How Long Was Jesus Separated From God?

Did Jesus Separate from God the Father on the Cross?

The doctrine of Jesus being separated from the Father on the cross has been presented by a large number of excellent Bible preachers. One story I’ve heard is that for a little while, God the Father shifted his gaze away from his begotten Son. However, these same Bible preachers also claim that Jesus is God and that He lives in three people, i.e. the Trinity, which appears to be in apparent conflict with one another. As a result, it would appear that it would be difficult for these Bible preachers to explain how Jesus (God the Son, incarnate) could be separated from God (the Father), given that they are both essential components of the Triune God. The fact that when someone sees Jesus, they are seeing God embodied, or the essence of God, is something we must keep in mind (John 14:7). Do you think Jesus lost his divine nature when he was on the cross, suffering for our sins? No. Is it possible that God the Father was unable to gaze at the judgment that fell upon God his Son? Without a doubt, this is not the case. Clearly, even after he died on the cross for the sins of the world, Jesus did not cease to be God. In the same way, Jesus and God the Father cannot be separated from one another. According to John 10:30, Christ stated, ″I and the Father are One.″ To understand why Jesus would cry ″My God, My God, Why hast thou deserted me?″ we must consider the significance of this significant passage. Is it possible for God to look upon sin? We are aware that the Bible teaches that no one can see God and live at the same time (Exodus 33:20). Does God, on the other hand, take into consideration sin and the proper offerings that were offered in the Old Testament? God responds in the manner of a fitting offering. Noah provided proof of this. ″So Noah erected an altar to the Lord, and he offered burned sacrifices on it, using some of the clean animals and birds that he had collected. 21 ″Never again will I condemn the land because of man, despite the fact that every tendency of his heart has been bad since boyhood,″ the Lord declared in his heart after smelling the pleasant perfume. And I will never again commit the atrocity of wiping out all living things as I have done. 22 ″As long as the world exists, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, will never come to an end,″ says the poet William Shakespeare (Genesis 8:20-22). Is it possible for God to look at sinners, those who have placed their faith in Christ, and those who will in the future? ″Then why does God continue to hold us responsible?″ one of you will ask. ″After all, who can stand in his way?″ 20 But who are you, O man, to question God’s authority? ″Is it possible for what is made to say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me this way?’″ 21 Isn’t it true that a potter has the right to create several types of pottery from the same lump of clay, some for noble reasons and others for ordinary use? 22 What if God, in order to demonstrate his fury and demonstrate his strength, endured with great patience the objects of his wrath–those who were destined for destruction? Isn’t it possible that he was doing everything to make the riches of his glory apparent to the objects of his compassion, who had been prepared in advance for glory–24 even to us, whom he had also called, not only from among the Jews but also from among the Gentiles? Romans 9:19-24 is a passage of scripture. Even as they were the targets of God’s anger, Christians were transformed into objects of his mercy! What if I told you that the Israelites worshipped a golden calf and named it ″elohim,″ the name for God? In fear that God would wrathfully punish his people, Moses stated the following to them the next day: ″Now it came to be on the next day that Moses said to the people, ‘You have done a major sin.’″ So now I’m going to pray to the Lord, in the hope that I can atone for your sin,’″ says the priest. Exodus 32:30 is a passage from the Bible. ″Therefore, just as sin entered the world via one man, so death entered the world through sin
and death passed onto all men because all have sinned,″ says Romans 5:12. There were a large number of Jews there as Jesus quoted Psalm 22:1 on the cross. The majority of the Jews in the audience were well acquainted with King David’s regret following his romance with Bathsheba. From the age of six, Jewish youngsters were required to memorize the scriptures. There were no chapters or verses in the Jewish Bible at the time of the exodus from Egypt. What method did they use to refer to Bible portions that did not contain chapters or verses? Here’s how they went about it. As an example, if a Jewish Rabbi wanted his pupil Moshe to quote from the Bible, he may ask him to recite the verse ″My God, My God, Why have you left me?″ ″My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me?″ This is the opening line of Psalm 22, and it is this brief line that the Jews used to refer to certain parts or chapters of the Bible. Psalm 22 is a short poem. Returning to Psalm 22. Read through the entire text of Psalm 22 and pay attention to the interior subtleties. I beg You, My God, why have You abandoned me
why are You so far away from aiding Me
yet I am a worm and no man. All those who see Me laugh at me
they shake their heads and exclaim, 8 ″He relied in the Lord
let Him rescue him
let Him save him, for He delights in him!″
they are a laughing stock among the people.
Keep your distance from Me, for disaster is on the horizon, and there is no one to assist you. 12 A large number of bulls have approached me
powerful bulls from Bashan have surrounded me. Thirteen They open their jaws wide and howl at Me, as though they were hungry and frightened of Me. My heart is like wax, and it has melted inside Me, and I am poured forth like water
and all of My bones are out of joint
15 My strength has dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue is clinging to the roof of my mouth
Due to the fact that hounds have surrounded me and the crowd of the wicked has encircled me, you have reduced me to the dust of death.
They punctured My hands and feet
I can count the number of bones in my body. They are looking at Me and staring at me
they divide up My clothes among themselves, and they cast lots for My attire.
But You, O Lord, are never far away from me
O My Strength, come quickly to my assistance.
Provide protection for my life from the sword, and protect my precious life from the strength of the dog
save me from the lion’s jaws, and deliver me from the horns of wild bulls! You have provided an answer
all who seek Him will give thanks to the Lord. Allow your heart to live on indefinitely! 27 All the peoples of the earth will recall and turn to the Lord
They will come and proclaim His righteousness to a people who will be born
That He has done this will be known throughout the globe. (These things above have been accomplished or completed by God! )

Psalm 22 has several allusions to or situations surrounding the atoning death of Jesus Christ.Christian believers believe that the predictions are both profound and evident.Likewise, many Jews who stood by and saw Jesus being crucified on the cross recognized the many parallels between his death and the crucifixion, as well as the fulfillment of prophesy.

While Jesus was suffering, he began repeating passages from the Jewish scriptures from the crucifixion!
According to this interpretation, there is no doubt that Jesus was calling the Jews’ attention to the words of King David, which are included in the opening phrase of Psalm 22.
Can you image the amazement on the faces of the Jews when they realized that they had just remembered the whole messianic prophesy as Psalm 22 unfolded in front of their eyes?

The climax would be Jesus’ final words, ″It is finished,″ which would signal the end of the story.
Take a look at the final line of Psalm 22!
″It will be completed,″ says the author.
The words ″It is completed!″ said by Jesus stand in stark contrast to this.
As a result, according to this interpretation, Jesus is literally declaring that He is the Messiah from the cross.

How long was Jesus on the cross?

Answer to the question Jesus was nailed on the cross for almost six hours.″He was ridiculed by the top priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders.″ The critics pointed out that he had saved others, but that he was unable to save himself!He’s the king of Israel, after all!

Allow him to come down from the cross at this time, and we will believe in him.
He places his faith in God.
Allow God to rescue him now if he so desires, for he has stated, ″I am the Son of God.″ (Matthew 27:41–43; Mark 10:41–43).

The crucifixion was a way of carrying out the death punishment in the ancient Roman Empire for people judged guilty of a deadly charge.
Crucifixion was often reserved for the most heinous of offenses, such as slavery, foreigners, insurrectionists, and those who had committed crimes against humanity.
In order to destroy Jesus and keep their authority, the Jewish theocrats planned a strategy to persuade Roman authorities that Jesus had to be slain, which they executed (Mark 14:1; cf.
John 19:12; 19:15).
The Jewish authorities accused Christ of inciting revolt and establishing Himself as King, charges that he denied and denied again.
This allegation of rebellion is what led to Jesus being crucified on a Roman crucifixion rather than being stoned to death, which was the old Jewish way of death.

Crucifixion was intended not just to kill, but also to deter others from engaging in illegal activity.Crucified people had to be humiliated, and they were frequently left to hang entirely nude.The cross had a stigma attached to it, and Jewish law stated that it was a curse (Galatians 3:13; 5:11).The term ″excruciating″ comes from the Latin phrase ″out of crucifying″; crucifixion was considered a ″excruciating″ method of death since it was a particularly slow and painful method of dying.Following their nailing to a cross, some persons may be able to survive for several days afterward, depending on the circumstances.

Understanding how long Jesus was crucified for is complicated by the fact that two different systems of marking time are utilized in both the Bible and the New Testament.The Jewish calendar is used by Matthew, Mark, and Luke to keep track of time.The Roman system is used by John.In accordance with Jewish tradition, Mark writes, ″They crucified him and divided his clothing among themselves, casting lots for them to choose what each should receive.″ When they crucified Jesus, it was the third hour, according to Mark 15:24–25 (New International Version).

According to this, Christ’s crucifixion began around nine o’clock in the morning.Matthew, who also used the Jewish method of timekeeping, states that ″from the sixth hour to the ninth hour, there was darkness over all the country″ (Matthew 6:6-9).(Matthew 27:45, ESV).That is, from 12:00 noon to 3:00 P.M., there was complete darkness.This was the final three hours that Jesus spent on the crucifixion.

Then, at the conclusion of that period, ″after Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he surrendered his spirit″ (Matthew 27:50).
After then, a Roman soldier made certain of His death (John 19:34), and Jesus’ corpse was removed from the scene of the crime.
For a total of six hours, Jesus had been hanging on the cross, beginning at roughly 9:00 a.m.
and ending at 3:00 p.m.
The Gospel of John includes the fact that Jesus’ trial before Pontius Pilate was taking place at ″around the sixth hour,″ according to Roman time (John 19:14, ESV).
Since the Romans began counting their hours at midnight, the ″sixth hour″ would begin at 6:00 a.m., or six hours after the sun rises.

As a result, using the Roman numeral system, ″around the sixth hour″ equals approximately 6:00 a.m.Pilate has sentenced Jesus to death.Then, according to the Jewish calendar, ″the third hour″ is equal to 9:00 a.m.The crucifixion is about to commence.″the sixth hour″ is equivalent to 12:00 p.m.

(noon).
The night has come.
″the ninth hour″ is a reference to 3:00 p.m.
Jesus is put to death.
Putting everything together, Jesus’ trial came to a close about 6:00 a.m.

Approximately three hours later, his crucifixion began, and He died approximately six hours after that.
Return to the previous page: Questions regarding Jesus Christ What was the length of Jesus’ time on the cross?

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Did God Abandon Jesus on the Cross? Billy Graham Answers

When Jesus declared elsewhere that God had abandoned Him, what did He mean by that?This has always perplexed me, since if Jesus was indeed God’s Son, how could God forsake Him?This is something I’ve thought about a lot.

As far while I can tell, you’re talking to some of Jesus’ final documented remarks, which were said as He was dying on the cross.
According to the Bible, He ″cried out in a loud voice…
‘My God, my God, why have you left me?’″ (Matthew 15:34) What exactly did He intend by that?

Do you think he was instantly overcome with self-doubt, wondering if he had misinterpreted what God had entrusted to him?
Or did He become despondent, assuming that He had failed and that all of His efforts had been in vain?
It was after all (according to some) that the multitude had turned against Him, and it appeared as though His ministry had come to an abrupt end.
However, in actuality, His words allude to something very else.
In support of this position, they point out that when Jesus died on the cross, all of our sins were transferred to Him, without exception.
He was sinless because He was God manifested in human flesh.

However, when He died, all of our sins were heaped on Him, and He was so designated as the ultimate and last sacrifice for our sins.And in that instant, he was expelled from God’s presence, since sin cannot dwell in God’s presence, according to the Bible.It was his weeping that brought this truth to light; he had to bear the separation from God that you and I deserved.Despite the fact that this is a profound reality, it should also bring us immense consolation.We have no reason to be afraid of death, Hell, or judgment because Christ died for us!

″For Christ died for sins once and for all, the righteous for the wicked, to reconcile you to God,″ according to the Bible (1 Peter 3:18).

Mark 15:33-34 – Jesus Was Not Separated From the Father on the Cross (Teaching Outline)

Introduction: As a response to the question, Did God truly desert Jesus while He was dying on the cross?, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association provides the following response: ″My God, my God, why have you left me?″ was Jesus’ cries out.Many people have been perplexed by (Mark 15:34).Jesus is really reciting the first word of Psalm 22 and using it to illustrate His intense pain on the cross, which is a very powerful statement.

The punishment for our sin is being carried out by him in our place.
In the case of sin, death is the sentence (Romans 6:23).
Death has two distinct dimensions: the physical and the spiritual.

The separation of the spirit from the body is referred to as physical death.
The severance of the spirit from God is referred to as spiritual death.
Since Jesus was dying on the cross in our place as our substitution, He was going through the pain of being separated from His Father.
It seemed like I was in the depths of hell.
There is an incomprehensible mystery at play here.
Jesus was both God and man at the same time, joined in a single divine Person.

He could not suffer and die in the context of His divinity, but He could go through the anguish of separation from the Father and actually die physically in the context of His humanity, if He chose to do so.So that we can be forgiven of our sins and restored to God’s favor via repentance from sin and confidence in Him as our Savior and Lord, He went to great lengths to accomplish this.To be quite honest, I am not at all happy with your response since I believe it is problematic for a number of different reasons.First and foremost, I believe it creates a Christological dilemma by supposing that Jesus could be fully separated from God the Father in His humanity, and even suffer spiritual death, while at the same time remaining joined with Him in His divinity.However, this appears to be a denial of the critically fundamental premise that Jesus was both entirely God and fully man in a single person.

To be sure, there are some things we must say about Jesus that are only true because of His divine nature – for example, when we characterize Him as omniscient or omnipresent – and we must avoid saying anything else about Him.And there are some things we must say about Jesus that are solely related to His human nature — for example, when we characterize Him as fatigued, hungry, or tempted by sin – that we must express about Him.Certain aspects about Jesus as a person, however, must be said as well — for example, when describing Him as loving or righteous.For the simple reason that if we stated that He was wicked in His humanity, we would also be arguing that he was a sinful person, and since He was only one person – though one with two natures – we would be unable to resist impugning His character as the Creator of the universe.

See also: How To Forgive Like Jesus

As a result, I am concerned that we are treading on dangerous ground if we say that He could be separated from God, even if only in terms of His humanity, because this would imply separation not only from God the Father but also from Himself as God, since God the Father and God the Son are eternally one and are inseparable because God the Father and God the Son are eternally one and are inseparable (e.g.John 1:1-3).The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association staff rightly states that ″there is an unfathomable mystery″ in our comprehension of how ″Jesus was both God and man joined in one divine Person,″ yet they do not believe that He is such a Person.So why would you choose an interpretation that appears to directly contradict this assertion?For the second time, while they correctly say that Jesus was quoting ″the first verse of Psalm 22 and using it to depict His intense pain on the cross,″ they fail to see the full meaning of this reference.

For if they had completely seen the significance of Jesus’ use of the first verse of Psalm 22, they would not have claimed that He was separated from God the Father.
In any case, I intend to provide to you today what I believe to be a more accurate understanding of this passage.
To better comprehend this cry of Jesus from the crucifixion, we will first look at the circumstances in which it occurs, followed by an examination of the significance of the cry itself.
I.
The Situation in Which the Cry Occurs In verse 33, we can see what the shout was about in its immediate setting.
Mark 15:33 in the New King James Version Now that the sixth hour had arrived, there was complete darkness over the entire country until the ninth hour had arrived.

Beginning at ″the sixth hour,″ which was midday, when the sun was directly above and the day was generally the brightest, Mark describes a blanket of darkness falling over the entire area.In his next statement, he claims that this darkness engulfed the whole country until ″the ninth hour,″ which was 3:00 in the afternoon.Clearly, he wants us to understand that this was a miraculous event and, as a result, a sign from the Almighty.The question is, if this darkness is in fact a sign from God, what exactly does it imply.I believe that taking a look at a number of Old Testament verses will assist in shedding some light on the significance of this darkness.

Let us consider the words of judgment uttered via the prophet Amos, as an illustration: Amos 8:9-10 in the New King James Version And it shall come to pass in that day, says the Lord GOD, ″that I will cause the sun to set at noon and the earth to become dark in broad daylight; 10 I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation; I will put sackcloth around every waist and baldness around every head; I will make it like mourning for an only son, and its end like a bitter day.″ Isn’t it obvious that a miracle darkness in the middle of the day would be a symbol of God’s judgment?
In this situation, it would be a portent of the coming of the Day of the LORD’s judgment.
However, there is an even older and, maybe, even more relevant Scripture that should be taken into consideration in this situation.
When God sent the ninth plague upon Egypt, a profound darkness engulfed the entire land immediately before to God’s tenth plague and the organization of the first Passover, it was said to be a sign of God’s presence: Exodus 10:21-23 (New King James Version) Afterward, the LORD instructed Moses to stretch out his hand toward the heavens in order for darkness to descend upon Egypt, darkness that could be felt by those who were there.
22 As a result, Moses reached out his hand toward the heavens, and for three days, there was dense darkness over the entire country of Egypt.

23 For three days, they didn’t see or speak to one another, and no one left their respective positions.
However, the children of Israel had light in their homes across the entire nation.
It was followed by yet another plague, the ninth, during which time all of Egypt’s newborn children were slaughtered, but God organized the first Passover in order to safeguard His people who had placed their faith in Him as their source of deliverance.

The miraculous darkness that occurred during the brightest part of the day when Jesus, ″our Passover,″ was killed during the Passover celebration in Jerusalem appears to indicate God’s wrath upon those who were murdering Jesus as well as upon Jesus Himself as He bore God’s wrath on behalf of His people, according to Paul (1 Cor.5:7).As a result, we can perceive that the darkness that blankets the country is a manifestation of God’s punishment.

The good news is that, as we all know, God’s anger was not directed at the people who deserved it, but rather at our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who ″Himself is the propitiation for our sins″ (1 John 2:2; 4:10).As a result, we’ve reached our next point.The Meaning of the Cry, Part II While considering verse 34, we shall look at the significance of the cry.Mark 15:34 in the New King James Version And at the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ″Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?″ which translates as ″My God, My God, why have You left Me?″ or ″Why have You abandoned Me?″ There are a handful of things we can say about the significance of this cry, at the very least.

First and foremost, it is a scream of agony.The pain with which Jesus looked forward to the cross as He prayed in Gethsemane the night before is necessary to recall in order to comprehend more fully what was going on when Jesus cried forth these words: Mark 14:32-36 (New King James Version) ″Sit here while I pray,″ He instructed His followers as they arrived to the Garden of Gethsemane, which had been named after Him.33 And He accompanied Peter, James, and John, and He became agitated and exceedingly grieved as a result of their presence.34 His words to them were as follows: ″My soul is terribly miserable, even to death.″ ″Please remain here and observe.″ 35 He proceeded a little farther and dropped on the ground, praying that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him and that He would be spared.

He then exclaimed, ″Abba, Father, I believe that with You everything is possible.″ Take this cup away from me, but do not do what I want; instead, do what You want.″ When Jesus requested for the ″cup″ to be taken away from Him – a cup that had caused Him ″exceedingly sorrowful, even to death″ – He was evoking the imagery of the cup of God’s wrath that had been used in the Old Testament.
As an illustration: Isaiah 51:17 (New King James Version) Wake up, wake up!
You who have drank the cup of the LORD’s rage at His hand, you who have drunk the dregs of the cup of trepidation, and you who have drained the cup of trembling, get up, O Jerusalem.
This is the type of thing Jesus had in mind when He spoke of the cup that was soon to be poured out on Him while He hung on the cross.
As a result, when He cried out in a loud voice, ″My God, My God, why have You deserted Me?″ He was referring to this.

In his description, he was expressing the experience of the wrath of God being poured out on Him, the one about whom the Father had previously spoken, ″You are My beloved Son, in whom I take pleasure″ (1:11).
For the avoidance of any misunderstanding, we must remember that the Father was delighted with the Son even as He allowed His wrath to be poured out on Him in order to save us, since the Son was gladly obeying the Father’s purpose even in this circumstance.
Remember what the LORD said in the famous Suffering Servant Song of Isaiah 53: ″Remember what the LORD said in the famous Suffering Servant Song of Isaiah 53: Although He was bruised, the LORD was pleased to put Him to grief, according to the New King James Version of Isaiah 53:10-12.
As a result of offering His soul as a sacrifice for sin, He will see his seed, He will live a longer life, and His pleasure in the sight of the LORD will prosper in His hand.
11 He will be satisfied when He sees the fruits of His own effort.

My righteous Servant will be able to justify many because He will suffer their sins because of His knowledge.
Twelve thus I will divide His part with the mighty, and He shall divide the spoil with the powerful, because He poured forth His soul unto death, and He was counted among the transgressors, and He carried the sin of many and interceded for those who had sinned against the Lord.
So, while most of what transpired on the crucifixion remains a mystery to us, we may be certain that Jesus’ pained lament that He had been abandoned by the Father indicates at the very least that He had now suffered the wrath of God that was due to us as a result of our sins.
This acceptance by Jesus of God’s anger for our crimes is what the Apostle Paul subsequently referred to as ″propitiation″: ″The acceptance of God’s wrath for our sins.″ Romans 3:21-26 (New King James Version) However, the righteousness of God aside from the law has now been revealed, as evidenced by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, which comes through faith in Jesus Christ, is available to and applied to all who believe.

There is no distinction; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation through His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that had previously been committed, 26 to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who believes in Him.
For there is no The reason for this is stated by Paul later in the same Epistle to the Romans: NKJ Romans 5:8-10 (New King James Version) God, on the other hand, reveals His own love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
9 More than that, having now been justified by His blood, we will be rescued from wrath by His grace through faith in Christ.

10 Since we were once enemies, God was able to bring us back together via the death of His Son, and now that we have been reconciled, we will be rescued by His resurrection.It is also the reason why Paul could remark to the believers in Thessalonica: 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 (New King James Version) In fact, God did not choose us to suffer wrath, but rather to be saved through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him.This also pleased the Father, who was not separated from Jesus but looked upon Him and was content with His gift, as Jesus wept in agony as He bore God’s wrath for our sins.The reason for this is because Jesus actively participated in the plan of salvation devised by His Father, which brings us to our next point.Second, it is a rallying call for religious belief.Take note of the fact that, despite his cries of ″Why have you left me?″ Jesus continues to speak to God with the double phrase, ″My God, My God.″ He is not separated from God, but rather prays to Him and places his confidence in Him, even while He bears the brunt of His anger for our transgressions against Him.

Even on the cross, as He was witnessing the cup of God’s wrath being poured out on Him in our place, an event that we will never be able to fully comprehend or describe, Jesus maintained a personal relationship with the Father and placed his trust in the Father, whose plan He was carrying out.The significance of this is enhanced when we consider that Jesus was actually quoting Scripture when he said these words!Due to the fact that, as I have already stated, Jesus was quoting the first line of Psalm 22, which is an important Messianic psalm: Psalm 22:1 (New King James Version) ″My God, My God, why have You deserted Me?″ says the prophet.Is it possible that You are so far away from assisting Me and from the words of My groaning?″ Consequently, while on the cross, Jesus was expressing the anguish of being without His Father’s assistance; however, this does not imply that He was separated from His Father, as we will see if we read the rest of the psalm, which is exactly what Jesus was inviting the audience to do when He cited the first line of the psalm.It served as a method of recalling a specific passage of Scripture in an era when there were no chapter and verse divisions in the Scriptures.So let’s take a quick look at some of the passages that Jesus pleaded with us to consider more carefully.

As an illustration: Psalm 22:14-21 (New King James Version) I am poured out like water, and all My bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax, and it has melted inside of Me.15 You have reduced My strength to the consistency of a potherd, and My tongue clings to My jaws; you have reduced Me to the dust of death.16 For the hounds have surrounded me, and the gathering of the wicked has encircled me in their ranks.

They punctured My hands and feet, and I can count the number of bones in my body.
They are looking at Me and staring at me.
‘They divide up My clothes among themselves, and they draw lots for My attire,’ they say.
19 But You, O LORD, are not far away from me; O My Strength, come quickly to my assistance!
20 Deliver me from the sword, my precious life from the clutches of the canine tyrants!
21 Save me from the lion’s mouth and the horns of the wild bulls!

I’m in danger of dying!You have responded to My question.Jesus’ allusion to this Psalm demonstrated that He was acutely aware that He was carrying out the Father’s plan, and that He placed his faith in that plan to accomplish this.Indeed, it expressed His confidence that the Father heard Him even as He was hanging on the cross, bearing the punishment for our sins on His shoulders.In reality, according to the Gospel of Luke, the last thing Jesus uttered before He died was a prayer to His Father: Luke 23:44-46 (New King James Version) It was roughly the sixth hour at this point, and there would be darkness over the whole planet until the ninth hour.

45 It was at that point that the sun began to dim and the temple’s veil was torn in half.46 And after Jesus had cried out in a loud voice, He said to the Father, ″Father, I submit My spirit into Your hands.″ He exhaled his final breath after saying this.Nevertheless, returning to Psalm 22 for a moment, we shall discover that Jesus was filled with a desire to see His Father exalted as a result of his sacrifice on the cross: Psalm 22:22-24 (New King James Version) I will proclaim Your name to My brothers and sisters, and I will sing Your praises in the middle of the assembly.23 Praise the LORD, you who are fearful of Him!All you descendants of Jacob, exalt Him and revere Him, all you offspring of Israel, all you descendants of Jacob!

Did God really forsake Jesus when He was dying on the cross?

″My God, my God, why have you left me?″ was Jesus’ cries out.Many people have been perplexed by (Mark 15:34).Jesus is really reciting the first word of Psalm 22 and using it to illustrate His intense pain on the cross, which is a very powerful statement.

The punishment for our sin is being carried out by him in our place.
In the case of sin, death is the sentence (Romans 6:23).
Death has two distinct dimensions: the physical and the spiritual.

The separation of the spirit from the body is referred to as physical death.
The severance of the spirit from God is referred to as spiritual death.
Since Jesus was dying on the cross in our place as our substitution, He was going through the pain of being separated from His Father.
It seemed like I was in the depths of hell.
There is an incomprehensible mystery at play here.
Jesus was both God and man at the same time, joined in a single divine Person.

He could not suffer and die in the context of His divinity, but He could go through the anguish of separation from the Father and actually die physically in the context of His humanity, if He chose to do so.So that we can be forgiven of our sins and restored to God’s favor via repentance from sin and confidence in Him as our Savior and Lord, He went to great lengths to accomplish this.″We have all gone astray like sheep…and the Lord has thrown the sins of the whole world on his shoulders″ (Isaiah 53:6).It is forgiveness that we are in deepest need of, and Christ came to make that forgiveness possible.

Christ overcame the chasm that separated God and man, and by trust in Him, we may have that chasm closed and come to know God intimately for ourselves.A person’s faith is more than just a notion in their head or even a conviction in their heart.A dedication of our lives to God and His truth is what we are talking about.Allow God’s Word, the Bible, to serve as the foundation for your knowledge of God and His love for you.

More importantly, open your heart to Christ and make a commitment to Him in your life.It is the single most essential move you will ever take in your whole life.

Christ removed barrier between man and God

″Darkness descended across the entire country from the sixth to the ninth hours.About nine o’clock in the morning, Jesus exclaimed in a loud voice, saying…’My God, my God, why have you left me?’ And when Jesus cried out in a loud voice for the third time, he surrendered his spirit.

As a result, the temple’s curtain was ripped in half from top to bottom at that same time.″ The Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 27:45-46, 50-51) Christ died on the cross in order to pay the penalty for the sins of all people.
According to Luke 23:45, the tragedy was so harrowing that the sun stopped shining for a period of time.
In his pain, Jesus called out to God, pleading with him to explain why he had abandoned him.

His query is answered in 2 Corinthians 5:21a, where it is said that God caused Christ, who had never sinned, to become sin on our behalf.
God turned away and the sun stopped shining when, in some inexplicable manner, Christ took on our sins on the cross and died in our place.
It was the first (and only) time in Christ’s life that he had ever been separated from God.
When Christ took on the nature of sin for us, that sin created a barrier between him and his heavenly Father.
When Christ reached the end of his ministry on the cross, he said, ″It is accomplished.″ Christ had finally and definitively eliminated the barrier of sin that had hitherto separated humans from God.
As a symbol of this, the sun started to shine again at the time of his death, and the curtain in the temple that divided the realm of God’s presence from the rest of the temple was split in half.

By becoming the Lamb of God (the atoning sacrifice for all sin), Jesus Christ was able to break down the impenetrable barrier that separated sinful humanity from a holy God.Christ made it possible for us to become righteous before God by taking on the nature of sin for us and becoming sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21b).It is as a result of this that we are no longer cut off from God.We may come to God freely and without fear of being judged because of Christ.For those who put their faith in Christ, the sin that formerly constituted a barrier between them and God has been removed.

The majority of what Christ went through on the cross will remain a mystery to us.However, we do understand why.According to John 3:16-17, ″For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whomever believes in him will not die, but shall have eternal life.″ (See John 3:16 for more information.) Dan Rhodes is the pastor of the Christian Community Church, which is located at 233 N.Sandhill Blvd.

in Raleigh.

Did God Really Forsake Jesus Christ on the Cross?

Matthew 27:46 (KJV) About nine o’clock in the morning, Jesus said in a hushed voice, ″Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani,″ which translates as ″My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?″ As Jesus was nailed on the cross, these words of Jesus have been a subject of much disagreement and consternation among Christians throughout the centuries.Some believe that Jesus became sin, and that God cannot look at sin, and as a result, God abandoned His Son.Others, citing the following scriptures, assert that God did not abandon His Son when he was in the greatest need of His help: 10:30 a.m.

(John 10:30 a.m.
″I and my Father are one,″ says the author.
16:32 (John 16:32) ″You’re going to leave me alone.″ ″However, I am not alone, for my Father is here with me.″ 2 Corinthians 5:19 (New International Version) ″To put it another way, God was reconciling the world to himself via Christ.″ Our heavenly Father could not, by His own nature, turn away from His first begotten Son, especially at this point in time for which God has been preparing him throughout his existence.

When it came to history, Jesus Christ was at its center, the one on whom mankind’s redemption was resting, and the one who followed his Father’s leading all the way to this defining point in His-story, he was at the center of it all.
And then God turned his back on him?
That just does not make any sense.
More significantly, it is not in accordance with biblical teaching.
In recent years, many Bible interpreters and instructors have preached the view that Jesus became sin for us, and that as a result, the holy God had to abandon him because God cannot abide the presence of sin.
This concept is derived from 2 Corinthians 5:21, which states in the New International Version, ″God caused him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that we may become God’s righteousness.″ Another translation of the phrase ″be sin for us″ (be a sin sacrifice) is ″be a sin offering,″ according to a note included with the translation.

In recognition of the wide semantic range of the Greek word hamartia, which means ″sin,″ the translators of the New International Version (NIV) understood that it might be used to imply ″a sin sacrifice″ (through the figure of speech Metonymy).In this way, they interpret the Greek word hamartia in Romans 8:3 as follows: ″For what the law was unable to do because it was crippled by sinful nature, God accomplished by sending his own Son in the form of sinful man to be a sin sacrifice.″Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: ‘Sacrifice and sacrifice you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not delighted’″ (Hebrews 10:5-6).(See also 6:8 and 13:11 for further information.) These passages demonstrate that the Old Testament sin sacrifices, which were the best God could do for His people at the time, only led to the arrival of the one and only one who could offer his own body as a once-and-for-all sin offering: Jesus Christ.Bible verses emphasize the great truth that Jesus, the Lamb of God, was the perfect offering (sacrifice) for all the sins (nature) and sins (behavior) of mankind because of his genetic perfection (God’s choice through his virgin birth) and behavioral perfection (his choice to always obey God), as well as his choice to always obey God.

The righteousness that Jesus ″won″ paid the price for all of mankind’s sins and made it possible for anyone who trust in his work on their behalf to receive the ″gift″ of righteousness (Rom.5:17).It is notable that even though the first Adam sinned—and sinned royally—God did not abandon him.Cain sinned, and God did not abandon him in the process.

True to His word, God has never abandoned His people because of their wrongdoing, and there is no reason to believe that He would do so with His own Son.The Last Adam could not have been abandoned by God after he had travelled the flawless path all the way to the Cross, and there is no passage to support this claim.A further point in favor of God’s presence in Christ’s last moments is provided by a passage from the Old Testament (see Exod.12:46; Num.9:12; Ps.

34:20) that is quoted in the following verse, which comes right after a record of Roman soldiers breaking legs of those crucified with Jesus but not Jesus’ because he was already dead: 19:36 (John 19:36) These events occurred in order for the Scripture to be fulfilled, which states, ″Not one of his bones will be shattered.″ Consider the beatings and suffering that Jesus underwent during his life.
Consider the fact that spikes were pounded into his hands and feet, which each contain a large number of bones.
Is it conceivable that not a single bone was shattered in this incident?
″No more than that!″ we say that God stated, seemingly drawing a line in the sand and telling us to stop.
That prophetic promise had to have given Jesus comfort while he went through his horrendous agony, don’t you think?
In that moment, he realized that his Father was close with him, and God’s fulfillment of that promise served as a foreshadowing of His bigger promise to raise Jesus from the grave.

If God forsook Jesus on the cross because he had become sin, what will God do when you and I commit sins, as well?In order to do so, He would have to turn His back on us and our sin, but that is not the way our heavenly Father is, nor is it something He does.Which of these statements did Jesus make when he was arrested and Peter pulled out his knife to fight against the soldiers?″Do you believe that I shall be unable to call on my Father and have him immediately dispatch more than twelve legions of angels to my aid?″ (See Matthew 26:53.) It indicates that Jesus and His Father were very close, and that Jesus was relying on God to be there for him whenever he needed something..In this light, when we read Matthew 27:46, which begins, ″Why have you deserted me?″ we must question ourselves whether or not we truly grasp what Jesus was saying and why he said it.

If you don’t want to go into great detail regarding the Aramaic phrases ″My God,″ ″why,″ and ″lama sabachthani,″ suffice it to state that Eloi and Eloi signify ″My God,″ ″why,″ and the root word shabak, which is commonly rendered ″forsake,″ may also be interpreted to mean ″kept″ or ″reserved.″ As a result, the context plays a crucial role in determining its meaning.
Jesus was not crying out in despair because he had been abandoned by God, but rather was crying out in proclamation to the crowds of Jews gathered at Golgotha that what was taking place in front of their eyes was the fulfillment of Messianic prophecy, and that he truly was the Messiah who had come to save them from their sins.
Regarding the notion that Jesus felt that God had abandoned him and cried out, ″My God, my God, why have you left me,″ this is just not true.
There is a difficulty in that Psalm 22 verse 24 expressly states that God would not abandon the suffering Messiah.
This is a dilemma.

But first, before we go on to Psalm 22, let us analyze two more texts that speak to the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy in the crucifixion of Jesus, which are: Jesus says in John 19:24b that this occurred so that the Scripture may be fulfilled, which says, ″They divided my clothes among them and cast lots for the apparel I wore.″ Matthew 27:41-43 is a biblical passage.
(41) The top priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders all made fun of him in the same way.
42) Then they said, ″He has saved others, but he has failed to save himself!″ He’s the king of Israel, after all!

See also: When Mama Meets Jesus Tonight

Allow him to come down from the cross at this time, and we will believe in him.(43) He places his faith in God.Allow God to rescue him now if he so desires, for he has stated, ″I am the Son of God.″ Take note of the fact that Jesus used several allusions to Old Testament prophesies in order to prove that he was the promised Messiah to Israel, and if you wish to follow along in your own Bible, turn to Psalm 22.

Remember that Jesus had been beaten and tormented for approximately 40 hours before to his death, and that he was covered in blood when you visualize the scene at Golgotha.People who had been cured by Jesus were no likely among those who gathered about him, along with Mary, Jesus’ mother, and others close to him.Many of those gathered around Jesus had come to believe or at least hope that he was the prophesied Messiah.What exactly did that horrifying image on the central cross accomplish?

It was a slap in the face of their beliefs.Think about it: do you think that what they witnessed happening to their hero would have prompted them to have second thoughts about whether or not all Jesus had taught was true?As was his custom, Jesus Christ entered into their hearts with God’s Word, as was his fashion..He did so by reciting from a piece that they were all familiar with, one that graphically puts forth what was vividly taking place right in front of their eyes right then and then.

He uttered the Word with a few of his final breaths before passing away.
At the same time, he spoke to console those who had faith in him, and he gave those who did not, including those who were crucifying him, another chance to trust that he was, in fact, who he claimed to be—the Son of God, the Messiah.
What if I told you that the twenty-third Psalm was one of your favorite songs before you became a Christian?
Have you ever tried to memorize a section, or perhaps the entire thing?
You would have to agree that the twenty-third Psalm is among the most well-known passages in the whole Bible.

You’ve heard the saying, ″The Lord is my shepherd, I will not lack.″ Moreover, we are now in the twenty-first century.
What about the year 28 A.D., which took place in Jerusalem?
Do you believe that the Israelites, to whom the Psalms were written, were aware of this possibility?
Have you ever questioned why Psalm 23 is so well-known, but not, for example, Psalm 79, or Psalm 32, or Psalm 57?
One of the reasons for this is that Psalms 22, 23, and 24 together create what you can call a ″Messianic Trilogy,″ which was known by practically every Israelite by heart.

This is something to keep in mind as we study Psalm 22.
We are concerned with the future application of what is said in Psalm 22 since it is often true that prophecy from the Old Testament had both a present and a future application.
By the time we finish reading it, we will understand why Jesus cried out to his Father: ″My God, my God, why have you left me?″ It was afterwards, in John 19:30, that Jesus declared, ″It is completed.″ In fact, we’ll discover that Jesus repeated the exact first sentence in Psalm 22—as well as the very last phrase, which should read ″…it is completed,″ if the translation is correct.
Have you ever been listening to the radio and heard even a single phrase from an old song that is one of your favorites, and you were delighted?

Why does the entire song play in your brain all of the time?
Yes, since it is still fresh in your mind.
Maybe you’ll even start singing along with it.

After all, Jesus recounted both the beginning and the conclusion of one of the most renowned, most well-known, and most memorized parts of the entire Old Testament, a section that clearly depicted what was taking place directly in front of their very eyes.There is little question that the lines we are going to read flashed through the thoughts of many of those who were able to hear them.Psalm 22:1 (KJV) What have you done to me, my God?Why have you abandoned me?You’re miles away from saving me, and you’re even more away from the words of my moaning.The rest of the psalm will reveal that these are really rhetorical questions, because, following verse 18, the focus of the song shifts dramatically from death to life, as we shall see later.

However, to many people who were there at the event, their attention drawn by the horror of what they were witnessing, it looked as if God had abandoned this guy who had claimed to be His Son in the process.Psalm 22:2–5 (KJV) (2) Oh my God, I scream out during the day, but you do not respond; I scream out throughout the night, but you do not respond.But you have been exalted as the Holy One, and you have received Israel’s adoration.(4) Our forefathers placed their faith in you; they believed, and you delivered.(3) They called to you and were rescued; they put their faith in you and were not disappointed.(4) Who was it that Jesus was sent to?

Israel.Who was the intended audience for this Psalm?Israel.

Take a look at how he is reminding them of their spiritual inheritance, which includes the presence of the Savior.
Psalm 22:6 But I am a worm, not a man, and I am despised by men and despised by the whole public.
The term ″worm″ in this context is particularly intriguing since it is the Hebrew word tola, which is not the usual word for worm.
The worm in question was one from which red or scarlet dye could be extracted.
What is the significance of this word?
Because Jesus was covered in blood and the hue of scarlet dye, he was called the Lamb of God.

Verse 7 and 8 of Psalm 22 (7) They make fun of me to everyone who sees me.Then they throw insults at him while shaking their heads and saying, (8) ″He puts his confidence in God; let the Lord rescue him.Allow him to deliver him because he takes pleasure in him.″ Something along those lines may be found in Matthew 27:41-43, don’t you think?In fact, that same prophesy was happening right in front of their very eyes, and Jesus was attempting to draw their attention to it by pointing it out.Psalm 22:9-11 (9) Nevertheless, you carried me out of the womb and taught me to put my confidence in you even while nursing at my mother’s breast.

(10) You have been my God from the day I was born; you have been my father since the day I was born.(1) Do not venture too far away from me, for disaster is on the horizon and no one is available to assist you.Remember?″Everyone of you is going to abandon me,″ Jesus declared.Psalm 22:12 (NIV) A large number of bulls surrounded me; powerful bulls from Bashan surrounded me.

“Bashan”?What exactly does this mean?If you do a little research, you will discover that Bashan was the primary cattle-raising region in Israel, and that it was where the biggest, finest, and strongest bulls originated from.Jesus is alluding to the religious ″top brass″ of Israel in a figurative sense here.

The Pharisees were the ones who had incited, cajoled, and persuaded the Romans into pounding the nails in their hands.As a result, they were the ones who were ultimately accountable for Jesus’ killing.14-15) Roaring lions are ripping their prey apart, and they are opening their mouths wide against me.Psalm 22:13-15 (13) I have been poured out like water, and all of my bones are out of alignment.(15) My heart has turned to wax and has completely melted away inside of me.

My power has been dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue has stuck to the roof of my mouth; you have laid me in the graveyard.These poems, which are written in metaphorical language, vividly explain the death of a person.″Every bone in my body is tired,″ we say things like that: ″Every bone in my body is exhausted.″ That does not imply that all 216 or however many there are are included.It’s a figure of phrase, to be sure.In the case of Jesus, the crucifixion dislocated a lot of his bones, and no doubt it seemed like he had dislocated them all at the same time.

It was as if his heart, the most important organ in his body, ″had turned to wax.″ A ″potsherd″ was an ancient piece of pottery that had been dried out by the sun, symbolizing how Jesus’ power had waned.His tongue was glued to the roof of his mouth as he cried out from the cross, ″I thirst.″ Isaiah 22:16-18 (16) Dogs have surrounded me, a gang of evil men has surrounded me, and they have wounded my hands and my feet with their arrows.(17) I know the number of bones in my body; people gaze and rejoice at my accomplishment.(18) They split up my clothes amongst themselves and draw lots to determine who would get what.When the Romans nailed someone on a cross, they established a perimeter of soldiers around the cross to keep the crowds away from the crime scene.And the Jews referred to uncircumcised individuals, such as the Romans, as ″dogs″ in their literature.

″I’m able to count every one of my bones.″ Another figure of speech used to convey the idea that Jesus’ skin had been flayed to the bone as a result of his numerous beatings and floggings.
A lot of people teased him, spit on him, and gloated over his failure.
″They split my clothes among themselves and draw lots for my apparel.″ The events that transpired at Golgotha, in fulfillment of this prophecy, could not have been described any more clearly.
Moreover, it is at this point that the emphasis of Psalm 22 starts to shift from death to life.
Psalm 22:19-21 (19) But you, O LORD, are not far away; O my Strength, come quickly to my assistance.

Psalm 22:19-21 (19) (20) Deliver my life from the sword, my precious life from the clutches of the canines, please.Preserve me from the lions’ mouths, and save me from the horns of the wild bulls, because I am in great danger.The Messiah pleads with his God, Yahweh, to save him from his enemies.How?

In accordance with other Old Testament prophecies, it was not by removing him from the cross, but by raising him from the dead that he was victorious.Take a look at the following verses: 22:22 and 23 of Psalm 22 (22) I will declare your name to the brothers, and I will sing your praises in front of the congregation.(23) You who reverence the Lord, give thanks to him.All of Jacob’s descendants, pay tribute to him!All ye children of Israel, bow down before him!

In the future, how will the Messiah be able to give thanks to God when it is evident that he is destined to die?Only if God honors His Word and raises him from the grave will this be possible.Moreover, the following verse suggests that God had not abandoned him and will accomplish exactly that!Psalm 22:24 (KJV) Because he has not scorned or disdained the pain of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him, but has listened to his cries for aid instead of ignoring them.In addition, this great psalm, which paints an evocative portrayal of the death and resurrection of the man we now know as Jesus, the Messiah, concludes with a crescendo of praise and promise, which points to some of the Millennial Kingdom benefits that God’s people might look forward to: Verse 25 to 31 of Psalm 22:25-31 (25) My applause in the big assembly comes from you, and I fulfill my promises in front of those who are afraid of you.

(2) The hungry will be fed and filled; those who seek the Lord will thank him; may your hearts live eternally in the Lord.
(27) All the peoples of the world will recall and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, (28) because the Lord has dominion over the nations and he is the one who reigns over them.
Isaiah 40:27-28 (29) Those of the earth’s wealth will be celebrated and worshipped, and all who are reduced to the dust will bow down before him—those who are unable to maintain their own lives.
(30) He will be served by posterity, and future generations will be informed about the Lord.

(31) They will proclaim his righteousness to a people who have not yet been born, because he has accomplished it.
The final clause of verse 31 should be rendered in a slightly different manner.
As you can see in the KJV, the word ″it″ appears in italics, which indicates that the translators included it as an afterthought.

The pronoun ″he″ should be replaced with the pronoun ″it,″ resulting in the psalm concluding with the words ″for it is finished.″ Jesus Christ realized it, and in the final painful minutes of his life had the presence of mind and the compassion for all mankind, even those who were killing him, to once again hold forth to them the Word of Life.He began and ended his speech by quoting the very first and very last clauses of a part of Scripture that they were all extremely familiar with.The Messiah, the Son of the living God, the Redeemer of Israel and all who would believe in him, he reiterated one more time with his dying breaths that he was who the Bible claimed he was: the Messiah, Son of the living God, and Redeemer of all who would believe in him in the future.What a gentleman!What a wonderful Savior!

No, God did not abandon His Son, as He demonstrated three days and three nights later when He resurrected him from the grave, proving His faithfulness.
What an all-powerful God we serve!
Let us walk in the power of Christ’s resurrection and make his life known to a dying world as we do so.

Amen.

Theology Thursday: Where Did Jesus Go When He Died?

Dr.Valerie J.De La Torre contributed to this article.

When it comes to Jesus Christ, who is the second member in the Trinity, the second article of the Apostles’ Creed is a broader grouping of assertions that are centered on him.
This section reveals Christ’s birth, suffering, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension, as well as his predicted return to judge all of mankind (Matthew 25:31-46).
In order to understand the short word that proclaims that Jesus ″descended into hell,″ we must first understand what it means.

Over the years, theologians and laypeople have debated the meaning of these few words and the implications they hold.
We discover early references to Christ experiencing human mortality, whether viewed literally or symbolically, which makes it a fascinating factor to consider (Acts.
2:27-31; Romans 10:7; Colossians 1:18; I Peter 3:19, 4:6; Ephesians 4:9).
So, what exactly happened to Jesus when he passed away?

Did Jesus Go to Hell?

The location referred to as ″hell″ in this creedal declaration was formerly referred to in the Bible as Gehenna, which means ″the land of the dead″ in Greek.It is seen as a region of perpetual torment for individuals who are rejected at the final judgment….The Hebrew name Sheol is used to describe the location in the Old Testament, and it alludes to the grave — a place far removed from God’s presence where the virtuous and the wicked both stay — in the Old Testament.

As a result