Luke 23:44-45
It was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour and the sun was
Three miracles attended the death of Jesus Christ. The sun was darkened, the temple curtain was rent, and many bodies of the saints arose. In this lesson we think about these miracles and relate
Luke 23:44-45
It was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour and the sun was
History records some few episodes of phenomenal darkness. Probably the most notable is that which occurred throughout the Egyptian Empire at the time Moses was trying to liberate its slaves (Exodus 10:21-23). This darkness was so thick you could feel it, and it
The darkness during the crucifixion lasted three hours. But it is still a wonder, and no satisfactory explanation has been offered, except that it was a miracle.
Amos 8:9
It shall come to pass in that day, says the Lord God,
That I will make the sun go down at noon,
And I will darken the earth in broad daylight
When you next can see the full sweep of the sky, consider this: From the first hour of sunrise at the horizon, the sun traverses half the sky by the sixth hour, and reaches its zenith. Look up, overhead. It was about there, in the glaring broad daylight of high noon, that the sun was darkened or obscured, and it stayed that way for three hours, a quarter of its
Now look from the zenith toward the horizon where the sun sets. At the half way point, the sun shone again at the ninth hour. So, for one fourth of its arc of traverse, the sun was obscured. Observe what a huge expanse of sky that is, and wonder what mighty thing it could have been that obscured the sun across
This cannot be passed off as an eclipse or as a large flock of birds or a swarm of insects. It was a miracle. Sunlight is sometimes obscured by the moon, and people at the point of total eclipse may experience momentary darkness during daylight hours. An enormous flock of birds, or a great cloud of ash, dust or insects, has been known to cause darkness at ground level.* But what could so obscure the sun as to cause "darkness
This miracle showed that in mankind's darkest hour, God was in control and his purpose was being fulfilled
Matthew 27:51
Behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked and the rocks were split, and
Earthquakes are common, and are generally not something we would regard as a supernatural event. This earthquake, however, must be regarded in its coincidence with other occurrences. As the
Haggai 2:6
For thus says the Lord of hosts, Yet once more I am going to
Apart from its remarkable sense of timing, there is something else very odd about this earthquake. It was severe enough to split rocks and open tombs. Yet the damage to the mighty stone temple was apparently minimal, for there is no mention of any disruption to the festivals being observed at that very busy period in Jerusalem's religious calendar. However, the huge curtain, which hung across the inner sanctuary to veil the most holy place, was torn in the middle from top to bottom, without pulling it down, and without wreaking havoc with the rest of the temple's interior, or without distorting
This miracle indicated that Christ's death had made a way into the presence of God
Matthew 27:52-53
And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the graves after his resurrection, they went into the holy city
It would not be surprising that many entombed bodies were disturbed by an earthquake. But how could many of these bodies then rise up, politely wait three days for Jesus to be buried and himself rise from the dead, then make their way from the cemetery into the city and go visiting? Somehow these dead bodies were dead no more, and had
Hosea 13:14
I will ransom them from the power of the grave;
I will redeem them from death.
O death, where is your punishment?
O grave,
This miracle made it impossible to explain away the resurrection of Jesus after his death on the cross, and supports our hope of resurrection
Isaiah 53:5,12
He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities,
The chastisement for our peace was upon him,
And by his stripes we are healed.
He poured out his soul unto death,
He was numbered with the transgressors,
He bore the sin of many,
And made intercession
If the miracles we have noted were the sum of the events of Calvary, the story of the cross would be no better than other Unexplained Mysteries which books and television make so much of. These miracles surrounding the cross are meant to be signs that point us to the most wonderful wonder of all. Jesus was dying to pay the price for our sins, so that by his punishment we might escape the wrath of God.
The prophecies quoted in this article are used on the understanding that certain prophecies in the Old Testament might have more than one fulfillment, and be variously applied, firstly to events in their own era, secondly to events in the time of Christ, and thirdly in a few instances to events at the end of the world. The fact that these prophecies apply to the crucifixion does not mean they
*Bairnsdale in darkness... On December 14, 2006, Bairnsdale was plunged into two hours of darkness in the mid afternoon. The town was in halflight all morning, blanketed by a cloud of smoke and ash from the great wild fire burning over a huge area of forests and alpine regions to the town's north. A very active section of the fire front was close to the town. The cloud became so enormous that no sunlight could penetrate. From 2.30pm to 4.30pm, it was as as black as