HOLY MONDAY ~ ~ ~ The Cleansing of the Temple ~ ~ ~ The Day of the Blood-Red EARTH !

JESUS CLEANSING THE TEMPLE

Drawing courtesy of J.J. Tissot / Sacred Art Meditations

^{Scripture Verses courtesy of  Bibleworks. org,  recorded by Matthew, chapter  21}

⁴ All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying,

⁵ Tell ye the Daughter of Zion, 

Behold, 

thy KING+ cometh unto thee, 

meek, 

and sitting upon an ass, 

and a colt the foal of an ass.

⁶ And the disciples went, and did as JESUS commanded them,
⁷ And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set HIM+ thereon.
⁸ And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way.

⁹ And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying,

Hosanna to the SON+ of David: 

Blessed is HE+ 

that cometh in the name of The LORD; 

Hosanna in the highest!

¹⁰ And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?
¹¹ And the multitude said,

This is JESUS the Prophet+ of Nazareth of Galilee.

¹² And JESUS went into the Temple of GOD, 

and cast out all them 

that sold and bought in the Temple, 

and overthrew the tables of the money-changers, 

and the seats of them that sold doves,

¹³ And [ JESUS ] said unto them, 

It is written, 

My+ house shall be called 

the house of prayer; 

but ye have made it a den of thieves!

¹⁴ And the blind and the lame came to HIM+ in the temple; and HE+ healed them.

¹⁵ And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that HE+ did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, 

Hosanna to the SON+ of David; 

they were sore displeased,

¹⁶ And said unto HIM+, Hearest thou what these say? 

And JESUS saith unto them, 

Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?

¹⁷ And HE+ left them, and went out of the city into Bethany; and HE+ lodged there.

MEDITATION ~ ~ ~ 

Oh, that cleansing of the Temple of GOD!  

This was the second ... but not the last... CLEANSING of the Temple of GOD that The LORD effected.

I+ and MY+ FATHER are ONE. 

John 10:30

Do we think HE+ will not cleanse the temple of GOD on earth, in us,  AGAIN?  

Yes indeed, the cleansing is appointed, the testing is determined,  and it is moving towards us all, right on schedule... HIS+ pre-determined schedule. 

There is a phenomenon taking place in the Heavens, called the 4 blood-red moons. It is real. 

The times of these lunar eclipses are, scientifically, RIGHT IN LINE with the ancient Jewish calendar of Passover and Sukkoth. ( It would behoove readers to research this on the Internet for themselves. )

Photo courtesy of
 www.earthsky.org

On the night of April 14-15,
the planet Mars – closest in 6 years – will be near the eclipsed moon.
The star Spica will also be nearby.
Illustration via Classical Astronomy.

Above, ^ , is a graphic of what will take place in the skies TONIGHT, starting at 2 a.m. , and lasting for 77 minutes.

Lunar eclipse of March 3, 2007.

 Image by Joshua Valcarcel via Wikimedia Commons.

Courtesy of www.earthsky.org

Photo courtesy of www.earthsky.org

This is what a total eclipse looks like. 

This is the total eclipse of October 27, 2004 via Fred Espenak of NASA. 

We astronomy writers often describe a 

totally eclipsed moon as appearing ‘blood red.’ 

Here’s why the moon turns red during a total eclipse. 

www.earthsky.org

This is the blood red moon from the lunar eclipse in 2004. 

When the eclipse is beginning and ending, the moon is simply dark. 

HOWEVER: when totally eclipsed, the moon reflects light from the earth. It does this for a very short period of time and is breath-taking red. 

Is this how 

The ALMIGHTY 

sees this planet earth ?
.
.  .  .
.
.
...

Blood red ?
A blood-red earth.  

How could HE not see earth that way ? 

Does not the blood of the innocents slain cry out to HIM from the earth...from the blood-drenched battlefields...  from the hidden laboratories ?  

HE Who made the ear, 

does HE not hear ?

HE Who made the eye, 

does HE not see ?  

O earth, earth, earth, 

HEAR the WORD+ 

of The LORD! 

... before it is too late. 

And , "too late" is quickly approaching. 

Come unto ME+, 

all ye who labor and are heavy-laden

and 

I+ will give 

you rest. 

Take MY+ yoke upon you,

and learn 

from ME+. 

For I+ am meek and lowly of heart

and ye shall find rest for your souls.

Let us Pray:

LORD, have mercy upon me, a sinner, condemned to die. 

LORD, have mercy upon me, a sinner, who ignored THEE+  for so long, who turned a deaf ear to Thy+ HOLY Words, who has been pre-occupied with what makes my Self feel good.

LORD, have mercy upon me, a lost or stumbling sheep of Thy+ own fold. 

Destroy me not with this blood-red earth of those who delight to shed the blood of others. Cleanse me of anger, pride, and that horrible self-will. 

LORD, have mercy upon me!   

Bless GOD: 

FATHER, 

SON+, 

and HOLY SPIRIT,

both now and forever. 

Amen.  

PALM SUNDAY ~ ~ ~ Have I+ Been So Long Time With You, and Yet...

...thou hast not known ME+ ? 

John 14:9

Photo by the Order of The GOOD SHEPHERD+

Rejoice greatly, 

O Daughter of Zion; 

SHOUT! O Daughter of Jerusalem;

Behold, thy KING+ cometh unto thee; 

HE+ is just, 

and having salvation;

lowly, and riding upon an ass,

and upon a colt, 

the foal of an ass.

Zechariah 9:9 



Save now --- HOSANNA! --- I beseech THEE+, 
O LORD:  
O LORD, I beseech THEE+, 
send now prosperity.

Blessed be HE+ that cometh 
in the name of The LORD; 
we have blessed you 
out of the house of The LORD. 

GOD is The LORD, 
Who hath shewed us LIGHT+; 

bind the sacrifice with cords, 
even unto the horns of the altar. 
Psalm 118:25-27 

The Complete Jewish Bible
D. Stern
courtesy of Biblegateway.com

 The very rock that the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone!

²³ This has come from Adonai,
and in our eyes it is amazing.

²⁴ This is the day Adonai has made,
a day for us to rejoice and be glad.

²⁵ Please, Adonai! Save us!
Please, Adonai! Rescue us!

²⁶ Blessed is he who comes in the name of Adonai.
We bless you from the house of Adonai.

²⁷ Adonai is God, and he gives us light.
Join in the pilgrim festival with branches
all the way to the horns of the altar.

²⁸ You are my God, and I thank you.

You are my God; I exalt you.

²⁹ Give thanks to Adonai; for he is good,
for his grace continues forever

Meditation ~ ~ ~ 

Our LORD'S triumphal entry into Jerusalem, where even the stones would cry out,  "Hosanna! To the SON of David. Blessed is HE+ that comes in the Name of The LORD. Hosanna in the Highest! " seems to be a joyous occasion in the earth-time life of JESUS CHRIST of Nazareth. 

Yes, it is joyous because it fulfills several Old Covenant prophecies: the joy being that GOD is right. 

But of a truth, "Have I+ been so long time with you , and yet, you do not know ME+ ? "   Our LORD JESUS said that to Philip. However, HE+ was addressing Philip's request in John 14 to show him The FATHER.

The Jews who walked this earth at that point in time purported to worship The FATHER, yet they did not know HIM, either. They neither understood the prophets' prophecies nor did they recognize their own Messiah WHO+ exactly fit the pattern of the Old Covenant sacrifices and ceremonies. 

But, the Ha'Am-Eretz, the common people knew ! The children knew! Even the stones knew! 

So, for our LORD entering Jerusalem triumphantly, the joy had to be tinged with sadness, for His+ own people ensconced within the righteous religious system handed down from Moses did NOT know HIM+, their Messiah. They would die in their un-belief, in their sin. 

How much sadness could a human heart endure? 

Let us Pray ~ ~ ~ 

Dear SAVIOR+, Our LORD JESUS CHRIST,  we thank THEE+ for coming, for fulfilling prophecies, for being willing to die for the human race, for opening the Kingdom of GOD to "whomsoever will " come to THEE+. 

Worthy is the LAMB+ , 

worthy is the LAMB+, 

worthy is the LAMB+ 

that was slain to receive blessing , 

honor, 

glory, 

and power 

for ever and ever. 

Amen !

Yes, blessed is HE+ 

Who+ cometh in the Name of The LORD.

Hosanna in the Highest!

Pre-Passover Meditation ~ ~ ~ The UN-distracted Mind of CHRIST

Photo by The ORDER of The GOOD SHEPHERD+
Crown of Thorns bush

The Invitatory

 CHRIST JESUS 

came into the world to save sinners,

Of whom I am chief. 

LORD, 

be merciful to me, a sinner.

O Come, Let us Adore HIM+ . 

Old Testament Lesson: Leviticus 26, 

selected verses ,
 courtesy of  www.Biblegateway.com

Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I AM THE LORD THY GOD.

Ye shall keep my sabbaths, 

and reverence my sanctuary: 

I AM THE LORD.

If ye walk in My statutes, and keep My commandments, and do them;
⁴ Then I will give you rain ...
⁵ And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage ... 
⁶ And I will give peace in the land ... .
⁷ And ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword.
 ~ ~~ ~~ 
⁹ For I will have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and establish my covenant with you.

¹¹ And I set my tabernacle among you: and My soul shall not abhor you. 

¹² And I will walk among you, and will be your GOD, and ye shall be My people.

¹³ I AM THE LORD THY GOD, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that ye should not be their bondmen; and I have broken the bands of your yoke, and made you go upright.

¹⁴ But if ye will not hearken unto ME, and will not do all these commandments;

¹⁵ And if ye shall despise My statutes, or if your soul abhor My judgments, so that ye will not do all My commandments, but that ye break My Covenant:
~ ~ ~

¹⁹ And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass:

²⁰ And your strength shall be spent in vain... 
~ ~ ~ 


³² And I will bring the land into desolation ...

~  ~  ~

³⁴ Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies' land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths.

³⁵ As long as it lieth desolate it shall rest; because it did not rest in your sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon it.

Epistle Lesson: Colossians 1: 19-23

Courtesy of Biblegateway.com

For it pleased The FATHER that in HIM+ should all fulness dwell; And, having made peace through the Blood of His+ Cross, by HIM+ to reconcile all things unto HIMSELF+; by HIM+, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in Heaven.

And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath HE+ reconciled in  the body of His+ Flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in His+ sight:

if ...if ... if ...

ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the Gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under Heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;

The Gospel Lesson: Luke 10: 38-42

Courtesy of Biblegateway.com, NKJV

Now it happened as they went that HE+ entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him+ into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His+  word. 

But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him+ and said, “LORD, do You+ not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? 

Therefore tell her to help me.”

And JESUS answered and said to her, “Martha! Martha! 

You are worried and troubled about many things. 

But ONE+ THING is needed, 

and Mary has chosen THAT GOOD PART+, 

which will not be taken away from her.”

Meditation ~ ~ ~

The Old Covenant was established to show Israel ... and thus, all mankind...  HOW TO PLEASE GOD. It was established to show us what things are acceptable to GOD and what things HE hates. ( HE still hates those things listed as "sin" in the Law, by the way.)

Breaking GOD'S laws under the Old Covenant brought certain, swift, and awful consequences. That was the way The LORD trained mankind to savor righteousness with HIM. 

When Our LORD JESUS walked the earth, HE+ did not "un-do" the laws, HE+ actually

extended them to encompass more.

Back then, adultery was punished by stoning to death the transgressors. Under the covenant of JESUS' BLOOD, adultery of the heart, done secretly was severely condemned. Our LORD JESUS HIMSELF said that if our EYE offended us... that is, made us to sin... to pluck it out.

HE+ was not joking. Under the New Covenant, once JESUS' BLOOD was shed to cover us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness, the punishment for willfully-practiced sin IS... IS... IS... (!)  Eternal death.  

Unfortunately, sin occurs in the HEART of man. However, one is not able to pluck out one's heart.  

So, we flee unto JESUS our SAVIOR+ for cleansing and help against sin. 

One of the best strong-holds against sin is to focus on JESUS without distraction of thought, like Martha's sister Mary chose to do.   

Let Us Pray ~ ~ ~ 

Gracious Heavenly FATHER, I have forsaken following Thy Word meticulously. I have done whatsoever I have "thought" to be right... instead of following Thy Holy Words given and preserved for me at great price. 

Help me not to cast ANY of Thy words aside and establish my "interpretation" of what THOU dost require of me... instead of what is clearly written. 

O LORD our GOD, help me to stand firm against temporal values within me, values that focus on my own home, my own family, my own life constantly. 

Help me to strive for that undistracted mind, focused upon CHRIST, so that I may know what pleaseth THEE. Give me Singleness-of-Eye, that I become a GOD-pleaser and not a man-pleaser, that I learn to please THEE+, my LORD, and not myself. 

O, Help me to do this SO MUCH SO that even my undistracted focus upon THY HOLY SON+ JESUS becomes my only identity in this world... that I might choose the BETTER+ part, like Mary. 

So that, when I come face to face with our SAVIOR+,  I can honestly say, "I have loved THEE+ with my whole heart."

Grant these things, for Thy SON+'s sake, our only SAVIOR+ and MEDIATOR, the only name given under Heaven among men, whereby we must be saved... Our LORD JESUS CHRIST.  

Amen.

Pre-Passover Meditation ~ ~ ~ It is No Secret What GOD Will Do !

Photo by The Order of the GOOD SHEPHERD+

 CHRIST our PASSOVER

ever liveth to make intercession

for us; 

O Come, Let us Adore HIM+. 

Psalm 68 

Let GOD arise, 

Let His enemies be scattered; 

Let those also who hate HIM

flee before HIM. 

Old Testament Lesson: Deuteronomy 4:23, 24 

Take heed unto yourselves, 

lest ye forget 

the covenant of the LORD thy GOD, 

which HE made with you, 

and make you a graven image, 

or the likeness of any thing, 

which the LORD thy GOD 

hath forbidden thee.

For the LORD thy GOD 
is a consuming fire, 

even a jealous GOD.

Epistle Lesson: Ephesians 2:1- 3

And you hath HE+ enlivened, 

who were dead in trespasses and sins;

Wherein in time past ye walked 

according to the course of this world, 

according to 
the prince of the power of the air, 

the spirit that now worketh 

in the children of disobedience:

Among whom also we all had 

our behavior in times past

in the lusts of our flesh,

 fulfilling the desires of the flesh and 

of the mind;

and were by nature 

the children of wrath, 

even as others.

The GOSPEL LESSON: Luke 6: 33-36

The Words of Our LORD JESUS CHRIST

And if ye do good to them which do good to you, 
what thank have ye? 

for sinners also do even the same.

And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, 
what thank have ye? 

for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.

But love ye your enemies, 

and do good, 

and lend, 

hoping for nothing again;

and your reward shall be great, 

and ye shall be the children of the Highest: 

for HE is kind unto the unthankful 

and to the evil. 

Be ye therefore merciful, 

as your FATHER also is merciful.

Meditation ~

 We see Our LORD being so merciful to us sinners, that HE+ loved us and died for us while we were yet dead in our sins!   

And through HIS+ death, we gained life. 

Furthermore, that was and is the ONLY WAY sinners could ever gain both life here and now and life Eternal.  

Our FATHER'S wrath waxes heavily against those who set themselves against HIM morally or spiritually.  

HE is a consuming fire to those who align themselves with 

• the course of this world, 
• the prince of the power of the air, or
• the spirit of disobedience. 

Our LORD'S words clearly show us how to be on GOD'S side.  The LORD JESUS clearly spoke to us about how to be a friend to GOD His FATHER.  

HE has not changed His Mind about what HE considers RIGHT... and what is WRONG .... for mankind to do .

Both the Old Testament and the New Testament contain words of truth which should bring conviction to us if we disobey the Written Word. 

It is no secret what GOD can do ! What HE'S done to others, HE will do to you ! 

Let Us Pray ~ ~ ~ 

O LORD of the Consuming Fire, we come before THEE now to ask of THEE mercy. 

We have done those things we ought NOT to have done. 

We have neglected doing those things which we know please THEE. 

Even worse, we have avoided Thy Face. 

We have avoided coming before THEE for correction. We have chosen to hide our hearts from conviction... because we do not want to change. 

Forgive us these sins. Help us to turn away from the course of this world.  Help us not to follow the lurings of the prince of the power of the air. Help us to forsake our own disobediences, once and for all times. 

Grant this we pray, through the merits of Thy Only-Begotten SON+, our LORD JESUS CHRIST, our ONLY MEDIATOR+ and ADVOCATE+, both now and forever. Amen.   

Pre-Passover Meditations ~ ~ ~ Turn Ye! Turn Ye! At MY+ Reproof ; Why Will Ye Die ?

Photo: Order of The GOOD SHEPHERD+

Say unto them, 

As I live, 

saith the LORD GOD, 

I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; 

but that the wicked 

turn from his way 

and live:

turn ye, turn ye 

from your evil ways; 

for why will ye die, 

O house of Israel ?

Ezekiel 33:11

Courtesy of Biblegateway.com

What? ... 

Know ye not that your body is the temple of the HOLY SPIRIT which is in you, which ye have of GOD, 

and ye are not your own?

For ye are bought with a Price +: therefore glorify GOD 

• in your body, 
• and in your spirit, 

which are GOD'S.

Hear The WORD of The LORD: 

Not every one 

that saith unto ME+, 

LORD, LORD, 

shall enter into the kingdom of Heaven; 

but he that doeth 

the Will of My+ FATHER 

which is in Heaven.

Many will say to ME+ in that day, 

LORD, LORD, 

have we not prophesied in Thy+ Name? 

and in Thy+ Name have cast out devils? 

and in Thy+ Name 

 done many wonderful works?

And then 

will I+ profess unto them,

I+ never knew you: 

depart from ME+, 

ye that work iniquity.

Matthew 7:21-23

Meditation ~ ~ ~ 

"Why do you say, "LORD, LORD," and set aside My+ Holy Words ? Are not My+ Words like a refiner's fire ? They are like a hammer that breaks the rock, that goes forth through all the earth.  

Do you have NO fear of ME+, the Creator of that Universe with those marvelous stars you watch with awe ?  

Identify yourself with ME+... and ME+ alone. That is the only way you will be able to escape the snare that is coming upon the whole earth. 

My+ friends... if you are indeed My+ friends... be assured I+ will keep you through the troublous times ahead. But, I+ will only keep those WHO IDENTIFY WITH ME+. 

Forsake your values, worldly goals, ambitions and train yourself to seek MY+ Face daily, to receive daily instructions from ME+.  

My+ Word is there: take it to heart. " 

+  +  +