Welcome to the
Books of the Book.
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We're exploring the gospel
of Matthew, and that exploration
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has brought us all the
way down to Chapter 28.
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We're going to be exploring
this last chapter of the gospel
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of Matthew.
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I'm Glenn Russell, Professor of
Religion at Andrews University,
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here with friend and colleague,
Professor Ranko Stefanovic,
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who teaches at the Theological
Seminary at Andrews University.
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Ranko, it's hard to believe that
we've been following Jesus here
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into the 28th Chapter.
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It's a wonderful journey,
and although we want to press
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into the text, I also want to
say, thank you to the viewers,
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and thank you to 3ABN.
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It's just been a joy
to partner together here.
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This experience of
studying scripture in-depth;
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what a wonderful series idea!
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You don't want to miss all the
other series on the other books
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of the scripture.
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May God bless this ministry
of 3ABN, and this series
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in a very special way.
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Wouldn't you agree Ranko?
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Glenn, there is
something I can with confidence,
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We were here taping a series on
the life of Jesus according to
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the gospel of Matthew.
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But being here with all
these wonderful people at 3ABN;
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actually seeing on their
faces the reflection of Jesus'
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character and His love; this is
actually how I felt during these
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days, taping, taping this
series and being with them.
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I really, really
appreciate their ministry;
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what they are doing.
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Amen.
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And one more time, let's
get into God's Word with prayer.
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Let's bow together.
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Father we thank You for the
privilege of studying Your Word.
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We have the freedom to
take Your Word and read it,
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ponder it, pray over it, wrestle
with it, struggle to understand
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it, but most of all
be moved, transformed,
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and changed by Your Word.
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Thank You for
this privilege we have.
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In Jesus' name, Amen.
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Amen.
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We're at the 28th Chapter.
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We've been noticing, pondering,
reflecting, meditating,
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on those sacred
scenes of Jesus on the cross.
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And we find at last
that Jesus breathes His last,
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and He's buried.
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There's this special
resurrection that we've
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talked about.
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And now let's see the rest of
the story, because Christianity
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doesn't end with the cross.
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Yeah.
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Glenn, before we go to Chapter
28, let's just reflect a little
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bit on the last
several verses of Chapter 27.
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We saw when Jesus was buried,
praise God, when Jesus died,
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okay, now He was to be buried.
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God did not allow to happen
to Jesus' body what usually
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happened to the criminals.
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The Bible says that the
person by the name of Joseph,
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from Arimathea, who was
evidently a rich Pharisee.
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According to the other gospels
he was joined with Nicodemus.
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They came.
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They were very
rich people, believe me.
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They paid a large amount
of money to Pilate in order to
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get the body of Jesus,
and to prepare His body
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for a proper burial.
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And again, according to
prophecy, He's laid in a new
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tomb, as prophecy had
said, wrapped and laid there
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in the tomb that Friday on the
preparation day, as it says in
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Verse 62.
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It's a tragic thing to
think that those who crucified
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rushed home to keep the Sabbath,
with such a startling lack of
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understanding of the events
that they had been part of.
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So when did this happen?
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It happened before
the sunset on Friday.
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According to the
Biblical counting is days begin
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with sunset.
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So Jesus was buried
and now the Sabbath began.
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When we go to Chapter
28, Verse 1, it was after
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the Sabbath.
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Okay?
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At the
beginning of the new week.
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On the first day of the
week there is the resurrection.
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Where is Jesus
between Friday and Sunday?
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He is in the tomb.
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The gospel of Luke, Chapter 23,
the last verses, provide some
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additional information there
that Jesus was actually arrested
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on the Sabbath day
according to the law.
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Here we have a
fantastic picture.
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We are reminded in the book
of Genesis, Chapters 1 and 2,
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that when God created the
heaven and earth in six days,
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then God rested on the Sabbath
day after that weeks work.
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So now the same God,
who has become flesh,
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after accomplishing
His mission of re-creation,
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mission of redemption, okay.
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On Friday He goes to rest.
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Unfortunately, many Christians
are using arguments that Sunday
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is a very important day
to celebrate and to rest,
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and that Sunday replaced
the Sabbath because of Jesus'
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resurrection.
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However, the gospels clearly,
clearly state that the reason
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why Jesus did not resurrect on
the Sabbath was because He kept
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the sanctity of the
Sabbath according to the law.
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He resurrected on Sunday because
Sunday is the day of work.
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But He rested according to the
law of God following the path
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of work He did at the beginning,
after the creation week when He
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rested on the Sabbath.
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So it's after the Sabbath
toward the dawn of the first day
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of the week.
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So we don't need to
wonder when Sabbath is.
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Yes.
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It's before the first
day; it's the end of the week.
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Alright, if I
might read Matthew 28...
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Please.
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...Verse 1 and following;
Now after the Sabbath toward the
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dawn of the first day
of the week, Mary Magdalene
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and the other Mary
went to see the sepulcher.
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You see they'd buried Him.
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They hadn't had a chance
to anoint Him, and embalm Him,
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and prepare Him
fully for His burial.
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And we should
pause and notice that...
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It was done in a great rush.
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...in a hurry, yes, and
they wanted to finish the job.
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Yes.
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And, of course, burial is
very important to a Hebrew.
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Yeah.
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What is done to a body
when somebody dies is very;
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it's important to all of
us emotionally, but especially
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for a Hebrew.
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Even Joseph when he died
said take care of my bones.
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You know, take them up to...
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And very special people
would do it; trained people
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for that job.
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They knew how to do it.
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So they'd come
to do this sad work.
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And, behold, there was a
great earthquake: and an angel
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of the Lord descended from
heaven, and came and rolled back
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the stone and sat upon it.
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We just have to say, this
is another marvelous case of
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scriptures brevity.
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If you and I were writing
all the details, imagine,
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there's a great earthquake, and
an angel of the Lord descends
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from heaven.
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And, you know Ranko, I just
think that all the angels wanted
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to have that opportunity.
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Oh yeah!
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I bet when God the Father
said, I need someone to go,
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they all raised their hand.
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I mean that's my imagination.
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They all wanted to go
and release our Savior.
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The angel of the Lord descended
from heaven, and rolled back
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the stone, and
then he sat upon it.
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His appearance
was like lightening;
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his raiment was white as snow.
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For fear of him the
guards trembled and became
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like dead men.
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It's interesting to
notice everything that was done
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to keep Jesus in the tomb
becomes proof that He was raised
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from the tomb.
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Glenn, can we understand Satan?
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Please tell; explain to me.
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Constantly during 31/2
years of Jesus' ministry
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Satan is doing everything
to prevent Jesus from going
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to the cross.
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Yes.
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Finally Jesus is on the cross
and Satan is doing everything
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to pull Him down from the cross.
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Remember that; not to die.
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Now finally Jesus
dies and He's in the tomb.
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Now he does everything to
keep Jesus there in the tomb.
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And look what was done.
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He was placed in the tomb.
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There's a seal placed upon it.
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There's soldiers
placed around it.
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Some people today wonder, did
the resurrection really happen?
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Christianity is based on
historical events, Ranko.
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If the resurrection didn't
take place, what does Paul say?
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What benefit is that?
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We have no reason for our faith.
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If Jesus did not resurrect
then there is no resurrection.
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And, unfortunately, that's
the reason why many Christians
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do not talk
about the resurrection.
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It's because of
that; they doubt.
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They have a problem
with Jesus' resurrection.
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To deny the resurrection of
Jesus is to deny the general
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resurrection that one day
God's people will experience
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at the Second Coming of Christ.
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So we have a Centurion and
soldiers guarding a dead body,
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and the angel comes.
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And the other
gospels give us more details.
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Matthew does not dwell on those.
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But Matthew introduces us to
the fact that an angel remains
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there and says to the
women, Don't be afraid.
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I know you seek
Jesus who was crucified.
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By the way, isn't that
who we should all seek;
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Jesus who was crucified?
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He is not here: for
he has risen as he said.
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Come, and see the
place where he lay.
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Then quickly go
and tell his disciples.
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Wasn't it strange that
it's a woman who's the first one
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to give testimony?
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Actually, the gospel of
Matthew begins with women.
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Yes.
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Remember they're
included in genealogy.
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Now these women are the first
ones to go there to the tomb,
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and to carry the news all around
that the Savior is not there.
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By the way, one of the most
touching moments for me was when
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I was there in Jerusalem.
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There is a place that
some people thought could be
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the tomb of Jesus.
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Today we know that it
was not the tomb of Jesus.
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But, you know, the garden...
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The very scene...
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It's very nice to go there.
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You know that it
did not happen there.
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But there is something that
I still visualize in my eyes
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that tomb that they
discovered with that, you know,
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stone that was rolled
over the entrance there.
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But there is something
that they made there in the
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inscription;
it's very emotional.
00:11:00.82\00:11:02.76
They said, He's not here.
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He is risen.
00:11:05.76\00:11:07.13
When you look there, Glenn, you
know you and me, we know many,
00:11:07.13\00:11:13.34
many religions in this world.
00:11:13.37\00:11:15.60
And I grew up among
people who were not Christians.
00:11:15.64\00:11:20.54
I lived in
different parts of the world;
00:11:20.58\00:11:23.38
living among people
of different religions.
00:11:23.41\00:11:25.95
And we talked about
their founders who were really
00:11:25.98\00:11:28.42
good, good, good men.
00:11:28.45\00:11:30.29
But they would
always point to their tombs
00:11:30.32\00:11:33.05
where they were buried.
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They'd go and they
made pilgrimages there, etc.
00:11:34.49\00:11:36.59
It's so nice when I talk about
the founder of my religion.
00:11:36.62\00:11:42.86
To tell them, I'm sorry.
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I cannot make any pilgrimage.
00:11:45.00\00:11:47.17
I cannot go to His tomb.
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He's not there!
00:11:49.57\00:11:51.54
He's not at the tomb!
00:11:51.57\00:11:52.94
It's empty!
00:11:52.97\00:11:54.34
Actually, I don't
need to make a pilgrimage.
00:11:54.38\00:11:56.54
Uh huh.
00:11:56.58\00:11:57.95
Even here, as we are taping,
wherever I go I can lift my head
00:11:57.98\00:12:03.92
there toward Him, and
give Him thanks for what He did
00:12:03.95\00:12:07.06
because He is alive!
00:12:07.09\00:12:09.39
The reality of the cross
is verified by the stone being
00:12:09.42\00:12:15.26
rolled, you know, Ranko
some people say, well, maybe He
00:12:15.30\00:12:18.43
fainted; maybe He just
went unconscious for awhile
00:12:18.47\00:12:22.27
and came back.
00:12:22.30\00:12:23.67
How would He roll the
stone away after being scourged?
00:12:23.71\00:12:25.61
Some other people say, Maybe
it was in a different place.
00:12:25.64\00:12:28.51
Why didn't they
present the body?
00:12:28.54\00:12:31.01
The resurrection of Jesus is
a great dilemma for the leaders
00:12:31.05\00:12:34.85
of the people.
00:12:34.88\00:12:36.25
Actually, the gospel writers,
we're not just talking about
00:12:36.28\00:12:38.09
the gospel of Matthew, we
are talking in general terms.
00:12:38.12\00:12:40.62
They want to assure us
that Jesus indeed died.
00:12:40.66\00:12:45.46
How do you know that?
00:12:45.49\00:12:46.86
They said, you know, the bodies
of the crucified people could
00:12:46.90\00:12:54.87
not be on the cross
during the Sabbath day
00:12:54.90\00:12:57.41
or during the festivals.
00:12:57.44\00:12:58.81
That's why Pilot ordered to
break the bones of those people,
00:12:58.84\00:13:02.64
you know, so they could not
support themselves any longer
00:13:02.68\00:13:06.41
and finally they would die.
00:13:06.45\00:13:09.15
By the way, that young man,
John's son, Ezekiel, between
00:13:09.18\00:13:14.02
that we just mentioned
was; his bones were broken.
00:13:14.06\00:13:17.93
So it confirms what we
read there in the gospels.
00:13:17.99\00:13:21.73
So they broke the
bones of those two criminals.
00:13:21.76\00:13:25.23
They came to Jesus; they
saw that he died already.
00:13:25.27\00:13:28.74
Keep in mind, they are experts.
00:13:28.77\00:13:30.14
They know if the
person is alive or not.
00:13:30.17\00:13:31.94
But in order to confirm the
death of Jesus; actually they
00:13:31.97\00:13:35.04
pierce His body.
00:13:35.08\00:13:36.44
And according to the gospel
of John, water mixed with blood,
00:13:36.48\00:13:39.78
which was the sign of death,
actually came out of the body
00:13:39.81\00:13:43.45
of Jesus.
00:13:43.49\00:13:44.85
So it was very clear that Jesus
was dead when He was buried.
00:13:44.89\00:13:47.92
And if you've had your side
pierced, and your hands nailed,
00:13:47.96\00:13:51.26
then your ankles driven through
with a spike, and you've been
00:13:51.29\00:13:54.56
scourged, there's
no way; He was dead.
00:13:54.60\00:13:58.43
There's no question about it.
00:13:58.47\00:13:59.83
The Romans were
experts at killing people.
00:13:59.87\00:14:01.40
Jesus was dead.
00:14:01.44\00:14:02.80
But we could say
much more about that.
00:14:02.84\00:14:04.54
Let's move, Ranko to...
00:14:04.57\00:14:05.94
Till after the break.
00:14:05.97\00:14:07.34
Let's move to the
impact of the resurrection,
00:14:07.38\00:14:11.21
and other evidences.
00:14:11.28\00:14:12.88
There were others who saw
the risen Lord afterwards.
00:14:12.91\00:14:15.38
We're going to come back
to that right after our break.
00:14:15.42\00:14:17.85
We'll be right back.
00:14:17.89\00:14:19.25