Gospels in Harmony – Jesus Foretells His Death a Third Time

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Gospels in Harmony – Matthew 20:17-19, Mark 10:32-34, Luke 18:31-34 – Jesus Foretells His Death a Third Time

[Study Aired February 2, 2021]

“And they were in the way going up to Jerusalem; and Jesus went before them: and they were amazed; and as they followed, they were afraid. He took the twelve disciples apart in the way and began to tell them what things should happen unto him, Saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. The Son of man shall be betrayed and delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death and shall deliver him to the Gentiles: And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and spitefully entreated, and shall spit upon him, and shall crucify and kill him: and the third day he shall rise again. And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.”

In today’s study we will search out the spiritual significance of the foretelling of Christ’s death for the third time in our lives. This is the third time this is mentioned in the gospels which is significant. The number three represents the process of spiritual completion through judgment in our journey into the kingdom of heaven. Here is the link to the study of the number three:  Numbers in Scripture – Three, Process of Spiritual Completion Through Judgment.

We are the betrayers that deliver the Son of man to the chief priests and scribes. As disciples, we cannot understand these things at this point in our walk. We do not understand Christ must die and be resurrected so each of us can live. When we are in Babylon, we first believe Christ never died. Death is the only way to life, and Christ is foretelling His death for the third time to let us know we must die and can only live by dying and being judged.

Joh 13:31-38 Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself, and shall straightway glorify him. Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you. A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered him, Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards. Peter said unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake. Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice.

We betray Christ three times by saying as we did in Babylon that Christ did it all and we do not have to do anything. In other words, by saying a short prayer we are not judged.

Remember the keys to the kingdom study series that showed us to apply the scriptures within? The Kingdom of Heaven is within. Here is what is written by the prophets concerning the Son of man.

Isa 53:1-3 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Before we are given to understand what the death of Christ means we betray and reject Christ and his doctrines. We must die, be born again, and purified in order to understand Christ and his doctrines.

Zec 13:7-9 Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones. And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.

“Two parts shall be cut off” and “the third part through the fire”… what does this mean? It means that our old man being a witness to the doctrines of Babylon shall be done away, and what remains is the new man.

Joh 12:23-26 And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.

The new man will be perfected by the fire. We are currently experiencing the fire. All the world is in chaos, but the world does not recognize what is happening. They believe all things are continuing as it should. Here is what is happening:

2Pe 3:1-13 This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure (G1506) minds by way of remembrance: That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour: Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come (and is now in us) as a thief in the night; in the which the (our) heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

1Pe 4:12-13 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

“Pure minds” – ‘pure’ is Strong’s number G1506.

Our minds are judged by sunlight. In other words, our minds are compared to sunlight, which of course refers to Christ.

Ecc 3:16-18 And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there. I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work. I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.

Mal 4:1-3 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts. 

Here again are the verses we are reviewing. Christ is telling us for the third time He must die in order to give us life. We cannot understand these sayings until judgment begins in us. Judgment does not begin until the death of the old man begins. Christ is telling us of His death but also of our death.

“And they were in the way going up to Jerusalem; and Jesus went before them: and they were amazed; and as they followed, they were afraid. He took the twelve disciples apart in the way and began to tell them what things should happen unto him, Saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. The Son of man shall be betrayed and delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death and shall deliver him to the Gentiles: And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and spitefully entreated, and shall spit upon him, and shall crucify and kill him: and the third day he shall rise again. And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken. 

The third day we shall also rise and the process of spiritual completion through judgment begins so that we can become like God – spirit.

Joh 4:24 God is spirit, and those who are worshiping Him must be worshiping in spirit and truth.” (CLV)

1Co 15:41-45 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

Christ is leading the way for us. He will accomplish all that is set before Him by the Father. We will reign with Christ if we die and are judged now.

1Pe 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? 

1Jn 4:17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. 

I will end our study with Psalm 2.

Psa 2:1-12 Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel. Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him

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