 07:56 In fact there are three decrees there. 07:57 Now it doesn't apply to the particular one we're talking 07:59 about, but from that we know that these decrees were made 08:03 by the Emperor Augustus. 08:04 So just at the critical moment, when it was expected that the 08:10 baby would be born, here comes this decree, and Mary and Joseph 08:14 have to go back to their home town of Bethlehem, and that 08:18 is where the baby Jesus was born according to the prediction. 08:22 We can be sure from these prophecies, and many others, 08:26 that Jesus Christ would be the promised Messiah. 08:30 We are visiting Bethlehem now; a city which is about 08:33 10 kilometers from Jerusalem. 08:35 This was the city where Jesus was born. 08:38 He is the Church of the Nativity which is traditionally marking 08:42 the spot where the birth took place. 08:44 It's rather interesting this doorway that is here. 08:47 It's very low. 08:48 You have to bend down to get into it. 08:49 You'll notice it's been bricked in. 08:51 There was an arched doorway here, but it was suggested that 08:55 Arab horsemen, during the Muslim era, 08:57 may have ridden into the church. 08:59 To prevent that, well of course, they stoned it up so people had 09:04 to bow down to get in, and the Arab horsemen couldn't either. 09:18 Inside the church is administered by three different 09:21 denominations: the Greek, the Armenian, 09:23 and the Roman Catholic. 09:24 Over there is a grotto where many people believe that 09:28 Jesus Christ was actually born. 09:29 Now, of course, there's no way of identifying that, but it's a 09:32 place of pilgrimage for many people. 09:34 However, we do know the type of manger in which Jesus 09:37 was laid when He was born. 09:39 There are many stone mangers that have been 09:41 excavated and found. 09:42 They're made out of limestone with a cavity on top, 09:46 and there the food for the animals is placed. 09:49 And, of course, there the baby Jesus could have been placed. 09:52 However, behind all this scene a terrible tragedy was lurking. 10:16 I am at present in the Herodian, which is a palace and fortress 10:21 built by King Herod the Great. 10:23 He built this palace and fortress up on top of a natural 10:27 hill with all these walls, palace buildings, and so forth. 10:30 He often took up residence here. 10:32 Well, it's not very far from Bethlehem where a terrible 10:35 tragedy took place. 10:36 You see, Herod was a very suspicious character. 10:40 When the wise men came from the East and enquired, Where is he 10:43 that is born king of the Jews? Herod was very suspicious. 10:45 Herod was very suspicious. 10:48 When he found out where this baby was born he sent his 10:53 soldiers out there. 10:54 It says in Matthew 2:16, Then Herod, when he saw 10:57 that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry, 11:00 sent forth, and put to death all the male children who were in 11:03 Bethlehem, and in all its districts, who were two years 11:05 old and under... 11:06 Well, of course, this was a terrible tragedy. 11:08 The little baby Jesus, and his mother, and Joseph, 11:12 escaped before this happened, but it left a lot of suffering 11:16 and tragedy in Bethlehem. 11:17 The mothers, of course, were very distraught and wept 11:22 vigorously, as you can imagine, with the baby's torn 11:24 from their arms. 11:25 And do you know that all of this had been foretold in the book of 11:28 Jeremiah, because it says in Jeremiah 31:15, Thus says the 11:34 LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, 11:36 and bitter weeping; Rachel weeping for her children... 11:40 Now not very far, just outside of Bethlehem, 11:43 is the tomb of Rachel. 11:44 The Jewish people still go along there to weep, 11:46 and to pray today. 11:56 Well it was a terrible tragedy, of course, but I want to tell 11:59 you this: the Jewish people should have known when their 12:03 Messiah was due, because in the prophets it had been 12:07 predicted the very year in which Christ, the Messiah, would come. 12:12 I'll explain that to you. 12:14 In Daniel 9:25 an angel came to the prophet Daniel and said 12:22 in verse 24, Seventy weeks are determined for your people 12:27 and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, 12:30 to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, 12:33 to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up the 12:36 vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. 12:39 Now that's all referring to the commencement and work 12:43 of Jesus Christ. 12:44 He was anointed with the Holy Spirit; you know, when the 12:48 heavens opened and the Holy Ghost descended like a 12:51 dove upon Him. 12:52 He was anointed there at His baptism. 12:54 So it is referring to that. 12:56 Alright now, all of this was to happen during the time of this 13:01 seventy weeks. 13:02 What does that mean? 13:03 Well, let us put here on the board a big arch, and we'll put 13:09 seventy weeks up here. 13:12 Now we'll have to reduce that to days, and in seventy weeks, 13:16 of course, there will be four hundred and ninety days. 13:20 If you turn to Ezekiel 4:6 you'll find that in Bible 13:25 prophecy a day represents a year. 13:28 So here then is a period of 490 years. 13:33 When did it commence? 13:35 We're told here in verse 25, Know therefore and understand, 13:40 that from the going forth of the command to restore and build 13:44 Jerusalem, unto the Messiah the Prince, 13:46 shall be seven weeks, and sixty-two weeks:... 13:50 So the commencement point is given: the decree to restore 13:54 and build Jerusalem. 13:55 See when this prophecy was given to Daniel Jerusalem was just a 13:59 heap of ruins. 14:00 Daniel was in Babylon. 14:02 So a decree was to be made to restore and build Jerusalem. 14:05 Well, now there were three decrees made. 14:07 It was not until the third one, in the time of Arterxerses 14:12 king of Persia, that the decision was made to not only 14:16 restore and re-build Jerusalem, but give it a measure 14:21 of independence. 14:22 So that was in the 457th year B.C., which would be 14:28 456 complete years before Christ. 14:34 Alright now, subtracting 456 from this to bring it to an A.D. 14:40 date, we would have the year 4 and 3. 14:47 Is that right? 14:48 Yes. 14:49 There we are; 34 A.D. 14:52 So all of this was to happen in this period. 14:55 But I want you to particularly notice what was to happen 14:58 in the last seven years, or the last symbolic week 15:03 of this prophecy. 15:05 In verse 27 it says, Then he shall confirm the covenant with 15:09 many for one week: but in the middle of the week he shall 15:12 bring an end to sacrifice and offering. 15:15 Do you remember when Jesus was crucified on the cross the veil 15:19 of the temple was split in two; symbolizing the end of the 15:23 Jewish sacrifices. 15:25 As far as God was concerned they had no more antitypical 15:29 significance. 15:30 So there was this period of 7 years, symbolized by the week 15:40 or 7 days. 15:41 7 years from that would bring you to 27 A.D. 15:48 That was the very year, according to historical records, 15:52 in which Jesus Christ was baptized in the River Jordan. 15:56 Now in the midst of this week he was to be crucified, 15:59 and bring all the sacrificial systems to an end. 16:03 Well, half of this period would bring you to 31 A.D. 16:08 And here again, the very year in which Jesus Christ 16:13 was crucified. 16:14 And so when the veil of the temple was rent in two, 16:18 in the midst of this prophetic week, the ceremonial system 16:22 lost its significance as far as the divine attitude 16:26 was concerned. 16:27 So, you see, the Jewish people should have known just exactly 16:31 when their Messiah was coming. 16:33 They really had no excuse for not recognizing that baby 16:37 in Bethlehem. 16:38 So when Herod's men came and slaughtered the children in 16:43 Bethlehem, it was a tragic thing, but they should have 16:46 been able to recognize their coming Messiah. 16:49 It had all been foretold in prophecy, and it reveals the 16:53 fact that Jesus Christ was indeed the promised Messiah 16:58 of Israel. 17:00 After His baptism, Jesus Christ spent three and a half years 17:05 in public ministry. 17:06 What a dramatic three and a half years they were! 17:09 Much of the time was spent in the region of the 17:12 Lake of Galilee where the peasant people welcomed Him. 17:16 Many of them accepted His message of salvation, 17:19 but the priests at Jerusalem were plotting His death. 17:23 On Palm Sunday Jesus Christ rode into Jerusalem in triumph. 17:29 He commandeered a donkey up there at Bethphage; over at the 17:32 other side of the Mount of Olives. 17:34 Then He rode across the top of the hill. 17:37 He wept over Jerusalem. 17:39 Oh Jerusalem; you that reject the prophets. 17:43 How often would I have gathered you as a hen gathers 17:46 her chickens. 17:47 But He rode into Jerusalem; a sight something like this 17:51 I suppose, and the people welcomed him in triumph. 17:55 You know, all of this had been foretold in the writings 17:59 of the prophets nearly five hundred years earlier. 18:02 It's in Zachariah 9:9. 18:05 It says: Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; 18:07 shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, your King is coming 18:11 to you: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding 18:15 on a donkey. 18:16 So there it is. 18:17 Just exactly as the prophecy said. 18:19 Jesus Christ fulfilled this prophecy. 18:23 On Thursday night Jesus Christ and His disciples, 18:25 after celebrating the last supper, crossed over the Brook 18:29 Kidron and came to the Garden of Gethsemane. 18:31 This is the traditional garden here with its olive trees. 18:35 It was in the Garden of Gethsemane that Jesus Christ 18:38 prayed that memorable prayer, Oh my father, if it be possible 18:43 let this cup pass from me. 18:44 Nevertheless, not my will but thine be done. 18:47 The Bible says that great drops of blood stood out 18:51 on His forehead. 18:52 It seems to me that He endured more mental anguish, 18:55 which was worse than the physical anguish, on the cross. 18:58 In fact I think that's what it's referring to in the prophecy of 19:01 Isaiah in chapter 52 where it says... my servant shall deal 19:06 prudently,... his visage was marred more than any man, 19:10 and his form more than the sons of men:... 19:12 And so I think this is another prophecy pointing forward to the 19:16 suffering Messiah. 19:20 Then the mob brought Jesus to the palace of Ananias and 19:24 Caiaphas where He was subjected to three mock trials. 19:29 It was at one of these trials that Judas was filled 19:33 with remorse. 19:34 You see he had sold Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, 19:38 and he began to realize he'd done the wrong thing. 19:41 So he came and flung the thirty pieces of silver in front of the 19:45 priests and went out and hanged himself. 19:49 Well, these pious priests were a little doubtful 19:53 about what to do with the money. 19:55 We can't put it into the treasury. 19:56 And then somebody got the bright idea, well, we need a field or a 20:01 cemetery in which to bury non-Jews in. 20:04 Why don't we use it to buy that? 20:06 And so they did. 20:07 They bought a piece of ground from a potter which they could 20:11 use as a cemetery. 20:12 Now this was all fulfillment of a remarkable prophecy made 20:17 hundreds of years earlier. 20:18 In the book of Zachariah 11:12 it says, Then I said to them, 20:24 If it is agreeable to you, give me my wages; 20:28 and if not, refrain. 20:29 So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver. 20:33 And the Lord said to me, Throw it to the potter:... 20:37 So there it is, hundreds of years before, just exactly what 20:41 Judas would do. 20:42 Then the priests took Jesus off in the early morning to Antonio, 20:49 that is the fortress of Antonio, or Antony, where Pontius Pilate 20:54 was in residence. 20:55 This place that we are in at the present time was once thought 21:00 to be that fortress. 21:01 It has the paving stones, and they're very old, 21:04 no doubt about it. 21:05 It has the striations where the horses could walk along 21:10 without slipping. 21:11 And then there were these games inscribed on the flagstones 21:16 where it was thought the soldiers played their games, 21:19 threw their dice and so forth. 21:21 Well, just recently the archeologists lifted up some of 21:25 these flagstones and they found underneath some coins of the 21:28 third century A.D. 21:29 So we know that this flagstone must be later than that. 21:34 Nevertheless, it's the type of thing. 21:36 And it was here that Pontius Pilate came out and said, 21:40 I find no fault in him. 21:41 But, of course, that only set up a clamor, and the Jews raged 21:45 even more for his blood. 21:46 Crucify him; crucify him! 21:48 And at last Pilate washed his hands, and Jesus had to leave 21:53 carrying His cross. 21:58 Jesus carried His cross along the road that led to the place 22:03 called Calvary. 22:04 This is the Via del a Rosa here. 22:07 It is not the actual pavement along which Christ walked 22:10 because the level of the street in Christ's day is at least ten 22:14 to twenty meters below the surface that we have here today. 22:17 But this Via del a Rosa, or The Way of Tears, leads to the 22:21 Church of the Holy Sepulchre where most people believe 22:24 where Jesus Christ was crucified and buried. 22:27 This is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. 22:30 Inside is a slight rise which is considered to be Calvary. 22:35 Not very far away is a tomb which is considered to be the 22:39 tomb where Christ was buried. 22:41 There is, of course, quite a bit of doubt as to the authenticity 22:44 of this sight. 22:45 It wasn't identified until the fourth century A.D. 22:52 So some people prefer, in fact many people prefer, 22:55 a place known as the Garden Tomb. 22:58 General Gordon was a pious Christian. 23:02 When he came to Jerusalem he was very interested in looking 23:07 at the places that were the traditional sites where 23:09 Jesus Christ had visited. 23:11 In particular he was interested in the Church of the Holy 23:16 Sepulchre, but he was not impressed. 23:18 He felt that there was something wrong here. 23:21 One thing he noticed was that this church was inside 23:25 the city walls, whereas the Bible teaches that Christ died 23:29 outside the city walls. 23:31 He noticed that outside the city walls there was a cliff face 23:38 that had the very appearance of a skull. 23:41 Now the Bible says that Christ was crucified on Calvary, 23:45 which is the Latin word for skull, or Golgotha, 23:50 which is the Hebrew word for skull. 23:51 Here was this cliff face that looked just like a skull, 23:55 so he thought that that must have been where Christ 23:58 was crucified. 23:59 But if so, the Bible says that hereby was a tomb in which 24:04 Christ was laid. 24:05 So he went looking for a tomb, and sure enough, just nearby 24:09 is what is now known as The Garden Tomb. 24:12 Here was a place for somebody to be crucified. 24:15 So he thought that this was, for sure, the place. 24:19 He arranged, with a group of people back in England, 24:22 to look after this place; purchase it, and look after it, 24:26 and designate it as a place where Protestants could remember 24:30 the death and the burial of Jesus Christ. 24:34 Well, there's one thing certain. 24:36 Whether this is the exact tomb or not, we can't be sure, 24:39 but there is one thing certain, and that is that Jesus Christ 24:43 died according to the prophecies that were made of Him. 24:45 For instance in Psalm 22:16 it says: Dogs have surrounded 24:53 me: the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me: they pierced 24:56 my hands and my feet. 24:59 That's very significant, you know. 25:01 You see, the way that the Jews put criminals to death was 25:05 by stoning them to death. 25:07 And here with the psalmist a thousand years before the Romans 25:10 on the scene, you might say, saying they pierced my hands 25:15 and my feet. 25:16 That's crucifixion! 25:17 How did David know a thousand years before Christ was 25:21 crucified that He was going to be crucified? 25:23 I'll tell you something else about His crucifixion. 25:26 In Psalm 34 it says in verse 20, He guards all his bones: 25:33 not one of them is broken. 25:35 Do you realize how significant that is? 25:38 You see, when Jesus Christ was on the cross He had His hands 25:44 and His feet pierced, and finally He cried out, 25:48 Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit. 25:51 So He died there. 25:54 Now, Nicodemus went to Pilate and asked for the body of Christ 26:00 to give it a good burial. 26:02 And Pilate wanted to make sure he was dead. 26:05 He'd only been on the cross for six hours. 26:07 That was unusual. 26:08 So he sent some soldiers to break the legs of all the three 26:13 people hanging on the cross. 26:15 So those soldiers came along with the big lump of wood 26:19 and they raised it up and they smashed the legs of the first 26:23 criminal that was beside Christ. 26:25 Then they went over to the other one and brought the wood down 26:28 and smashed his legs. 26:29 And then they came to the body of Christ and they were just 26:33 about to smash his legs when somebody said, Wait, wait! 26:36 He's already dead. 26:38 Well, how can you be sure of that? 26:40 So they took a spear and thrust it into his side and the water 26:43 and the blood gushed out. 26:45 See how close He came to having His bones broken? 26:49 But this prophecy said not one of His bones would be broken. 26:55 Amazing, isn't it, how Jesus Christ fulfilled these 26:58 Messianic prophecies? 27:00 So we can be sure that He was the promised Savior. 27:05 Isaiah 53 predicted His death and His sufferings. 27:10 Verse 6: All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned 27:14 every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him 27:17 the iniquity of us all. 27:19 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his 27:23 mouth: he was led as a lamb to slaughter, and as a sheep before 27:27 his shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. 27:31 He was cut off from the land of the living: for the 27:34 transgression of my people he was stricken. 27:37 In other words, He died for our sins. 27:40 And they made his grave with the wicked, but with the rich 27:44 at his death. 27:45 That seems an anomaly, doesn't it? 27:48 With he made his grave with the wicked, but with the rich 27:52 at his death. 27:53 But isn't that just what happened? 27:55 Crucified with two wicked thieves, but buried in a rich 28:01 man's tomb. 28:03 This is not the tomb of Christ, but it's very similar to what 28:07 it must have been. 28:08 This is actually the tomb of the family of 28:11 King Herod the Great. 28:12 But you'll notice it has similar features. 28:15 For instance the entrance here, the stone here, which the Bible 28:19 record says the angel rolled back and sat on the stone. 28:22 Nobody could do that, you see, on a big stone like this. 28:25 So Jesus Christ came out of the tomb and is a living, 28:30 resurrected Savior. 28:31 You know, this also was in fulfillment of Bible prophecy 28:36 because way back there in Psalm 16, a thousand years 28:40 before Christ came to this world the Psalmist said: 28:43 You will not leave my soul in Sheol, that's another word for 28:47 the grave; nor will you allow your Holy One to see corruption. 28:53 And so before His body decomposed Jesus Christ rose 28:56 from the dead; another evidence of the fulfillment of prophecy. 29:00 All these prophecies, from the beginning of His life 29:03 right through to the end, all were fulfilled by 29:06 Jesus Christ, and He, I believe, is Israel's promised Messiah. 29:11 And that being the case, then I think His offer to us 29:15 is very valid. 29:16 He says in John 3:16, God so loved the world, that he gave 29:23 his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him 29:26 should not perish, but have everlasting life. 29:29 Whoever, that means everyone. 29:31 It means you. 29:33 Just whoever believes in Jesus Christ can have everlasting life 29:37 through faith in Him. 29:40 I found it a deeply moving experience walking in the 29:44 footsteps and pathways of Christ. 29:46 When you think about it, what a sacrifice He made; leaving the 29:50 security of heaven for this dry and dusty land, 29:53 to live and die for us. 29:55 I think we've got every good reason to follow Christ, 29:59 and to believe in Him. 30:00 In our next program we go a step further. 30:04 Who is God? 30:06 What's He like? 30:07 Our quest takes us to mystic India where we view a masked 30:11 Tibetan dance that few Westerners have ever seen, 30:14 and to Zeresh, the best preserved Roman ruins 30:17 in the Middle East. |
Revised 2014-12-17