Reverend Ben Cooper's Podcast
Reverend Ben Coopers podcast, offers an inviting space for listeners to explore Christianity and spiritual growth with wisdom, humor, and a deep commitment to biblical truth. Through Rev. Ben's engaging conversations with guests, the podcast not only explores the timeless wisdom of the Bible but also tackles the pressing issues of life, faith, and hope in a way that is accessible, thought-provoking, and enriching. Whether you’re seeking spiritual nourishment, answers to life’s big questions, or simply a place to reflect on your faith, the Rev Ben podcast is a valuable resource on your journey.
In each episode, Rev. Ben guides listeners through profound theological reflections, personal stories, and practical insights drawn from the Bible and the broader Christian tradition.
Reverend Ben Cooper's Podcast
Are You Catholic or Christian? - (#1030 Elim) CS
In this insightful episode, we embark on an eye-opening exploration of Lent's global significance in the Christian faith. Although traditionally known as a period of fasting and reflection, Lent holds diverse meanings across cultures and Christian denominations worldwide. The question we tackle is bold: "Is Lent a necessary spiritual practice, or merely a man-made tradition?" Reverend Ben Cooper leads us through a compelling discussion on the biblical roots of Lent—or the absence thereof—and how this historical practice has developed across various Christian traditions, approximately six centuries after Jesus’ sacrifice.
We challenge our global listeners to reflect on the true role of Jesus Christ as the sacrificial Lamb, a concept that transcends cultural differences and remains central to Christianity worldwide. The blood of Jesus, symbolized in communion, is not just a tradition but a core biblical truth that connects Christians of all nations, reaffirming our faith and relationship with Christ.
In this episode, we dive deep into spiritual growth through fasting and prayer, two practices central to Lent but often misunderstood. How do fasting and prayer connect us with God, and how are they expressed globally within Christian communities? From North America to Africa and Asia, these spiritual practices serve as tools for strengthening faith. We invite listeners from around the world to ask themselves: Are we adhering to biblical truths, or simply following cultural practices?
This conversation pushes us to rethink the essence of Lent—to move beyond human-made traditions and return to the teachings of Jesus Christ, which have remained unchanged across time and geography. Whether you're in the U.S., South America, or Southeast Asia, the message of Jesus' sacrifice transcends borders and calls all Christians to a deeper walk with God. By focusing on the biblical roots of Lent, we open ourselves to a spiritual awakening that unites believers worldwide in pursuit of authentic faith.
We challenge all Christians globally to reflect on the role of Lent in their lives, and how these biblical practices can foster spiritual growth. Through the lens of Lent, we invite our listeners to engage in authentic relationships with Jesus Christ, whether in traditional observances or personal reflections. Let us turn to the core teachings of the Bible, rather than merely following traditions shaped by culture and time.
This episode will help listeners gain a better understanding of how Lent is observed around the world, and how the practices of fasting, prayer, and communion can lead to a deeper connection with God and one another. Join us on this global journey of faith as we reflect on Jesus' sacrifice, spiritual growth, and the true meaning of Lent.
Don’t forget to subscribe, share this episode with your global Christian community, and leave us your thoughts to keep the conversation going. Let’s continue to inspire one another toward a more authentic relationship with Christ and a faith-filled journey across the world.
https://www.pastorbencooper.co.uk/
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Speaker 2:There you may. God bless you, wherever you are. We thank you so much for those that will join us on radio, those that join us on the world of podcast. You know, visuals tonight. Wherever you are, scattered across the world, may god bless you and strengthen you in the mighty name of jesus christ.
Speaker 2:Um, putting a title on this evening, you know, uh, obviously, where we sit in, the wheels of religion are starting lent. Obviously, today, the day is the start of lent and that. So I think that we could put a title on on this evenings am I a catholic or a christian? So we've just got to look at what this actually means, you know. So we're just going to take our time. So the title this evening am I a catholic or a christian? You know, because it's about repentance, it's about redemption. You know, when you look at that, when you look at lentent and you unpaul that sort of stuff and you just wind it back, you come to a conclusion. You come to a biblical fact that it is not biblical. The only area that you can draw some fine line of a correlation is that it's about self-discipline, it's about fasting and it's about prayer. You know the 40 days and the 46 days, you know take out the Sundays and all that sort of stuff.
Speaker 2:Lent, you know, has come around about 600 years after the cross of Calvary. It does not have any biblical reference, no clear biblical reference. So Lent has been made up and you can look at the Church of England, you can look at Catholic up and you can look at the Church of England, you can look at Catholicism. You can look out where it's come from. You know it's come from the council. It was set up. Actually it was set up from the council at 325 AD. And then it start and it was put in place by Pope George, I believe to that level ran about there 600 years after. So it was set up by the Pope. So it's Catholicism, so it can't be Christianity.
Speaker 2:You know, when you look at the scripture, when you dive into the word of God, what you will find through the word of God, it mentions something really really clear, something clear about the blood of Jesus, not the blood of Mary. It doesn't mention the blood of Mary. It doesn't talk about redemption through Mary. It doesn't talk about redemption through man. And you know what I'm talking about man, I'm talking about outside of Jesus at this moment, because the Bible says the man, christ, but I'm not referring to Jesus at this moment.
Speaker 2:So I've got to look at what we're looking at and across the world and across everything, you know, ash Wednesday, all that sort of stuff going on, shrove Tuesday and all them barmy stuff that comes out for a religion Am I a Christian or am I following Catholicism? Am I following the Church of England or am I following Jesus? Am I listening to Mary or am I listening to Jesus? What does the scripture say? What is all this about?
Speaker 2:And have you noticed and it happens every year that I'll use the word Easter for the quickness of understanding. You know I don't like the word Easter at all because it's not a biblical reference either. So what we are looking at, we're looking at Jesus as the sacrificial lamb, as the lamb of God, as the coming king, looking at Jesus as the sacrificial lamb, as the lamb of God, as the coming king, as the only atoning sacrifice. So we have to look in scripture, we have to understand that man set up the wills of religion and he set up Lent. Whatever way you look at it, jesus does not refer to Lent anywhere in the word of God, but we've got this mass area of religion at this moment in time. You know Lent, lent, lent, but it's not a biblical terminology. Yeah, you can follow it, you're free to follow it, but it's not a biblical term. It's not a biblical fact. Jesus did not put Lent in place. The Bible is extremely clear. It is about Jesus Christ as the living sacrifice, the king of kings and the lord of lords.
Speaker 2:I want to start, if we can, this evening. In the book of Romans, chapter 3, verse 24, you won't find any mention of Mary. Mary is not the sacrificial lamb. Mary is the mum of Christ. She was the vehicle that God chose to bring Jesus into the world. That is fact. That is it.
Speaker 2:So when I look at Lent, and so many Christians, so many people I know in the world of church, will really give themselves to Lent. What is the purpose of that? Am I doing it because of religious understanding? We're in the book of Romans, romans, chapter 3. Difficult where to start this. I think what we'll do is we'll pick it up in verse 23. Romans, chapter 3, verse 23.
Speaker 2:So Lent does not have a biblical foundation. The word Lent, even when you look at the word Lent, it has foundations coming out of Anglo-Saxon. It does not have any biblical standpoint. The only place that we can not even apologetics. We're not even trying to jump in the arena because we don't need to prove it. We don't, because it's not a biblical term. Yes, 40 days in the desert, 40 nights, 40 days and all that sort of stuff the Bible mentions so many times in the Old Testament. 40 days, 40 nights, you know 40, this 40, that? Yes, I understand, but I've got to be careful.
Speaker 2:If I am a Christian and I am in the wills of Lent and I do go along with that and I might want to do that, what is the purpose of that? Why am I doing this? Why now, have you noticed that Easter moves year after year? It moves, bounces, and backwards and forwards. What moves Easter? Basically, the calendar in the UK moves Easter. According to the curriculum in education, it moves with the tide of term time. The Bible does not move. The Bible does not move. So we have Easter moving. Christmas moves backwards and forwards. All this stuff moves backwards and forwards because it's not really of Jesus Christ.
Speaker 2:Yes, we celebrate the birth of Christ through the word of God. Yes, we celebrate the birth of Christ through the word of God. Yes, we celebrate, you know, the Passover, not Easter. We've got to get a clear understanding wherever you are across the world we are not celebrating Easter. Easter is a word that comes out of pagan language, comes out of Anglo-Saxon language, comes out of a language that is not biblical. The word that we have and what runs along with 40 days, 40 nights in the word of God and everything that goes along with that, is the Passover. It's the Passover, the passing over. That's what we are looking at as brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus.
Speaker 2:Lent is not biblically based. You won't find the reference for it. Christ does not talk about it. Christ does not talk about Mary the way the Catholics talk about the Church of England. So we've got to be extremely clear in what we believe in. So am I a Catholic or a Christian? Am I a Bible-believing believer or am I in the mechanics of religion?
Speaker 2:When you look at this scripture, jesus does not say go to Mary and repent. It is all about Jesus Christ as the atoning sacrifice, one sacrifice once and for all. God bless what God done through the vehicle of Mary. But Mary was just the carrier of Jesus Christ. She was just the mum and I'm not taking anything, please. I'm not taking anything away from that, but I'm not taking anything from anyone being a mum. You know what I'm saying. But what I'm trying to say is Jesus does not say anywhere in the scripture about lifting up Mary. He doesn't mention that. It's clear through the Old Testament, through the New do not serve, do not lift up any human being higher than Jesus Christ. No one, no one can get exalted, no one can be lifted up, no one can be worshipped, no one on planet earth except Jesus Christ.
Speaker 2:So let's get into the scripture, because the scripture gives us the answer. So let's pick it up in verse 23. So let's just remind ourselves Catholicism and the Church of England, the Protestant movement, all that sort of stuff. They will be doing the wheels of Lent because it was set up basically by the Pope and by the council, not set up by Jesus Christ. Not set up by Jesus Christ. Pick it up in verse 23. For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and are justified freely by his grace.
Speaker 2:What does his mean? Is his a reference to her? No, his is a reference to a, a male. Who are they and what is the scripture referencing? It is referencing Jesus Christ. So when you look at that, it is not referencing God, it is referencing Jesus, because, let me, let me put it like this God did not bleed.
Speaker 2:Jesus Christ was the one, that the bloodshed was through. Christ. Yes, we understand what the scripture says and Jesus says it. You can't separate. But it was the body of Jesus, the body of Christ, the body of the son of the living God. It was the body of Jesus. It wasn't Mary. Mary was at the cross, but she was at the foot of the living God. It was the body of Jesus. It wasn't Mary. Mary was at the cross, but she was at the foot of the cross looking at her son being crucified. Mary was not the sacrificial lamb. Jesus Christ is the lamb of God. That is biblical fact. That is clear. Nowhere in the scripture will you find Mary being exalted as the atoning sacrifice. So what are we celebrating at this Passover? We're celebrating the Passover and the passing over of the angel of destruction. Was that Lucifer? The angel of death? Was that Satan? It was God. It was God Clear fact, the scripture tells us. So we've got a lot to get through, so let's push through. So it says. I'm going to read in verse 23 again. So we're really clear.
Speaker 2:Romans, chapter three, verse 23,. All have sinned and fallen short of thy glory of God. Even Mary was a sinner, the disciples were sinner. When the Bible says all it talks about all mankind, no one is perfect except one. One sacrifice, the King of Kings. All have sinned and fallen short of thy glory of God and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Jesus Christ. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement through faith in his blood.
Speaker 2:How many times do we find a reference to Jesus Christ? How many times do we find a reference to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords? We find more times than not that we find a reference to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. When you look at these scriptures, it is so clear to see that this is about Jesus Christ as the coming king, because the he is and he was and he only will be the only atoning sacrifice, no other human being but Jesus. So when you look at the text that we're in, it's very, very interested, the text that we're in. And as we undo this and as we look at this, it's really, really clear to see that it's about Jesus and it says in verse 20, let's pick it back up in verse 23. And all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and are justified freely by his grace A reference to a male His grace, his grace through the redemption.
Speaker 2:What is redemption? Redemption, we clearly understand, is about being redeemed, about being brought back, about being redeemed. Redemption is about coming back, to be brought back from where, brought back, from a place of sin, being brought back from a place where only the blood of Jesus can bring us back. It is the blood of Jesus that can only get us back and bring us to and from that area. So, wherever you are tonight, it's really really important to understand that it is the blood of Jesus, not from anyone else.
Speaker 2:The Old Testament clearly tells us that there is one sacrifice, one and that is it. When you look at these scriptures that we are in, it's very clear and it says and are justified freely by his grace through redemption. That came by Jesus Christ. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement through faith in his blood. God did this to demonstrate his justice because of his forbearance that he had left the sin and you look at all that stuff that goes on. I want to hold it there right. Wherever you are across the world, wherever you are across the world tonight, the world, and especially in the UK and around where we are, they are, we are and they are celebrating Lent. Lent is starting to move forward. It has started today. There'll be many services happening here, there and everywhere. But when you look at these scriptures, when you clearly look at this scripture, it tells us something very clear that it is the blood of Jesus, not the blood of bulls, not the blood of goats, not the blood of heifer, not the blood of Mary, not the blood of Joseph, not the blood of the disciples, not the blood of any human being apart from Jesus Christ, the man, christ Jesus.
Speaker 2:It's really critical to understand. Why am I celebrating Lent? Why am I doing that? I understand and I get a bit of a clear focus on that. It will focus on fasting, self-discipline and prayer. Three pillars, three pillars of the Word of God, three pillars. But why have I left it right up until Catholicism and the Church of England says it's Lent? See, I should be doing this through my walk as a human being. I shouldn't be doing it just because religion has said it's the 5th of March, off we go, we're giving up chocolate, self-discipline. No more chocolate, no more crisps, no more this, no more that. What is the purpose of that?
Speaker 2:Something is really really important here is that the Bible talks about fasting. And when do I fast? When do I pray? When God draws me, when God draws me into this position, when the Spirit of God draws me into this position. It's really important, as I look at these scriptures, that God presented him. God presented him. Where did God present him? He put him at the cross. He did not put Mary on the cross. Mary was at the foot of the cross looking at her son, and Jesus has that conversation with John and he has a conversation with his mom, and that is extremely clear. What is happening there? But what we find?
Speaker 2:Something that is really really powerful and really really important to understand that there is no other sacrifice apart from Jesus Christ. He is the sacrificial lamb, he is the King of kings, he is the Lord of lords, he is the great I am, he is worthy of all praise, he is everything that I require. So I don't look to mary, I don't look to the pope. I don't look to elim, I don't look to pastor ben. I don't look to my brothers and sisters in the church. I don't look to to the church of england. I don't look to to the move and and the way and the ratio of religion. I look to jesus and I should be fasting and praying any particular time throughout the year. I shouldn't just be waiting for the time when religion actually says now, now is the time, now is the time. I shouldn't be waiting for that. That's not the right time, just because religion and lent us says okay, now it's, now, it's it's. We're at the door. It's the 5th of march. It's ash wednesday. A, b, c and d yes, I understand, I get it.
Speaker 2:I can see where they might be coming from, but it is not biblical because it come from the pope. It come out of the council. It came out of a man's council. It came out of a structure. It did not come out of the council. It came out of a man's council. It came out of a structure. It did not come out of the word of God. The only area where we can find a parallel is the three pillars fasting, self-discipline and prayer. They are the only areas where we can bring some form of an area of where it runs together.
Speaker 2:So, as we look at this, it says and we are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came through Jesus Christ, god presented him as a sacrifice. So there was a plan. There was a redemption plan at the very beginning of time. There was a redemption plan before this world was put into existence. We will find this in just a few moments. We've been there, we've visited it this week, we've had a look at it. We've seen it in many, many different areas. You know, when you look at the scriptures, it's very clear to see. It's very clear to see that it's not about Mary, it's about Jesus. It's not about Joseph, it's about Jesus. It's not about the disciples, it's about Jesus.
Speaker 2:So Lent is a very, very interesting word. It's got an Anglo-Saxon terminology to it. It's about the preparation for Easter. Am I being prepared for pagan Easter or am I actually preparing myself for the Passover? What am I doing? Am I preparing myself for the coming of Jesus, or am I preparing myself for the coming of Jesus, or am I preparing myself for the worlds of religion on the 5th of March?
Speaker 2:So, on the scripture base. We find very, very clear something really, really important that Lent has no biblical foundation. The only area that we find a correlation, a running together, are those three pillars prayer. We find a correlation, a running together of those three pillars prayer, fasting and self-discipline. Yes, we understand what they're talking about 40 days and 40 nights, christ in the wilderness but Jesus doesn't talk about Lent because Lent is not a biblical terminology. Jesus is just referring to this. You know, when he was in the desert for 40 days and 40 nights being tempted by Lucifer in every, every area, why he wasn't being tempted. Am I going to have a bar of chocolate tonight? No, I ain't going to worry about that. It was just getting through the 40 days and the 40 nights. So I've got to be extremely clear in my walk as a Christian, as a John 3, 3, who am I serving? Am I am? Am I worshipping Mary? Am I in the Catholic faith or am I in the Church of England, or am I in the Word of God?
Speaker 2:So when you look at this scripture, it clearly tells us about redemption. Redemption is so critical and it says there is no difference, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that it is through Christ, and God brought him. God brought him as the living sacrifice. He is the living sacrifice. Jesus Christ is the living sacrifice. He is the king of kings and he is the lord of lords. He is the atoning sacrifice. The lamb that was slain, john says when. When Jesus came around the corner, onto that area of the River Jordan and he was baptized, john the baptizer says look, the Lamb of God. Very, very interesting, he was referring.
Speaker 2:Now let's go back. Now let's go back into the scripture. Let's go back all the way back to the book of Exodus. Let's go back to the book of Exodus. If you go back into the book of Exodus, chapter 12's. Go back to the book of Exodus, if you go back into the book of Exodus, chapter 12. So let's turn the page and go back. So the scripture is extremely clear, that the scripture is telling us something tonight that Jesus Christ is the redemption, he is the redeemer, he is the coming king, he is the great I am.
Speaker 2:And when you look at these scriptures, it's really, really important that we find no mention of Easter. Easter is a pagan term. Easter is not a biblical reference. But the church has adapted itself to paganism, to devil worshipping Catholicism. You know, the church of Rome, the church of man, the religious connotations, the church of England. I've got to look. Where has the church of England come from? Where has Catholicism come from? We know the birthplaces, all that. And what church do I follow? Do I follow that religious church or do I follow the church that is in the book of Acts, acts chapter two, the birth of the church of Jesus Christ? But what we are looking at is the Passover.
Speaker 2:So if you are with me tonight, if you're with me tonight and you're in the book of Exodus, chapter 12, if you look in Exodus, chapter 12, what is really, really interesting in these scriptures as we look tonight, it says in Exodus, chapter 12, and just at the top, my word, my Bible, says it's referring about the Passover. So when you read from verse 1 and you go all the way through to verse 12, 13, 14, 15, and then when you get down to verse 17 as well, it says they're celebrating the feast of the unleavened bread, because it was on that very day that I bought your division out of Egypt, celebrating this day. So when you look at all this stuff. You know there's so much to get from this tonight and I just want to look at Exodus, chapter 12, as we look at Exodus, chapter 12, verse 1. And it says there the Lord said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt this month isn't it interesting, the word Egypt?
Speaker 2:You know when Christ was birthed, and it says very clearly that his mom and his father, you know Joseph and Mary took him into Egypt. They was hidden in Egypt. They was taken into Egypt. God told them to go into Egypt, a very dangerous, a very volatile place, a place that was not a good place to be. It wasn't a good place to bring up a child. But when you look at that, god had a a reason for that. And when we understand and what are the reasons for that, you know, god tells us through the scriptures really, really interesting, as we see what's going on and whoever's joining us online tonight we welcome you across the world.
Speaker 2:And as you look at this, we're in the book of Exodus, chapter 12, verse 1, verse 2 and verse 3, and as we look at these scriptures and it says there it mentions Egypt and the New Testament talks about Egypt, really, really important. The New Testament talks about Egypt and God says out of Egypt I drew my son. Now what are we reading here? We are reading about the birth and the coming together of what, the Passover, the Passover lamb. When we understand what the lamb represents, the unblemished lamb Jesus is referenced through the scripture as the lamb of God, the unblemished lamb. It's really important for me, as a Bible-believing believer, to understand that communion hasn't come out of catholicism, communion hasn't come out of the pentecostal movement. Communion, as we take it on sundays, hasn't come out of elim, hasn't come out of the church of england.
Speaker 2:This, this what we, what we take and what we take part of the first part of it. The first part of it, the blood, comes out of exodus, chapter 12, because it tells us and it shows us through instruction, through the word that god says take a lamb, a lamb that has no blemish, a young lamb. It has no blemish, it is not marked, and jesus christ was the unmarked. He was, he was not marked in any way. He was, was clean, he was pure, he was without sin. That's what the Bible says. So when we take bread and we take it a cup, we're not doing it because of church and religion. On Sundays and Mondays and Wednesdays, and when we're online and we're in the Lord's house, we're doing it because of the Bible, tells us. It's not because of the wills of religion, but we're doing it because of the word of God.
Speaker 2:And as we pick up these scriptures, it says there very clearly this month is to be for you to be the first month, the first month of the year. Then it says, verse three tell the whole community of Israel, on the 10th day of each month, a man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. The household is too small to hold to share it. And as you read it down and as you quickly read it through, we don't have the time to go all the way through it, but as we read up, and it says in verse five, the animals you should choose should be a year old, male, without defect. You may take that, this lamb or this sheep or this goat, and, depending where you're from and and god is referencing two different types, one that is for the egyptians and what he's referring to, the gentiles, all those that are far off, it's really, really powerful what, what we're at.
Speaker 2:And it talks about the animals to take and it says take care of them until the 14th day of the 14th month, when the people of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. It's really, really important we understand what it means by twilight. And it says they are to take some of the blood and put it at the sides and the top of the doorframe of their house where they eat the lambs, right. So what God is saying is, when you sacrifice the lamb, take the blood, put the blood, put it in the bowl at the foot of your doorway, get a stick, get a hippus plant or get yourself a palm plant, whatever they was told, whatever they had, dip it in the basin of blood, put it over your doorpost, over the lintel of your house.
Speaker 2:When you look at what the instruction is absolutely clear. It tells us what to do completely. And it says, when you look at that and it go a little bit further, verse eight on that night you may eat the meat, roast it over the fire along with bitter herbs. Now, what he is saying here, it's really interesting what is on the Passover table. We don't do enough studying and sermonizing and looking at what the Passover table was. And it says take it, roast it over the fire along with bitter herbs and the bread made without yeast. Do not eat the meat raw, but cook it in water, roast it over the fire the head, the legs and the inner parts. Do not leave it until in the morning. And then, as you read it through, it gives us clear instructions Tuck your cloak in, eat it, and it's got all that sort of stuff. Eat it without any haste.
Speaker 2:And this is the Lord's Passoversover. See what it says. It talks about the passover. It is not talking about easter. It is not talking about the easter bunny. It is talking about the blood, the blood of the lamb. This is what we are doing at this time. This is what we should be focusing on ash wednesday.
Speaker 2:We look at ash wednesday, the focus of ash wednesday, through the world, through the wheels of religion and everything that goes along with that, and then it says there, on verse 12 of chapter 12, I'm sorry that I'm skipping through, time does not permit, but there's so much to get through. So, as we look at this, this is biblical, foundational Christianity, right at the core. It is nothing to do with Catholicism, nothing to do with the Pentecostal movements as we know it, nothing to do with the Church of England. It is everything to do with the Word of God. It is biblically based. So you do not find the word Lent. You do not find the word Lent. You don't find that there at all. It has been brought in by the council, it's been brought in by the Pope and, for some unknown reason, the mass area of church has allowed ourselves to get swept along under the euphoria and the religious wheels. It is Lent. It is Lent. It is Lent. It is biblical. It is not biblical. It is not biblical.
Speaker 2:I should be thinking about fasting when God calls me to fast. I should be thinking about praying when God calls me to pray for self-discipline through every day of my life, not just because religion is telling me it is the time of Lent. Moving with the world's calendar, and it says in verse 12, on that same night I will pass through Egypt, strike down every firstborn, and it says, both men and animals, I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. Egypt is mentioned a few times through this text because what God is doing? God is preparing us for redemption. He is preparing the world for the redeeming lamb of God. He is preparing us. So through this scripture we are seeing extreme, clear biblical fact Mary is not on the page, the disciples are not on the page. Jesus is on the page. God is on the page, the fire of God is on the page, judgment is on the page, but when you look at it it's talking about the blood, the blood of the lamb. It is a forerunner. It is telling us that it is a forerunner of the redeeming king. Isaiah prophesies of the coming king. Isaiah prophesies of the coming king. He prophesies that a young woman, mary, a young woman, will carry child and on him will be the governance and everything will be upon his shoulders. He will be sacrificed.
Speaker 2:See, catholicism wasn't even nowhere in the throes of it. Christianity wasn't in the throes of it. All this stuff happens after the cross of Calvary. Suddenly, out of Rome, we get Catholicism birth. Catholicism comes out of Rome and out of all that stuff you can follow it and trace it. Catholicism and the Church of Rome is not the Church of Jesus Christ. The Church of England is not the Church of Jesus Christ.
Speaker 2:Is the Pentecostal movement the Church of Jesus Christ? No, there are so many areas of failure. What we got to look at is where is the church? What is the church? It is in the book of Acts, chapter 2. When you look at this scripture, on that night, on that same night, I will. Who's he referring to? He's referring to the eternal God.
Speaker 2:Mary is not on the page, the disciples are not on the page, no human being is on the page, but God. When you look at this, the judgment of God, it says on that same night, on that same night, I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn, both men and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. It is talking about Egypt. God took Mary and Joseph and Jesus right into Egypt. The reason he took them into Egypt was to show us that the scriptures are alive and powerful, because what was coming out of Egypt at this time? The Passover. Who is Jesus, the Passover? He is the sacrificial atoning lamb of God.
Speaker 2:We are not celebrating Easter. We are celebrating the Passover. We are not celebrating paganism. We are celebrating Jesus Christ, who was raised from the dead on the third day. That sickness couldn't hold him. Death could not hold him. The Romans couldn't hold him. Pontius, pilate, herod could not hold him, the Jews could not hold him, the Romans could not hold him, the world could not hold him down. Lucifer and all the demonic forces could not hold Jesus Christ back. He was coming back from the grave. Why? Because he is the atoning sacrifice. He is the king of kings and the lord of lords. All this happened before Catholicism got birthed, and out of Catholicism came the church of England. That's why Catholicism and the Church of England run so close together, because out of the Catholic, out of the Roman emperor, out of all that came religion. It is a man-made church. It is not the Church of Jesus Christ. The only church that we can say is of Jesus is the book of Acts, the church of Jesus Christ.
Speaker 2:When you look at these scriptures, it is clear and it says I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord, I am the Lord. Mary is not mentioned on the page. Joseph is not mentioned on the page. It says the blood will be a sign. The blood of what? What are we referring to here? God, what? What is the sign? The blood will be a sign. The blood of what? The blood of the lamb, what? What is this lamb? This lamb is the forerunner of Jesus Christ.
Speaker 2:God is giving us the Passover. As you read it down, it tells you clearly what it is all about. It says the blood will be a sign for you and your houses, where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt. This is the day that you are to commemorate for the generations to come. You shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord, as a lasting ordinance. What is this feast? What is it? It says celebrate the feast of the unleavened bread, because it was this day that I brought you up out of the division, out of Egypt. When you look at it, celebration of the Passover, the passing over of the angel of death. No church, no man, no Mary, no one present except God. No one present except God, except God, telling us I am preparing the world for the coming king. I am preparing, and then we can go right back to Genesis. We can go if you have a Bible.
Speaker 2:We got a bit of moment. Go back to Genesis, go right back to Genesis. So from the garden to the cross. And I'm not talking about the garden of Gethsemane, I'm talking about the garden of Eden. Humanity lost it in the garden of Eden. God retrieved it through Christ in the garden. God retrieved it in the New Testament.
Speaker 2:So when you go back even further so we are looking at redemption I need to understand that we are redeemed, that we are redeemed redemption. We have been brought back. See, we can't buy ourselves salvation, because it's already been put in process before we was even birthed. So we can't suddenly just make ourselves Christians, we can't make ourselves Bible-believing believers. That comes through revelational knowledge, that comes through the power of God. And God does that in his timing. It doesn't matter how bad we think of ourselves, what we look at ourselves. Something is really clear here, and we can finish this up in John 3.3. Because at ourselves, something is really clear here, and we can finish this up in John 3, 3, because Jesus says you must be born again. So let's go right back to Genesis.
Speaker 2:Genesis, chapter 1, verse 3. Genesis, chapter 1, verse 3, we see what we don't see the birth of humanity. We see the birth of creation. I'll use that terminology Genesis, chapter 1, verse 3. And God says let there be light. He was preparing the world for creation. But on the outside, and on the outside of the envelope of the physical realm, he was preparing the physical world for the coming king of the redeeming king. He says let there be light out of everything that he created. The first words that the world hears and recalls God speaking about is let there be light. He could have created anything in any which way, any formula, but he has put down in the book of Genesis, genesis, chapter 1, verse 3. God said let there be light. What was he doing? He was preparing the physical realm for the coming of the king that was and was still in the spiritual realm. He was preparing the world. But we look at that and we look at it through educational eyes, as we've said before, and we see creation. But God is speaking deeper than education. He's speaking in revelational knowledge. He says let there be light. He was preparing us for redemption. He was preparing us for Jesus Christ.
Speaker 2:Jesus says I am the light of the world, I am the. He was referring to what? What was God creating? God was creating the world as we understand it. God was creating the world and Jesus refers right back to Genesis, chapter 1, verse 3 I am the light of the world. Twofold he was speaking about. So, when you look at these scriptures that we're in, the Bible already brings in redemption at the point of creation. God does not wait for the fall of the garden of Adam and Eve. He doesn't wait for the fall before he creates redemption. He creates redemption as he creates the world as we know it. I am the light of the world. Jesus says I am the light of the world.
Speaker 2:So when you look at Genesis, chapter 1, verse 3, and God said let there be light. Genesis moves on and it talks about creation, it talks about light, it talks about darkness and all of a sudden, in the same area, it says that God saw the light was good and he separated the light from darkness. So there was a separation in the physical realm, just portraying what was already known in the spiritual realm, because the physical realm is secondary to the spiritual realm. That has already happened. So this has already happened in the planning and in the understanding that God and Christ and the Holy Spirit already had a plan outside of eternity.
Speaker 2:So when God said let there be light, he was preparing us through reading, through understanding that God was getting a redemption plan already in the book of Genesis. And as you start reading it, and God said let there be light. And there was. And he saw that the light was good and he separated the light from darkness. So light and darkness were woven together. So what he is doing there, we understand through education and through creation that the light is for us to light up the day. Night is is created because we need light, so that we will go to sleep, because because of all the biological processing and all that.
Speaker 2:So God created light and darkness simply, as we look at this, for human, the human race, to be able to work by daylight and to rest by a nightfall. That is that. But when he says he separated, he wasn't just referring to for us to walk in the daylight and to sleep at night. He's referring that I need to separate, because there needs to be a separation between the light and the darkness, because it can't be together. Very interesting. So as he separated that, he was creating the light of the world. And as he created that and he separated and put darkness over there that is Lucifer's ball pit the darkness. So God was preparing through creation, he was preparing through Genesis, chapter 1, the world to get ready to receive redemption. So from the garden, from the creative voice of God, right up to the cross, because at the cross everything came to not a finish but a fulfillment. Fulfillment Because the Old Testament is still moving today, alive and well, because God says through Christ, I am the same yesterday, today and forevermore.
Speaker 2:So as we look at religion now, as religion is looking very clearly, what we call Lent and what they call Easter. So Lent is an Anglo-Saxon word, you know, easter is a pagan word, so when you put the two together, it is devil worshipping. It is devil worshipping. It's not about Jesus, it's about the Easter bunny, it's about Lent and it's about all the other stuff that is woven together in pagan worship. So am I going to worship pagan gods?
Speaker 2:And what did God do in Exodus, chapter 12, verse 12? The blood will be a sign and I will destroy and take out all the foreign gods, because there is only one God. And God has already told us in Exodus, chapter 12, that I will destroy all the other gods of Egypt. Why did he pick Egypt? Egypt was a nation that was steeped in demonic worship. Egypt now is steeped in demonic worship. Egypt is steeped in demonic worship, and it was. But what God done? He hid the atoning sacrifice right in the devil's playground, right in the foreface of Lucifer.
Speaker 2:And what we find in the New Testament? It says and God said that I drew my son out of Egypt. What is happening in Egypt? In Exodus, chapter 12, verse 12, 1, 2, 3, all the way through, god is telling us that I'm preparing you for the Passover. What is Jesus? Jesus is the Passover lamb. We've got to close in a moment. We've got to bring this to some form of a full stop.
Speaker 2:So, as the world and paganists and devil worshipers celebrate Lent and they lift up Lucifer through all the mechanisms that go through that about Lucifer, through all the mechanisms that go through that, I've got to tell myself that Lent has no biblical base. The only place that I could draw a pencil line is through fasting, self-discipline and prayer. But actually that has been stripped out of Lent because suddenly it's become this religious activity and the Bible says pray without ceasing. My life is a lifestyle of prayer, my life is a lifestyle of worship. And as we look at these scriptures, so from the garden and not from the garden of Gethsemane, so what we find? I'll mention these two points as we come to the table from the garden of Eden, and before the garden of Eden, god was preparing the world for redemption.
Speaker 2:When we see man being created, when we see Eve coming onto the scene and we see that they fell in the garden. So man lost it in the most beautifulest garden the world has ever seen. The human beings lost it. They lost it in the first garden. Jesus got it in the third garden. What do you mean? The third garden? There are three gardens. The Bible says the first one is Eden, the second one was the garden of Gethsemane, and the third garden that we don't realize and we don't talk about is basically where the crucifixion took place, so where humanity lost it in the first, jesus retrieved it in the third.
Speaker 2:How many crosses are there at Calvary? Three. How many days was Jesus in the tomb? Three, how many nows? Three. It's very, very interesting when you study right back, right when God said let there be light, he was preparing the human race for the fall. And then when you get to the second garden, the garden of Gethsemane, jesus is in the garden. He's in the 50-50 place. If it is possible, take this cup from me. He could have mentioned anything. He didn't mention the cross, did he? If it is possible, take the cross from me. He mentioned the cup. What are we referring to? We are referring to the redemption cup on the Passover table, the third cup. What number is the third? Number three. You can't make this stuff up, you can't work this out. Three crosses, four cups, the third cup that he took three days in the tomb.
Speaker 2:When you look at everything, three nows, three crosses, three days in when you bring all this together, when you get to grips with the word of God, it is powerful, it is life changing. So when Jesus was in the 50-50 garden I call it, it was in the middle garden because the human race lost it in the first. Jesus is in the 50-50, in the garden of Gethsemane, and the Bible says that when they laid him to rest he was in a borrowed tomb that was in Christ, a garden. So we see victory at the cross, we know there's victory at the cross, but when the, the Romans and the world looked at the cross, they didn't realize that he was going to be risen on the third day. So they laid him to rest in a borrowed tomb that was in a garden. So when you look at the garden, the third garden, it says that the angels were seated to the left, to the right, to the foot, to the head, and they said he's not here, he has risen and it says that the disciples and Mary and all that they ran to the garden tomb. See, humanity lost it in the first, lost it in the first. It was retrieved and it was the 50, 50 in the garden where, when Jesus said, if it is possible, take it from me, take this cup from me, he didn't say the cross, he was referring to the redemption cup, the cup, because the cup was the redeeming cup. But he had to go to the cross because there had to be bloodshed. So that's why he didn't mention the cross. He said, if it is possible, take this cup from me, because he knew the cup represented bloodshed. So in the second garden, the 50 50 garden, jesus is going. If it's possible, if it's possible, is there another's possible? Is there another way?
Speaker 2:But we understand that angels came down and they ministered to him and they gave him strength and he went out of the garden of Gethsemane and we understand. That's when Judas Iscariot came and I call it I've done a sermon on it a podcast the kiss that changed the world. That's when Judas Iscariot kissed and identified Jesus. Why did he need to kiss him? Because there were so many people in that garden and what was they celebrating Not Easter, they were celebrating the Passover feast. So Jesus was in the crowd and it was at twilight. Where did we mention twilight Back in the book of Exodus? It was dark, we wasn't able to see. Where is Jesus in the twilight? What does God say in Exodus, chapter 12? He talks about the tw, the 50-50 garden.
Speaker 2:The garden of Gethsemane identifies the lamb. We know that they arrest him and we understand what happens. But what we understand is salvation didn't actually come. Was it when Christ bowed his head? The Bible says that he died. So what we find is that three days later it says why are you looking for the living among the dead? So where was this tomb? It was in a garden, three gardens that the Bible talks about the first where it was lost, talks about the first where it was lost. The second where Jesus was 50-50 conversation with himself because he is God, but he was speaking to God as the Father in the garden of Gethsemane. And then suddenly we find that the angels are sitting at the head, one at the foot, one at the head and as they rush in, where did they run? They ran through the garden because the tomb was in the garden and Christ recovered it and victory was done where we understand that victory was done at the cross. But then we see the fulfillment. The fulfillment coming out when he came out of where, when he came out of the grave. So when he came out of the grave, there was a borrowed tomb that was in the third garden. Unbelievable, but believable.
Speaker 2:We're going to have to finish. We're going to have to pause here. We're going to have to pause. We're going to come to the break and the bread. So when we break bread and we take it a cut, what's really, really important is that this is not of the Church of England, of the Pentecostal movement, of the evangelical movement. This is not of a Catholicism. This is coming right back to the beginning of time, right back. This goes back to Genesis.
Speaker 2:You know what does God say through Genesis? He says there is life in the blood. Before he even talks in Exodus, god says there's life in the blood. What was he referring to? He was referring to there is hope and salvation in the blood, because there had to be bloodshed for the remission of sin. So Jesus is the atoning, sacrificial lamb, mind-blowing.
Speaker 2:So I've got to look at Lent extremely different. Lent is religion. Lent is of the religious world. The Passover is of the. The Passover is of the plan of God. Father, as we take of this cup, as we take of this bread tonight, father, we thank you. And we didn't even get to the point, get to the Passover table really. And when Jesus was at the Passover, he broke bread and he took the cup and he said this is my body which was broken for you. And he took the cup and he said this is my body which was broken for you. Where was the break point? The break point was in the 50-50 garden, in the garden of Gethsemane, because that was when Jesus started to break. Yes, he did.
Speaker 2:Jesus started to break because the Bible says his sweat was like droplets of blood. So what does that indicate? That indicates highest of highest levels of stress and anxiety. Science actually says that a human being can sweat blood when extreme extremities of fear and doubt and anxiety you can sweat. And doubt and anxiety, you can sweat. So the Bible is telling us something thousands of years ago that science is just saying yes, that is correct.
Speaker 2:So the Bible says his sweat was like droplets of blood, droplets of blood of sheer anguish, of sheer brokenness, of sheer pain, because he knew that brokenness of sheer pain, because he knew that he had to go to the cross. But he said, if it is possible, if it is possible, take this cup from me, because the cup was redemption. The cross was the physical representation of salvation, but it was the cup and the blood. So, as we bread, father, bless this bread tonight, lord, as we dip it in the cup and we say thank you for the, for the, the body of christ, and as we take this tonight, father, we thank you that this bread symbolizes the, the body of christ, that was broken for us in jesus name. Amen. The Bible says in the same way. After supper, he took the cup and he said this cup is a new covenant, this is the new covenant. Take it and do this in remembrance of me. Father, cleanse me from the crown of my head to the sole of my feet In the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Speaker 2:Just a quick run through tonight, an absolute run through tonight, an absolute run through fast, as we had to move and I pray that we got something from that. Really, really important for me to understand that I'm not celebrating lent, that I'm not celebrating easter, I'm celebrating the pass over, the pass over, the pass over of the angel of destruction, the God of judgment. He passed over and he said clearly the blood will be a sign, and that's what happened at the cross the blood will be a sign of redemption. The remission of sin Jesus had to be sacrificed. Permission of sin Jesus had to be sacrificed, so powerful.
Speaker 2:Let's pray, dear God and Heavenly Father, as we have been in the Word of God tonight.
Speaker 2:We pray for such an outpouring of your Spirit. We pray for such an outpouring of your Spirit, lord, that you will stir us in the name of Jesus, that you will bless us in the name of Jesus, that you, dear God, will come down and restore us in the name of Jesus, that you will bless us in the name of Jesus, that you, dear God, will come down and restore us in the name of Jesus, that tonight will be the night. Tonight will be the night, lord, where we understand that redemption doesn't come from the religious wills, that redemption comes from God, through Christ and through the blood of Jesus. So I thank you that we are redeemed, I thank you that we are covered in the blood of Jesus and tonight, lord, will you wash us and cleanse us, lord. I thank you, lord, that all have sinned and fallen short of thy glory.
Speaker 2:We thank you for the book of Romans. That really clearly gives us strong biblical reference that God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, that Jesus Christ is the atoning sacrifice. He is the king of kings and the lord of lords. Bless us. We pray in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen. God bless every one of you. Take care.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to us today on Reverend Ben Cooper's podcast. We hope you found inspiration and guidance in today's audio. Remember the journey of faith is a continuous one and your questions and thoughts are important. You can send us a text or an email and we will get back to you. So, wherever you are around the world, thank you for listening to our podcasts and radio ministry. For more information about our ministry, please find us on pastorbencoopercouk. Please support us with prayer. Also, you can sow a financial seed into this ministry. You can also leave us a legacy to support and continue the work of this radio ministry. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and share it with others who might benefit. Until next time, stay blessed, I'm not going to lie.
