He is risen.

When Jesus went down into hell [Hades] God gave Him the keys of that place.
..................................He not only opened the gates of Hades, but took with Him all the righteous who were confined there, including David the king.
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Jesus is now able to fulfill the promises of God's Covenant with David and, at His Coming [return] He will occupy the Throne of David.

GOOD FRIDAY 2011

Maundy Thursday, also called Holy Thursday, is a service to commemorate Jesus' Last Supper and the beginning of the sacrament of the Lord's Supper.
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First, Jesus celebrated the Last Supper with His disciples and instituting the Lord’s Supper, also called Communion (Luke 22:19-20). Some Christian churches observe a special Communion service on Maundy (Holy) Thursday in memory of Jesus’ Last Supper with His disciples. Second, Jesus washed the disciples’ feet as an act of humility and service, setting an example that we should love and serve one another in humility (John 13:3-17). Some Christian churches observe a foot-washing ceremony on Maundy Thursday to commemorate Jesus’ washing the feet of the disciples.
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The word Maundy is derived from the Latin word for command. The Maundy in Maundy Thursday refers to the command Jesus gave to the disciples at the Last Supper, that they should love and serve one another.

When God gave man authority over the Universe, He warned him, telling him that if he disobeyed, he would surely die.
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The literal translation of Genesis 2:17 is, 'In dying thou shalt die." It's a two-fold death.

Adam was given a choice...The Tree of Life would have joined man with God...The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil joined man with Satan.
......................................................................................................................................... "And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. ......................................................................................................................................... And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: ......................................................................................................................................... But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."
Genesis 2:9,16-17

'Life' and 'Death' are two words that open the Bible. .................................................................................................We can't have a complete understanding of God and His revelation to man without understanding them.

Palm Sunday 2011

Man, created in the image of God, is a higher being and is dependent on one higher than himself for his spiritual life. ................................................................................................................................................................. Man must take part either of God's nature or of Satan's nature. ................................................................................................................................................................. God's nature is life. ..............Satan's nature is death. It is satan's nature, spiritual death, that got hold of man's spirit.

Spiritual death is a nature. The real powers are spiritual. .................................................................................................................................. ...............God is a spirit John 4:24 "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." .................................................................................................................................. Satan is a spirit Ephesians 6:13 "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." ....................................................................................................................................... Man is a spirit 1 Thessalonians 5:23 "I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless....".

There 3 kinds of death mentioned in the Bible. ............................................................................................Physical death: an unnatural thing, when man's spirit and soul are separated from his body. .............Spiritual death: even more unnatural, when man's spirit is separated from God. ..................Second death: when man is separated from God for eternity. He exists without God and can never have access to Him.

'Spiritual Death doesn't mean that man ceases to be a spirit being. It isn't a state of nonexistence. It is a state of existing separated from God and united with Satan.

The real man is the spirit. He was to walk in fellowship with God, who is a spirit being. .................................................................................Death entered into this spirit of man who was created in the image of God.

"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:....." ........................................................ Romans 5:12 .........................................................................This gives us a good image of Spiritual Death entering into the spirit of man. .................................................................................Man's sin is the door that opened his spirit to this dreadful nature.

Death was the result of man's sin. ............................................................................... It hindered God's plan. ...................................................................................Adam's sin brought Spiritual Death into man's life.

God's sufferings [spiritually and physically] at the cross showed His victory by love over His enemy, Satan. ............................................................................................. Love conquered!!

Satan tempted man in the garden because of his hatred for God. He knew what man meant to the Father God. It became his object to separate them and to bring man into bondage to himself and destroy him. ............................. ............................................................................................................. Satan knew it would cause the Father God the greatest suffering. But Satan, with his wicked character, couldn't see that God would suffer by His own will for his man until He brings him back to Himself.

Satan said, "It hath been delivered unto me." ........................................................ ....... ....................................................................................................................................................................... We know that this authority wasn't given to him by God. The Father God would never give His enemy dominion over His creation and man, whom He loved.

Believing that the Bible is true and that it was a true temptation; then Jesus knew that Satan had authority and dominion over the kingdoms of the world and the people. He also knew that Satan could give them if he wanted and to whomever he wanted.

If the devil lied to Jesus and Jesus didn't know it, Jesus was not the Son of God. ....................................................................... .. .....If the devil lied to Jesus and Jesus knew that he lied, it wasn't a real temptation.

Satan comes to Jesus and tells Him that the authority and glory of the earth has been given to him, and that he can give it to whomever he wants.

When Jesus began His ministry, after He was baptized, He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. "And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine." Luke 4:6-7

We know how Satan got his dominion over God's creation. ............................................................................... God's perfect justice, He didn't take advantage over Satan. Adam had legally given Satan the authority that God had given him. ................................................................................ If God hadn't been perfectly just, He would have gotten rid of Satan and punished man. But instead His grace makes a way for Redemption, showing His love to man based on His perfect justice.

Eve's deception was because she didn't believe God's Word. Satan first questioned the Word God had given them, and then contradicted it. Some think the serpent had originally moved upright and spoke like man.

1 Timothy 2:13-14 "For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, . . . ."

Adam knew God. He knew Satan. He knew the result of the unthinkable sin he had committed.