"The Darkest Hour"

“The Darkest Hour”

 

Now it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.   Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two.  And when Jesus cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.   Having said this He breathed His last.   So when the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God, saying, “Certainly this was a righteous Man!”        Luke 23:44-47

 

Growing up, I always wondered why people called this day, “GOOD FRIDAY,” if it was to represent the day that Jesus was CRUCIFIED.  To me, that was not what I would call GOOD. As I got older and more mature in my FAITH, I realized that it was a VERY GOOD FRIDAY for ALL of mankind.  This was the day that Jesus PAID IT ALL.  His DEATH on the cross was for the REDEMPTION of mankind.  To bring us from the DARKNESS into the LIGHT.

 

Jesus had previously, told those who arrested Him that, “this is your hour---when darkness reigns.”  DARKNESS reigned because of the CRUCIFIXION of the Lord.  Not only was the arrest done under the cover of DARKNESS, but the trials were also conducted during the DARK of night.  And they were also working as the forces of DARKNESS to KILL the Son of God, the MESSIAH.  The arrest was illegal because it was done in the DARKNESS of the night, and accomplished through a paid accuser.  Many sins or carried out during the DARKNESS of night.

 

But the DARKEST HOUR of all was when DARKNESS covered the whole earth, from the sixth hour (noon) till the ninth hour (3:00pm).  Then sun was darkened, and the veil in the temple, which separated the holy of holies from the rest of the temple, was torn in two. Then Jesus cried out with a LOUD voice:  “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” This was the DARKEST point in time, when it seemed as though ALL HOPE was gone, when Jesus breathed His last breath.  He WILLINGLY gave up His life.  He was DEAD!   But even then, there was enough LIGHT for the centurion to recognize, that Jesus was a RIGHTEOUS Man.    

Jesus said:  “I am the Light of the world.  Whoever follows Me will never walk in DARKNESS, but will have the LIGHT of life.”  (John 8:12)   Are you FOLLOWING JESUS?  Or are you WALKING in DARKNESS with NO HOPE for an ETERNITY in Heaven, but destined for Hell, with ALL of its HORRORS?  You NOW have the opportunity to come OUT of the DARKNESS and INTO the LIGHT by TURNING AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle and TURNING TO God, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that JESUS died for YOU, and is ALIVE in HEAVEN, making intercession for you, before God, then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION and WALK in the LIGHT as He is in the LIGHT, and ESCAPE  an ETERNITY in Hell and GAIN an ETERNITY in HEAVEN, with ALL of its GLORIES.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!