Charles (Chuck) Kensinger

Let me take you to around two thousand years ago when a man called Bar-Abbas was going to be crucified for his rebellion against the Roman Empire. He and two of his associates were taken, arrested, and judged to be worthy of death. But something unusual happened.

To his surprise Bar-Abbas received a pardon. When they were nailed to their crosses the other two insurrectionists, were surprised not to see their leader between them. There was a man they did not know. His name is Joshua and he’s from Nazareth. We know Him by His Greek name, Jesus.

Jesus knew that all of this was going to happen. He knew that He would have disagreements with the Jewish leaders and that His words needed to be guarded for the first two years. These arguments would morph into hatred on their part for Him. There was only one way to end up on the cross in the place of a man who wanted to be the Messiah that many thought the Nazarene to be.

The prophetic scriptures give us a picture of two different times when this representative of Yahweh would appear. In one, He came as a baby born in Bethlehem. He grew up as a teacher, shepherd, and friend of the people. His purpose was to die as the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of all humans.

At another time the mission would be to free the country of Israel and become the King of the Jews. During this period many of the suffering servant and messianic deliverer prophecies were mixed in the writing of the same prophets. Jesus was trying to correct the confusion.

To add to these problems were the personal prophecies of the times between these two appearances of Jesus that He made. He talked of the destruction of the temple and the overthrow of Israel and the Jews being taken away from their promised land for the third time.

Many have accepted Him as the Hebrew Messiah because of these proofs. The fall of Jerusalem and Israel happened after Jesus’ resurrection. Today we know that Israel is facing many hardships due to the hatred they face in the middle east. The Old Testament stories of the first two exiles of the Hebrews from their homeland was well known to Jesus and everyone of His time.

It is hard for most of us to understand how He was able to predict so many things and seemingly read the minds of those around Him. Let me help you with that mystery. He is God. He limited himself to some extent, but His power and knowledge still exceeded that of the rest of us.

©Copyright 2026 by Charles Kensinger