Death at Golgotha And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull

Death at Golgotha
 And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull

Prophecy: Yeshua Christ’s crucifixion
Location of Prophecy in Bible: Isaiah 53:5, 6, 10
Prophecy Fulfilled in Bible: Luke 23:33; John 19:16

"But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand." (Isaiah 53:5-10)

"And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. " (Luke 23:33)

"Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Yeshua, and led him away. " (John 19:16)

And as they led him away, they laid hold upon one
Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and
on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Yeshua
(Luke 23:26)

What day is it?
Is it Friday? The last day of suffering before the Sabbath rest, the last day of life before the eternal Sabbath?
(Friday morning from nine o'clock till noon.)
(a) Mt 27:35-44 (b) Mr 15:24-32 (c) Lu 23:33-43 (d) Joh 19:18-27.

Death in the shape nails and sharp thorns, driven through his tendons and into the wood, and he was crucified on the four-branched pain as if he was on hot beach looking at the sun. Death didn't hurt just his hands and feet crushed by the iron nails; death pinched him between the thighs because there, wrapped in cheap cloth, was the wooden wedge supporting his body. This fifth emissary of death was also the most unbearable; comic and insulting, it didn't belong seriously to dying, except that it humiliated him and transformed the torso of the condemned man into a huge, stabbing blister.

The place of execution sizzled in the sunlight at the place of the scull (Golgotha). Death was well illuminated, quite clear through the haze in which the three crosses quivered like three spits.

He listened to those crude men from the west quarreling over his clothes. He knew they weren't grabbing them because of the value of those stained and bloody rags, but because, like the lock of a dead man's hair or piece of tooth, they brought luck, especially if the executed man was important. It really gave him pleasure that they thought him important and that his relics, hung about the neck as amulets, could ward off illnesses, the evil eye and the whims of destiny.

"O G-D, forgive them for they know what they do!"

The cross brings us face to face with Yeshua' suffering. He was alone -- all his disciples had deserted him except for his mother and three women along with John, the beloved disciple. And his death was agonizing and humiliating. Normally a crucified man could last for several days on a cross. Yeshua' had already been scourged, beaten with rods, and a crown of thorns pressed into his skull. It is no wonder that he died mid-afternoon. Pilate publicly heralded Yeshua "The King of the Jews" as he died upon the cross, no doubt to irritate and annoy the chief priests and Pharisees. We can find no greater proof of G-D's love for us than the willing sacrifice of his Son on the cross. Yeshua' last words, It is finished, express triumph rather than defeat. Yeshua bowed his head and gave up his spirit knowing that the strife was now over and the battle was won. Even on the cross Yeshua knew the joy of victory. What the Father sent him into the world to do has now been accomplished. Christ offered himself without blemish to G-D and he put away sin by the sacrifice of himself (see - Hebrews 9:24-26).

The significance of the women who stood at the cross of Yeshua: "As they were looking on, so we too gaze on his wounds as he hangs. We see his blood as he dies. We see the price offered by the redeemer, touch the scars of his resurrection. He bows his head, as if to kiss you. His heart is made bare open, as it were, in love to you. His arms are extended that he may embrace you. His whole body is displayed for your redemption. Ponder how great these things are. Let all this be rightly weighed in your mind: as he was once fixed to the cross in every part of his body for you, so he may now be fixed in every part of your soul."

In the cross of Christ we see the triumph of Yeshua over his enemies -- sin, Satan, and death. Christian writers down through the centuries have sung the praises of the Cross of Christ. Paul the Apostle exclaimed, "But far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Yeshua Christ" (Galatians 6:14). "A few drops of blood renew the whole world!" Hear what Gregory Nazianzen, a 6th century church father, has to say: "Many indeed are the wondrous happenings of that time: G-D hanging from a cross, the sun made dark and again flaming out; for it was fitting that creation should mourn with its creator. The temple veil rent, blood and water flowing from his side: the one as from a man, the other as from what was above man; the earth shaken, the rocks shattered because of the rock; the dead risen to bear witness to the final and universal resurrection of the dead. The happenings at the sepulcher and after the sepulcher, who can fittingly recount them? Yet no one of them can be compared to the miracle of my salvation. A few drops of blood renew the whole world, and do for all men what the rennet does for the milk: joining us and binding us together.

"I suffered and died on the cross
and each time you pick up your cross
you are uniting yourself to Me."

Yeshua' fate did not end with his crucifixion, but beyond the cross it included his resurrection by God.

What was the significance of the cross prior to Yeshua' crucifixion?

Matthew 16:24 Take up Your Cross and Follow Yeshua

Yeshua said "If any will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me."

People knew what crucifixion was, but not in the application that Yeshua was presenting.

What was the significance of the cross prior to Yeshua' crucifixion? What would "take up his cross" mean to the disciples before Yeshua had taken up His own? Is that applicable to us today?

Yes, it is applicable to us today. The cross that Yeshua was talking about was OUR death - that He died in our place. When Yeshua said we are to take up our cross and follow Him, Yeshua was talking about taking up our own death on the cross when Yeshua died. When Yeshua died, we died. Paul said in Galatians 2:20 , "I was crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ lives in me. And the life that I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who love me, and gave Himself for me." Paul said in Colossians 3:2-3 , "Set you affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3) for you are dead, and your life has been hidden with Christ in God."

It didn't mean anything to them at the time Yeshua spoke these words. Nothing that Yeshua said about what was going to happen meant anything to them. It took the Holy Spirit to cause them to understand what Yeshua meant. Yeshua said in John 13:7 "...what I do you do not know now, but you will know after this." Yeshua said the Holy Spirit was going to bring all things to their remembrance that Yeshua spoke to them - John 14:26

The in-depth study of the believer carrying his death on Yeshua' cross is found in Romans 6:5-23

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Yeshua.

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

Slaves to Righteousness

What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.

For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Yeshua our Lord.

The Significance of the number 3

Peter denied Christ 3 times, Christ asked Peter 3 times if he loved Him, 3 crosses on Golgotha, The Lord Yeshua is resurrected on the 3rd day.
3 is the number of personal completeness. It is the number of the G-D’, it stands for the triune. It is formed by 1+1+1. but if the 1's are multiplied, the result is still 1. So that G-D is 3 in 1 and 1 in 3. In geometry 2 lines do not make a cube. Hence 2 is an incomplete number while 3is the complete number. It therefore represents G-D. A complete man is formed with spirit, soul and body.

As we read the Bible's description of G-D, we find the number 3 coming up repeatedly. For example, G-D is the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. G-D is omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent.

We find the number 3 representing G-D as if it was His trademark. The curious thing about this trademark is that it shows up in various places, starting with his creation... The earth came of the water on the 3rd day. It took G-D six days to create everything. He could have done it much sooner but He chose six (3 x 2) days. He made the atom with 3 parts (electron, neutron, proton) and used it to create a world with 3 parts (land, sea, air), all within a universe with 3 parts (matter, time, space).

He created time with 3 divisions (past, present, future) and gave space its 3 dimensions (up/down, left/right/ forward/backward). He created matter with its normal, you guessed it, 3 states (solid, liquid, gas). When He created life on earth, this trademark was not far behind. Animals were created to live in 3 areas (in land, in water, in air).

He made their survival to depend on 3 essentials (food, water, air), the food providing energy in 3 forms (protein, carbohydrates, fat), the water made up of 3 parts (two parts hydrogen, one part oxygen) and the air primarily consisting of 3 parts (78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, .93% argon.). His greatest creation, man, was made in 3 parts also (body, soul, spirit): "...I pray G-D your whole Spirit and Soul and Body be preserved..." 1 Thessalonians 5:23 Now one would think G-D would get tired of using the number 3, but He also stamps his trademark throughout His Word the Bible... 66 (3 x 22) Books in the bible [39 (3 x 13) in the Old Testament- 27 (3 x 9) in the New Testament] 31,173 (3 x 10,391) Verses in the Bible [23,214 (3 x 7738) in the O.T.- 7959 (3 x 2653) in the N.T.]

Within the Bible itself we find many appearances of the number 3. There were 333 prophecies concerning the coming of Yeshua Christ into the world. Yeshua Christ was crucified at the age of 33, after a ministry that lasted 3 years. He spent nine (3 x 3) hours on the cross, with 3 of those hours in darkness. He was buried for 3 days and 3 nights, and resurrected on the 3rd day. In fact, the word three is mentioned in the Bible 543 (3 x 181) times! Yes, the universe and the Bible have their Creator's trademark stamped all over them. G-D wants us to recognize both as His handiwork.

“The Three Wooden Crosses”

Yeshua hung on the middle cross, vicariously dying for the sins of all mankind. Two criminals, typical of the human race, hung on crosses on each side of Him. These three crosses represent:

The cross of rejection. One criminal represents the masses that to the very end rebel against God and reject His plan of redemption. But rarely is such sneering so openly expressed, and this by a dying man as he hurled insults at Christ. This criminal is merely expressing the viewpoint of so many that reject God’s only remedy for our sin problem; they die in their sins.

The cross of repentance. The other criminal represents those who repent of their sins and place their faith in God. This criminal came to realize that he and the other lawbreaker deserved the death penalty and spoke rather frankly: “We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong” (Luke 23:41). His faith is humbly expressed in these words: “Yeshua, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Our Lord’s dying words brought eternal hope to the repentant criminal as well as spiritual hope to millions through the centuries, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”

The cross of redemption. On the middle cross Christ dies once for all time for all people. “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace” (Ephesians 1:7). “For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross” (Colossians 1:19,20). Peter, a witness to these things, stated, “For Christ died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust” (1 Peter 3:18a).

Father, thank You for the word in Scripture that makes us more than just curious bystanders during the crucifixion of Your precious Son. Yeshua’ recorded conversation with the repentant criminal helps us to see just how immediate redemption for all mankind was being provided through His death on the cross. Though reflecting on this day brings about grief and sadness as we recall the rejection, pain, and suffering Christ underwent and the darkness that fell upon the earth at His final breath. But I’m so glad we don’t have to wait for the rest of the story to unfold. We know the final outcome and the way of salvation Christ made possible for us. Thank you, Father, that You loved the world so much that You gave Your one and only Son, that whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.