The raising of Lazarus kind of initiated or began a
great number of events. Things began to happen rather
hurriedly with regard to the Lord Jesus and that sacrifice
that he would offer unto God, that is the sacrifice of himself. It wouldn't be many days after
the raising of Lazarus before our Lord Jesus would be arrested. He would be taken before a religious
tribunal, found guilty of blasphemy. He would be taken before the
secular courts. And though they would find no
fault in him, Nevertheless, the leader of that secular court,
a man by the name of Pontius Pilate, he heeded the wishes
of the multitudes, and he had Jesus of Nazareth beaten. The Lord Jesus was mocked, he
was jeered, and finally he was crucified. And though men were
guilty, of his death, though they were murderers, all of them,
yet he died by divine appointment in order to save the people that
God gave him before the world began. Oh, how very mysterious is the
doctrine of God's great, wise providence. that the Lord is
directing all things to the end that he has himself ordained. And everything will arrive at
its destiny right on schedule. And those who in the process
of that purpose of God being fulfilled, those who are guilty
of violations against the Law of God, they're still guilty. As with the case of these who
crucified the Lord of Glory, they're guilty of His death,
guilty of His blood. We're all guilty. We're all guilty
of killing the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, upon His death as the Lamb
of God, He was buried. The scripture says that he then
arose again, and 40 days later, he went back to heaven. He, that
is, ascended back to where he was before. But before he ascended,
he met with his disciples. His ascension was 40 days after
his resurrection. He met with his disciples on
the day that he was going to go back home to glory.