THREES
That Bear
Witness
The
Day
Christ
Died
Christians take it by faith that the
same God who authored the Bible
also created the heavens and the earth.
But outside of faith, could one find,
through simple observation, some
underlying thread acting as "God's
trademark," tying the Bible and nature to
the Creator Himself?The answer is yes . . .
THE FIRST CHAPTER OF THE BIBLE opens by simply stating that, "In the beginning
[Jesus
God created the heaven and the earth" (Gen. 1:1). In the Gospel of John we learn
that God, the Creator, is Jesus Christ: "In the beginning was the Word
Christ]...and the Word was God...All things were made by him" (John 1:1-
3,14). Our three dimensional, triune universe consisting of time, matter, and space
was designed by Jesus Christ, Himself a triune God (1 John 5:7). Perhaps this
is why when you study Christ's earthly life, His creation, and His Word, the Bible,
you quickly notice something curiously tying all three together: the "THREES" that
bear witness . . . (This is part of an ongoing series. If you would like some of the
other tracts in this series write to Send the Light, P.O. Box 815, Fargo, ND.)
DURING the days leading up to, and including, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ,
something fascinating took place that most likely went unnoticed to those
present at the time.three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be THREE days and THREE
Let's begin with Jesus Christ telling His
disciples: "Behold, we go up to Jerusalem;
and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto
the chief priests and unto the scribes, and
they shall condemn him to death..." Mat.
20:18In the very next verse He goes on to describe
THREE things that would happen to Him:
"...And shall deliver him to the Gentiles [1]
to MOCK, and [2] to SCOURGE, and [3] to
CRUCIFY him: and the THIRD day he shall
rise again." Mat. 20:19The mere fact that exactly three things are
mentioned is not strange in itself. However,
when one studies the other events
surrounding His death, a recurring pattern
begins to emerge. For example, on a
previous occasion Jesus had told His
disciples: "For as Jonas was three days and
The Psalmist said: "I am fearfully
and wonderfully made" (Psalm
139:14). It was that same human
body created for you and me that
suffered greatly to pay for our sins.
The body has: 3 types of Cartilage
3 types of Glands
3 x 11 Vertebrates
3 x 8 Ribs
3 x 3 Endocrine Glands
3 x 3 essential Amino acids
3 Extrinsic muscles for the tongue
(Tongue, by the way, is mentioned
3 x 43 times in the Bible.)
The list goes on . . .
nights in the heart of the earth." Mat. 12:40Another "three" emerges when the Bible describes THREE groups of people who were
conspiring to kill Christ: "Then assembled together the [1] Chief Priests, and [2] the
Scribes, and [3] the Elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was
called Caiaphas, And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtlety, and kill him."
Mat. 26:3-4
TO AVOID A RIOT, these schemers needed a way to apprehend Christ when He was
away from the crowd. They needed someone who knew Christ's every move,
preferably someone close, someone on the inside. Perhaps even one of Christ's twelve
[3 x 4] apostles. They found their man in Judas Iscariot and his price of "thirty [3 xwith him, away with him, [3] crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your
10] pieces of silver" is mentioned only
THREE times in the New Testament: Mat.
26:15; 27:3; 27:9Once apprehended, Christ was sent back
and forth between king Herod and
governor Pontius Pilate in an attempt to
have Him crucified under Roman law.
During this time, Peter denies knowing
Christ THREE times [Mat. 26:34].
Finally, referring to Pilate, the Bible
says: "And he said unto them the THIRD
time, Why, what evil hath he done? I have
found no cause of death in him: I will
therefore chastise him, and let him go."
Luke 23:22In fact, the Gospel of John records Pilate
claiming THREE times that he found "no
fault" in Christ: John 18:38; 19:4;
19:6The Jews replied "crucify him" THREE
times: "When the chief priests therefore
and officers saw him, they cried out,
saying, [1] Crucify him, [2] crucify him.
Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and
crucify him: for I find no fault in him."
(John 19:6) "But they cried out, Away
We find Christ's condition on the cross
prophetically described in Psa. 22:14:
"I am poured out like water, and all my
BONES are out of joint: my HEART is
like wax; it is melted in the midst of
my BOWELS."3 cusps to the semilunar
heart valve
3 types of neurons:
Bipolar, Unipolar, Multipolar.
3 functions of skin: protection,
temperature regulation,
tactile information.
3 energy sources of muscle
contraction: Creatine Phosphate,
Aerobic Metabolism,
Anaerobic Metabolism.
3 types of muscles:
Skeletal, Cardiac, Smooth.
3 parts to a tooth:
enamel, dentin, nerve.
3 parts to hair:
Medulla, Cuticle, Cortex.
King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar." (John 19:15) So they
led Jesus Christ out to a hill called Golgotha to crucify Him. And as it turns out, those
THREE words: "to crucify him" appear in the entire Bible only THREE times. (Look up:
Mat. 20:19; 27:31; Mark 15:20)When Christ arrived at Golgotha, there were two others there, making it a total of
THREE crucified that day: "Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the
right hand, and another on the left." Mat. 27:38A title written in THREE languages was nailed to His cross: "And Pilate wrote a title, and
put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE
JEWS. This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified
was nigh to the city: and it was written in [1] Hebrew, and [2] Greek, and [3] Latin."
(John 19:19-20) And among those standing by the cross were THREE Marys: "Now
there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother [1] [Mary], and his mother's sister, [2]
[3] Mary Magdalene." John 19:25
Mary the wife of Cleophas, anddue time Christ died for the ungodly" (Rom. 5:6). [2] - "But God commendeth his
3 main components of the plasma
membrane of a cell.
3 main groups of ATP
3 sources of energy: Carbohydrates,
fats, proteins
3 parts to Carbohydrates:
Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen.
3 types of Fats.
3 types of Carbohydrates. (Each one
of the 3 consists of 3 parts).
3 RNA's
3 bases make up a genetic code.
3 parts to DNA:
bases, sugars, phosphate.
3 major Plasma proteins.
3 x 2 Stages of cell division.
3 ways terrestrial animals gain water.
The list goes on . . .
During His crucifixion, THREE hours of
darkness came across the land: "Now
from the sixth [3 x 2] hour there was
darkness over all the land unto the ninth
[3 x 3] hour" (Mat. 27:45). And right at
the time of His death, THREE miracles
occurred: "And, behold, [1] the veil of the
temple was rent in twain from the top to
the bottom; and [2] the earth did quake,
and the rocks rent; And the graves were
opened; and [3] many bodies of the
saints which slept arose, And came out
of the graves after his resurrection, and
went into the holy city, and appeared
unto many." Mat. 27:51-53Jesus Christ was God's only begotten
Son, and perhaps you're wondering why
God would just sit back and allow sinful
mankind to put His Son to death. The
Bible provides the answer in another
THREE word phrase appearing only
THREE times in the entire: [1] - "For
when we were yet without strength, in
love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:8).
[3] - "For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ
died for our sins according to the scriptures" (1 Cor. 15:3). The term "gates of death"
occurs THREE times in the entire Bible as well. Two other terms associated with death
occur, not three times but, curiously, in multiples of three: "day of his death" occurs 6
(3 x 2) times. "he died" occurs 54 (3 x 18) times.
Some closing thoughts . . .
In Rev. 13:17, the Bible uses the term, "the number of his name" when referring to
the Antichrist and his number 666. This number has also been called "the mark of
the beast[.]" Christians regard the devil as a copycat, often taking his ideas from God.
So, is it too farfetched to believe that God has marked His creation and His Word
with the number of His name? We know from the Bible that God is a trinity, so using
the number three as His "trademark" would not be unusual at all. If this is the case,
then the following verse warns us where we all stand when it comes to believing
there is a God: "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are
CLEARLY SEEN, being understood by the things that are made [US], even his eternal
power and Godhead; so that THEY ARE WITHOUT EXCUSE." Rom. 1:20
THE SAME GOD that created you and
me and gave us the Bible, has provided
us with a sure way to Heaven . . .BUT FIRST, you must realize that what keeps you
from going to Heaven are your sins, because:
"...your iniquities [sins] have separated
between you and your God," Isaiah 59:2.
In fact, in God's eyes YOU ARE A SINNER: "For
all have sinned, and come short
of the glory of God;" Romans 3:23.SECONDLY, you must realize that there is
NOTHING you can do to save yourself and earn
Heaven: "For by grace are ye saved through
faith; and that not of yourselves: it is
the gift of God: Not of works, lest any
man should boast." (Eph. 2:8-9) Baptism, good
deeds, church membership, self-righteousness are
all examples of good works that cannot save you,
because: "Not by works of
righteousness which we have done, but
according to his mercy he [Christ] saved
us," Titus 3:5.THE ONLY WAY you can get saved is through
Jesus Christ. He said: "I am the way, the
truth, and the life: no man cometh unto
the Father, but by me." (John 14:6) THAT'S
WHY: "...while we were yet sinners, Christ
died for us." (Rom. 5:8-9)THEREFORE: You must REPENT (change your
mind); admit that you are a Hell deserving sinner
and can't save yourself. And call upon Christ, and
Him alone, to save you. "if thou shalt confess
with thy mouth the Lord Jesus [REPENT], and
shalt believe in thine heart [TRUST] that God
hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be
saved." Romans 10:9SEND THE LIGHT
P.O. Box 815 Fargo, ND 58107
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