THE THIEF ON THE CROSS

THE THIEF ON THE CROSS ...

Please  read this message today, for it will help your faith.

Yehoshua was crucified for you and me. We actually are those who crucified HIM!  

"What? I was not even born yet, how could I have done this horrible crime? No way!" 

My beloved you and I have sinned and He was crucified to pay for our sin. If you and I did not sin, He would not have died. (See Yeshyahu/Isaiah  52:13-53-12). 

I suggest you begin to read the Scriptures from "Bereshit/Genesis to Chazon/Revelation and learn about Yehoshua being the Ben David prophesied Mashiach/Messiah.  I spoke at length about Him in many other blogs. Today I simply want to say what He said about Himself in some verses as it is recorded in the Scriptures. 

Mattityahu/Matthew 22:32

I am the Elohim/God of Avraham, the Elohim of Yitzchaq/Isaac, and the Elohim of Ya'aqov/Jacob. Elohim is not the Elohim of the dead, but of the living.``

 

We also read in 

 

Devarim/Deuteronomy 6:4

"Hear, O Israel: Yehovah Eloheinu is one."

Yehovah (the LORD,) Yehovah our God is one.'

Yehoshua is not another God, He is the God of Avraham, Yitzchaq and Ya'aqov.

Yehovah became Man by taking flesh on, in order to destroy the power of Satan. Mashiach, called Christ, or Jesus Christ, died to save us from our sins. He is not a third God, but a manifestation of our God and Father in Heaven. Do not think otherwise. Yehovah appeared to Avraham/Abraham as we read in Bereshit/Genesis 18, and appeared to Gideon's parents and so forth. He is called the Triune God for this reason. He is Spirit.

Yochanan/John 4:24

"Elohim/God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship  in spirit and truth."

He has agreed that He is the expected Mashiah/Messiah

Yochanan 4:26 

"I who speak to you, am He.

Yochanan 8:58

"Most assuredly , I say to you, before Abrahan was, I AM."

There is no dispute He claimed He was God, and He was, and still is, which He proved with the Resurrection as you may want to read later on in His Word.

All three gospels declare His resurrection. 

But today I must speak on our participation in His crucifixion. We have killed Him, not the Jews alone who did the actual work as it was prophesied. He died for their sins too.  It was your sin and mine, and all humanity, who killed Him and suffered so much, as no other man who was crucified  ever suffered. 

His pain was unbearable.

Let me show you what we did to Him.

We betrayed Him with a kiss.

Judas, one of His apostles, did it for us.

Luke 22: 48

But Yehoshua said to him,

"Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"

 

Yehoshua was arrested and eventually faced the Sanhedrin.

They challenged  Him to say that He was the Mashiach/Christ . He did not deny it.

Luqas/Luke 22: 67-71

"If I tell you, you will by no means believe. And if I also ask you, you will by no means answer Me or let Me go" Hereafter the Son of Man will sit on the right hand of the power of God."

Then they all said, "Are You then the Son of God.?" So He said to them,

Luqas/Luke 22: 70-71

"You rightly say that I am." And they said, "What further testimony do we need? For we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth."

Then they all said, "Are you then the Son of God?"

So He said to them, 'You rightly say that I am."

Please read all of the pages in the Bible that speaks of His death, and  of His resurrection.  You will find there that 

you and I spit His Face, we slapped Him, we mocked Him, we beated Him and did all things that you and I would not even do on a dog. We hated Him,  who is our God Savior, Redeemer, King, Almighty God

(See Yeshayahu/Isaiah 9:6),

 We crucified Him and placed Him between two thieves. 

(Humans love dogs, and all animals whom God created, as has also created each of us, but we hate Him.  

Yes, we hate Him each time we sin.

Many people do it in ignorance.

Yehoshua prayed while on the cross.

Luqas/Luke 23:34

"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do."

Only God could love as Yehoshua did, for He was and is God in the flesh. He was fully God, but did not use His power for He came to die as man to pay for our sins.

Yehoshua suffered so much, intense pain, yet He did it for you sinner, and did with intense infinite love. He was and is Elohim, and He gave us His own flesh Son to die to redeem us from our sins. While we were killing HIM, He prayed as a Man to the Father in Heaven, to forgive us. God is everywhere. His Spirit is here with us as He was with Yehoshua. He manifests Himself in three persons, but He is only ONE GOD. Let this be very clear in our minds.

 

So He is hanging on the cross now between two thieves.

Luqas/Luke 23-36-43

The  soldiers mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine, and saying,

"If you are the King of the Jews, save Yourself."

And an inscription also was written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew."

THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, 

"If you are the Christ (Mashiach), save Yourself and us." But the other, answering ,rebuked Him saying,

"Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?

And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong."

Then he said to Yehoshua, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.

 And Yehoshua said to Him,

"Assuredly , I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."

Now is a good time to shout for joy. Yehoshua finished His work on the cross and could tell the repentant thief that today, not tomorrow or who knows when, but today, he would be with Him in Paradise. The thief  was forgiven on the spot. And Yehoshua could not have said this if He was not God Almighty. 

Having said this, Yehoshua spoke again.

Luqas/Luke 23:46

"Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit."

 Having said this, He breathed His last."

 He had fulfilled all the work the Father told Him to do, and He did it to the fullest. In His infinite Love and as a Man He came to suffer for you and Me.yWe indeed crucified Him, but He allowed it in order to atone our sins.

Today, you are like the thief on the cross, cry out to God  Yehoshua, and repent of your sin, for He is waiting on you to forgive you and to give you eternal life. He sees your heart, in your own words speak to Him.

Shalom

Deborah A. Atzori

See Amazon for my books which are also available on Kindle.

NEW LIFE AND GLORY  (My autobiography)

STRINGS OF PEARLS  (Women's Devotion)

THE LOST SHEEP  (True stories in a fiction setting)

YEHOSHUA THE RISEN MASHIACH  (TRUE Account of Yehoshua's Resurrection in a fiction setting)