Triumphal Entry - There Was and There Will Be

by Roy Lessin, Co-founder DaySpring Cards in Siloam Springs, Arkansas - Siloam Springs is also the home of John Brown University!  Contributed by Barb Campbell of Mississippi

There was a time when Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem in a most unusual way. John 12

There will be a time when Jesus returns to this earth in a most unusual way. 1 Thes. 4:16

There was a time when He rode upon a young donkey. John  12:14

There will be a time when He rides upon a white horse.  Revelation 19:11

There was a time when He came as the Sacrificial Lamb.  John 1:36

There will be a time when He comes as the Righteous Judge. Revelation 19:11

There was a time when He came humbly and lowly.  Zechariah 9:9

There will be a time when He comes to conquer and make  war. Revelation 19:11

There was a time when palm branches were cast before Him. John 12:13

There will be a time when crowns will be cast before His throne. Revelation 4:10

There was a time when people proclaimed, “Hosanna.”  John 12:13

There will be a time when people proclaim, “Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him.”  Revelation 5:13

There was a time when the local crowds cried out His praises. John 12:13

There will be a time when people from every kindred, tongue, people, and nation will worship at His feet.  Revelation 5:9

There was a time when a multitude saw His triumphal entry. John 12:12

There will be a time when everyone on earth will see His triumphal return. Revelation 1:7

The Paradoxes of Christ

author unknown  ~~  submitted by Barb Campbell in Mississippi

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Grove/6932/paradox.html

He was the Light, yet He hung in darkness on the Cross.
He was the Life, yet He poured out His soul unto death.
He was the Rock of Ages, yet His feet sank into the deep waters.
He was the Son of God, yet He died a felon's death.
He was holy, undefiled, separated from sinners and knew no sin,
Yet He was made sin when He took the guilty culprit's place
and suffered in his stead.
He bade the weary to come to Him for rest,
Yet not on earth could He find rest until He said, "It is finished,"
and gave up His life to God.
He was the Mighty God,
Yet He became a man and was crucified through weakness.
He was the Image of the Invisible God,
Yet His visage was marred more than any man.
All the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily in Him,
Yet He took on Him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men.
He spake, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast;
Yet He humbled Himself and became obedient - even unto death.
He was the Desire of All Nations,
Yet He was despised and rejected of man.
He is the Fountain of Life, yet upon the cross He cried, "I thirst."
Can you understand these mysteries?
These are the things that angels desire to look into.
The heavens cannot contain Him, yet He died for us.  

Medical Doctor's Description of a Crucifixion

author unknown

    The cross is placed on the ground and the exhausted man is quickly thrown backwards with his shoulders against the  wood. The legionnaire feels for the depression at the front of the wrist.
    He drives a heavy, square wrought-iron nail through the wrist deep into the wood.  Quickly he moves to the other side and repeats the action, being careful not to pull the arms too tightly, but to allow some flex and  movement. The cross is then lifted into place.  The left foot is pressed backward against the right foot, and with both feet extended, toes down, a nail is driven through the arch of each, leaving the knees flexed.  The victim is now crucified. 
     As he slowly sags down with more weight on the nails in the wrists, excruciating, fiery pain shoots along the fingers and up the arms to explode in the brain -  the nails in the wrists are putting pressure on the median nerves.  As he pushes himself upward to avoid this stretching torment, he places the full weight on the nail through his feet. Again he feels the searing agony of the nail  tearing through the nerves between the bones of his feet.  As the arms fatigue, cramps sweep through his muscles, knotting them into deep relentless, throbbing pain.  With these cramps comes the inability to push himself upward to breathe. Air can be drawn into the lungs but not exhaled.  He fights to raise himself in order to get even one small breath.  Finally, carbon dioxide builds up in the lungs and in the blood stream, and the cramps partially subside.
     Spasmodically, he is able to push himself upward to exhale and bring in life-giving oxygen.  Hours of limitless pain, cycles of twisting, joint-renting cramps, intermittent partial asphyxiation, searing pain as tissue is torn from his lacerated back as he moves up and down against rough timber.  Then another agony begins: a deep, crushing pain deep in the chest as the pericardium slowly fills with serum and begins to compress the heart.  It is now almost over -- the loss of tissue fluids has reached a critical level-- the compressed heart is struggling to pump heavy, thick, sluggish blood into the tissues-- the tortured lungs are making frantic effort to gasp in small gulps of air.
     He can feel the chill of death creeping through his tissues.  Finally, he can allow his body to die.
     All this the Bible records with the simple words, "and they crucified Him" (Mark 15:24).  What wondrous love is this? Many people don't know the pain and suffering our Lord, Jesus Christ went through for us.  Because of the brutality, crucifixion was given a sentence to only its worst offenders of the law.
     Thieves, murderers, and rapists would be the types of creeps who got  crucified. Yet, here Jesus is being crucified between two hardened criminals ... What did Jesus do?  Did he murder anyone?  Did he steal anything?  The answer, as we all know, is NO!!  Jesus did nothing to deserve this type of death, yet he went willing to die, in between two thieves, so that we might be saved.  And there, between the sinners, our Savior was slain for our sins.

Romans 10:9  "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."