Question: Lord, will You talk to us about Your seamless robe? Why did the soldiers not want to tear it?:

Jesus: The soldiers divided My clothes equally amongst themselves. However, My robe they were not permitted to tear and divide and they cast lots to see who would have it¹. Now, why did My Father not permit them to tear My robe? And it was My Father who stopped them, for He was in control all the time. It was not the monetary value of the robe that was important, but what it represented. You need to understand what that robe represented to understand why it must not be torn. It was the robe of the High Priest and the high priest was forbidden by Scripture to tear his clothes. If he did so then he would be disqualified from the priesthood².

Let Me go back a little and try to make this simple to understand, for it is important that you do understand this. Aaron was descended from the tribe of Levi and he and his sons, the Levites, for generations to come would fulfill the office of priest³. The high priest was the one who once a year offered up the sacrificial lamb that would pay for the sins of the people. Only the Levites could be the priests, who mediated between the people and God.

However, it was prophesied in My Fathers Word that the time would come when there would be a change in the priesthood. There would be a new High Priest after the order of Melchizedek and He would be High Priest forever⁴. Melchizedek was high priest to God, king of Salem and king of righteousness⁵. My people, I was ordained High Priest after the order of Melchizedek by My Father, for I am the King of Righteousness and I am the Prince of Peace and I am your High Priest forever, always interceding for you and mediating between you and the Father⁶.

My people, the change in the order of the priesthood occurred at My baptism. In the Jordan I was washed with water and anointed by the Holy Spirit in accordance with the law of the initiation of priests⁷. But I did not take up office until Caiaphas disqualified himself by tearing his clothes at My trial. Do you remember? He asked Me on oath if I was the Anointed One, the Son Of God and I declared to him that I was. Then he tore his clothes and disqualified himself as high priest⁸. Now a new high priest would be required to offer the Passover lamb.

My children, I became both the High Priest and the sacrificial Lamb that would take away your sin forever⁹. The blood of animals could only cover your sin, but not remove it¹⁰. My blood which I shed for you would remove your sin forever and make you completely clean¹¹.

Now do you see why the Father could not allow the soldiers to tear My robe? That robe was the garment of the new High Priest after the order of Melchizedek and if it had been torn then My office as High priest would have been invalidated too and the sacrifice I made for your sin would have been of no effect. If that robe had been torn My sacrifice would have been in vain and you would still be in your sin and separated from My Father. Those soldiers thought that the robe was too precious to tear. Little did they realize how precious it was and what it was that they held in their hands.

So, what does My robe mean to you, My children? What does it represent? It represents My sacrifice for you as the perfect and spotless Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world. It represents My love for you and My obedience to My Father¹². It represents Me as the Prince of Peace, the King of Righteousness and your Great High Priest for ever. It represents the office that I hold before My Father which allowed Me to present Myself as the sacrifice that would take away your sin forever. My blood was shed for you on that cross and then as the High Priest, after My resurrection, I presented that blood to the Father as the atonement for your sin so that you could appear righteous before Him¹³.

And you,  My people,  those of you who have responded to Me and made Me your Lord, I have given you a pure linen robe to wear¹⁴. I have taken your sin and given you in exchange a robe of righteousness¹⁵ that will allow you to come into the presence of your Father without fear or trembling¹⁶. For when He looks on you He sees you wearing My robe of righteousness and you are perfect and holy in His sight. Now I have ordained you also as priests and kings before My Father. A new priesthood has been established and you are a kingdom of priests and a holy nation before My God¹⁷.

So, My people, how will you respond to this great honor I have bestowed upon you? I have called you to be a chosen people, a holy nation, called out of darkness into His marvelous light. How then will you live? Will you live separated and holy lives, or will you continue to live according to the way the world lives?¹⁸

I have called you to be different, a people set apart for Me. I have called you to rule and reign over your enemy Satan. I have called you to take authority over him and to release those whom he has held captive¹⁹. I came to destroy the works of the evil one²⁰ and now I have anointed you as kings to do the same. And I have also anointed you as priests to present yourselves as living sacrifices before My God²¹. I have anointed you as priests to intercede on behalf of those who are lost and without hope in this world. I have called you to set aside your own wills and your own desires on behalf of those who do not know Me. Will you do this, My people, as I did it for you?

You are the priests of God on this earth now. You are the ones who are anointed to intercede on behalf of the lost. Will you do this for Me, My people, as I did it for you? Will you wear the robe of righteousness that I have given you and take up your office as priests and kings to My God? Will you live separated lives, as a people called out of the world system to sacrifice yourselves on behalf of others? Will you do this for Me as I did it for you?

My Father would not allow My robe to be torn by the soldiers who lived according to the world. Will you, My people, allow your robe of righteousness to be torn through compromise with the world? No, My people, you have been called and chosen and appointed and anointed for a purpose. Keep yourselves pure and spotless, separated from the world system, so that you may fulfill the high calling to which you have been called²².

You can do this, My people, for I will enable you to do it, for I equip those whom I have called²³ and My grace is sufficient for you in your weakness²⁴. Only be willing, My people. That is all I ask of you, and I will do the rest.

Notes

1.  Jn 19:23-24   2.  Lev 10:6   3.  Ex 29:9   4.  Ps 110:4   5.  Heb 7:1-3   6.  Heb 7:24-27   7.  Rev 8:6,12  Matt 3:13-17   8.  Matt 26:63-65   9.  Jn 1:29    10.  Heb 10:1-4   11.  Heb 10:11-14   12.  Phil 2:5-8   13.  Jn 20:17, Heb 9:11-12   14.  Rev 3:5, 7:9-11   15.  2 Cor 5:21    16.  Heb 10:19-22   17.  1 Pet 2:9-10   18.  1 Jn 2:15 , 2 Cor 6:17 , 1 Pet 1:16    19.  Lk 4:18-19   20.  1 Jn 3:8   21.  Rom 12:1   22.  Eph 4:1   23.  1 Thess 5:24    24.  2 Cor 12:9  

Crown of Thorns

Question: Lord, will You talk to me about the crown of thorns?

Jesus: Thorns, thorns, what are thorns? Thorns that prick the flesh and goad the spirit¹. Am I a thorn in your side, My church? Do I prick you and needle you? Do you wish I was not there? Would you rather that I went away and did not disturb you? Would you rather that I left you to your own devices, to play at religion in your own comfortable way? But, My church, I am not here to make you feel comfortable². I am not here to ease your flesh. I am not here for you to pick and choose whether or not you will obey Me, to pick and choose whether I am your Lord or not³. No, My church, I am here as a goad in your side, as a thorn in your flesh, to cause you to take notice of Me.

For indeed I am your Lord and I am your King, and I expect you to seek My will in all things. I expect you to obey Me, and I expect you to honor and fear Me⁴, for I am your King. Now I wear a crown of gold, a royal diadem⁵, but once I wore a crown of thorns⁶ and I wore it for you. I wore it for you out of My great love for you, and I still love you, My church, with a great and everlasting love. And I want you to obey Me and honor Me because of your love for Me.

Thorns, thorns, what do thorns represent? My children, do you remember, way back in the Garden of Eden, that Adam sinned against Me. He sought to do his own will instead of Mine. He sought to exalt his own ideas and his own intellect above Mine, and the result, My beloved children, was separation from Me⁷. Do you know, do you understand, how much you hurt Me, how I groaned when I knew that I had lost you to My enemy? Do you know; do you understand? No, you do not; you cannot, for you do not know the depth of My love for you⁸.

The result of Adams disobedience was that you were separated from Me and I could no longer have fellowship with you, and I could no longer walk and talk with you, and I had to eject you from My garden, and the earth became corrupted and cursed because of you. No longer did the earth bring forth its fruit abundantly and easily, but instead it brought forth weeds and thorns⁹.

Thorns, thorns, what do thorns represent? Thorns represent the curse that came upon the earth as a result of your disobedience to My Word. But I took the curse of the thorns upon My own head so that you would not have to bear it forever. Little did the soldiers know that the crown of thorns they platted and placed on My head would release them from the very curse they were under, for as I hung on the cross wearing the crown of thorns I became the curse for you, so that you could have the blessing that I promised to My servant Abraham¹⁰.

Yes, thorns were representative of the curse you brought on the earth, but they represented much more than that as they were placed on My head. For you, they meant that as I wore the crown of the curse you could wear the crown of the blessing. As I wore the crown of your sin for you, you can wear the crown of My righteousness¹¹. As I wore the crown of your death for you, you can wear the crown of My life¹². As I wore the crown of your shame for you, you can wear the crown of My glory¹³. As I wore the crown of your anguish for you, you can wear the crown of My rejoicing¹⁴.

So, My people, rejoice in what I have done for you and turn back to Me. Go your own ways no longer, but be obedient to Me, for I have borne your shame so that you can bear My honor¹⁵. I was separated from My Father so that you can return to fellowship with your Father¹⁶. My children, I gladly wore the crown of thorns for you, for I love you with an everlasting love.

The soldiers sought to mock Me, the soldiers sought to humiliate Me, but they did not do so for My Father crowned Me in that moment with a crown of honor. As I wore that crown before men I was honored before My Father, for it was a victors crown¹⁷. Death could not hold Me. Satan, your enemy, was defeated and I wore a symbol of triumph upon My head¹⁸. It was an emblem of distinguished service, it was a sign that the Father was honoring Me publicly and declaring to the world that I had won the prize, and that all the honor and all the glory were Mine¹⁹.

And the prize that I had won? That prize was you, My church, My bride. So, My crown of thorns was a crown of promise, a crown of nuptial joy as I look to the day of My wedding²⁰. It was a crown of rejoicing, a crown of festal joy, for the curse would be no more²¹ and you, My people, would come into a new relationship with Me and with the Father.

And finally, My children, it was a sign of My kingly authority for I am indeed your King, and I desire that you obey Me so that we can walk together in fellowship and love. So rejoice with Me, My bride, in My crown of thorns, for I wore it for you so that you can wear My crown of glory when I come into My kingdom and take you to be My bride.

Notes

1.  Eccl 12:9-12   2.  Lk 12:49    3.  Lk 6:46    4.  Prov 9:10    5.  Rev 14:14    6.  Matt 27:27-29   7.  Gen 3   8.  Eph 3:17-19   9.  Gen 3:18    10.  Gal 3:13-14   11.  2 Cor 5:21 , 2 Tim 4:8   12.  Jam 1:12 , Rev 2:10    13.  1 Pet 5:4   14.  1 Thess 2:19    15.  Jn 5:44    16.  Matt 27:46, 1 Jn 1:3   17.  1 Cor 15:54 -57   18.  Col 2:15    19.  Rev 5:12-13   20.  Rev 19:7-8   21.  Rev 22:3

Nails

Question: Lord, will You talk to me about the nails that held You to the cross?

Jesus: My beloved children, it was not nails that held Me to the cross. Did you not read that I had the power to lay down My life and I had the power to take it up again?¹ No, it was not the nails that held Me to the cross, but it was My love for you. Before you were even born I loved you with a perfect and everlasting love. Before you were born, before you were formed in your mothers womb, before you were even conceived I loved you. Indeed even before the foundation of the world I knew you and I loved you², for I created you to have fellowship with Me.

How is this? you ask, How could You love me even before I was conceived? With God all things are possible³, and I am not bound by time and space as you are. I am all knowing and I knew you before you were conceived, and I loved you before you even existed. My love for you is so great that I chose, even before the foundation of the world, that I would die in your place so that you could have the choice of having My life⁴.

For you see, My precious, precious child, I knew that you would disobey Me. I knew that you would be rebellious and stiff-necked, and that you would go your own way and depart from Me. But My Father and I devised a plan, out of Our great love for you, that would enable you to come back to Us, a plan that would defeat Our enemy, Satan, who had tricked you, a plan that would overcome the effects of your sin and make it possible for us to be together again. Our love for you was so great, so deep and so wide, so unfathomable⁵, that We could do no less. We were constrained, the Father and I, to sacrifice everything so that We could be reunited to you. My Father would sacrifice His Beloved Son so that you, too, could be His child⁶; and I would sacrifice My life so that you, too, could live again.

My beloved people, do you not understand that it was not nails that held Me to the cross as I paid the penalty for your sin?⁷ I did not have to submit to that. I did not have to hang there and suffer there. I did not have to suffer separation from My Father⁸ so that you could be reunited to Him. No, I did not. Did I not say to Peter that I could call on twelve legions of angels to assist Me?⁹ And they were waiting there, standing by, to do just that if I had given the word. And those standing around the cross sought to mock Me saying, You saved others. Come down from the cross and save Yourself¹⁰. They sought to mock Me, but I could have done just that. It would only have taken one word and My Father would have rescued Me.

So I could have come down from the cross for it was not nails that held Me there. And yet I could not give that word, I could not come down, for I was held there by an all-consuming love for you, My precious one. It was your life or Mine¹¹. No it was not nails that held Me to the cross but My love for you, just you; not your neighbor, not your friend, but you, you, you, My precious one. Just for you I hung there and suffered there, and I did it so that you could have My life. I took your death so that you could have My life and be with Me forever.

What will your response be, My child? What will you do now? Will you have Me as your Lord? Will you have Me as your King? The sign above My head declared to the world that I am the King. Will you be My subject? Will you submit your will to Mine? Will you submit your life to Me? Will you lay down your own agendas, your own programs, your own ideas, your own plans, and take up Mine? Will you lay down your life for Me as I laid down My life for you, and did the will of My Father?¹² What about you, My people? How will you respond to My love? I sacrificed Myself on the altar of the cross, I bore the judgement that was yours, out of My great love for you. What will you do for Me? What can you do for Me?

You can say Yes to Me, for your will is your own. You can choose to love Me and obey Me, as I have loved and obeyed My Father, or you can choose to continue in your own way, and remain in your rebellious state separated from Me and dying in your sin¹³. Will My sacrifice for you have been in vain? Will My love for you have been in vain? The choice is yours. I have loved you with a perfect and everlasting love. What will be your response to Me? No, My people, nails did not fasten Me to the cross. Love fastened Me to the cross, My love for you.

Notes

1.  Jn 10:18    2.  Ps 139:13-16, Jer 1:5, 31:3   3.  Matt 19:26    4.  Eph 1:3-6   5.  Eph 3:17-19   6.  Jn 1:12-13, 3:16    7.  Col 2:13-14   8.  Matt 27:46, Ps 22:1-2   9.  Matt 26:52-54   10.  Mk 15:29-32   11.  Rom 6:23    12.  Phil 2:5-11   13.  Deut 30:11-20

The Meaning of the Cross

Question: Lord, will You talk to me about the cross?

Father: My children, what do you see when you look on the cross? Of what does it speak to you? There are many things it could speak to you of. Much has been written of the cross, but I want to share with you My heart. I want you to see what I see when I look on the cross, for the cross speaks of one fundamental thing that encompasses all the rest.

The cross speaks of My love for you, My very great and everlasting love for you, My children. Even before I created the earth I loved you. Indeed I created it because I wanted you, and I wanted to create you because I wanted children that I could relate to. I created you in My image¹, a being that walked and talked and thought like Me, a being that had emotions and was capable of expressing love like I am. For I am love² and I have placed in you that capacity to love Me in return.

I longed to walk and talk with Adam in the garden and have fellowship with him. It was such a delight to Me. But one day he listened to My enemy, Satan, and disobeyed Me causing our fellowship to be broken. On that day I came walking in the garden and I knew that it was over. In My distress I cried, Adam, where are you? My heart was broken as I cast him out of My presence³.

But I had a plan, I was not defeated, I would have sons and daughters who loved Me. I would have that relationship restored⁴. Satan would not have the last word, and that, My beloved children is what the cross is about. It is about My love for you. It is about the restoration of that intimate relationship I once had with you.

But it cost Me dearly to achieve this. It meant that I had to sacrifice Jesus, My only begotten Son whom I dearly love. I had to place your sin on His shoulders. I had to let Him become sin for you so that you could come back to Me⁵. My heart was torn apart when He cried, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? and I could not answer Him because your sin had become a barrier between Us⁶. You do not understand what it meant for Us to do that, for We have always been One⁷. But it was My very great love for you and My desire to be reunited with you, My precious child, that enabled Me to do this.

Do you not know, can you not understand how much I love you and how much I long for your fellowship? No, you do not, you cannot, not now, but you will one day. Oh how I love you, My child. How I long for your love in return. How I long for your fellowship. This is what the cross means to Me. It is the means by which you can be set free⁸, forgiven⁹, made righteous¹⁰ and restored to fellowship with Me¹¹. It is the means through which you can be born of My Spirit¹² and the means through which I can adopt you as My child and bring you into My family¹³. It is the means through which you can love Me as your Father.

Oh but what have you done My people? What have you done with that precious gift? You have turned your freedom into religion. You have bound yourselves by religious rules and rituals¹⁴. You have turned a loving relationship between Father and child into religious observance. This is not what I want from you. This is not why I sacrificed My Son, for religion. Oh My people do you not realize how I hate religion, for it keeps you from Me? Whichever religion it is, but especially the Christian religion, for it makes a mockery of all that We have done for you.

How would you like it if your children gave you religious observance instead of their love? Dont you understand, My people? I love you and I want a relationship with you. I want you to love Me. I want you to delight in Me. I want you to spend time with Me. I want you to share with Me the smallest and most intimate details of your lives. Just as you delight in your children I want to delight in you.

So please will you come back into a relationship with Me? Speak to Me. Listen to Me. Walk and talk with Me in the garden again. I am your Father and I love you passionately. I will do anything for you, and indeed I have done everything that I could do to restore our relationship. Now it is up to you. I can do no more. I have set you free so that you can love Me and now I am waiting for your response.

If you will respond to My love then I will place in you a love for Me that will never die. I will light in you a fire that will blaze brightly for all to see. Did not Jesus say that He would baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire?¹⁵ My child, do you want a love like that burning within you? Do you want My love burning in you, a love that will cause you to seek after Me with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind?¹⁶ This is what I want for you, My child, but do you want it? Do you want this depth of relationship with Me that I long to have with you?

I cant force you, My child, for I have given you free will. The choice is yours. But this is what I desire for us and this love I have for you was demonstrated in the cross. This is what the cross means to Me, My child, restoration of love and fellowship between us. But My child, what does the cross mean to you?

Notes

1.  Gen 1:26    2.  1 Jn 4:8   3.  Gen 3   4.  Eph 1:3-6   5.  Isa 53:4-6   6.  Matt 27:46   7.  Jn 10:30, Jn 17:11, 21-24   8.  Jn 8:36, Gal 5:1   9.  Eph 1:7     10.  2 Cor 5:21    11.  1 Cor 1:9, 1 Jn 1:3   12.  Jn 1:12-13   13.  Rom 8:14-17   14.  Gal 3:1-7, 5:1   15.  Matt 3:11    16.  Matt 22:37-38