By John Roberts, June 1, 2008

Some of the most important verses in all of scripture were spoken by the Lord at the Last Supper.  The Apostles were gathered together to eat the Passover.  Christ knew that His hour had come, He would soon depart to be with the Father.  His attention turned to the Apostles and the future of the Church.

By this time the disciples had walked with the Lord for years.  He was always there with them.  Now they would be on their own.  Jesus knew this would leave His followers traumatized and confused.  The Apostles needed to be warned, enlightened, comforted, and prepared for the road ahead.

Jacopo Bassano's Last Supper is a masterpiece of 16th-century Italian painting, and one I like much more than Leonardo's painting.  Jacopo captures the dramatic scene when Christ announced, "Most assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me."  Notice the barefoot fishermen, a sign of service with humility, and how the light passes through a glass of wine and stains the clean tablecloth red.

Remember, the Apostles were still clueless about almost everything.  Like most Jews, they were looking for the Messiah to liberate them from Roman domination and set up the promised Kingdom.  They had no idea that Jerusalem would be destroyed.  Nor did they understand that they were eating a meal with the sinless Passover Lamb, God in the flesh, come into the world to die for sin.

From a theological standpoint, their frame of mind was still back in the Old Covenant of Judaism.  They had not yet fully grasped the reality that the law was only a temporary place holder and pointer to a New and better Covenant.  The Apostles were about to become instruments in God's hands for molding the Church and spreading the gospel.  This was the final day of school for the Apostles.  They needed one last clear and concise lesson before their teacher departed.

Christ's words that night are recorded in the four gospels, with a detailed account given in John.  And it reads like a Christianity 101 text book: 

"I am the way the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me."

"And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.  And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."

"He who has seen Me has seen the Father."

"I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you."

"Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  And If I go and prepare a place for you I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.  And where I go you know, and the way you know."

"Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him."

"Abide in Me, and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me."

As you can see Christ spoke openly and clearly to the Apostles.  No more parables or disguised messages.  Yet, it is evident from their questions that the Apostles were not grasping the significance of what was taking place. 

Which is understandable.  I can image how all of this must have caught the Apostles a bit off guard.  Here they were gathered to eat the Passover together when the Lord revealed the plot against Him and announced His departure.  Who was His betrayer?  Where was He going?  How could they know the way?  "Show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us."  The Apostles' response to Jesus reveals a lot about their state of mind of at that time. 

Granted, the Apostles were eyewitnesses to Christ.  They saw first hand how Jesus performed miracles, raising the dead, healing the sick, forgiving sins, and fulfilling Messianic prophecy.  Yet Christ's words were not sinking in. 

All that would change at Pentecost, when the "Helper" the Lord spoke of came to the Apostles and they were baptized with the Holy Spirit.  Then their eyes were opened, and they were changed.  These very same men became as courageous as King David, taking the gospel to the ends of the Roman Empire.  And such is the power of God, that we see this very same transformation in every new believer when they are born again with the Spirit.

Christ knows our limitations and doubts.  We must accept Him on faith, but for those that care to look God left us with plenty of proof in the form of prophecy.  If you can't accept His words only, then believe when you see prophecy fulfilled.  That is why the Lord said, "Now I tell you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I am He." 

This is what separates Old Testament Judaism and Christianity and the Gospel from all other faiths and religions.  We have the written record of thousands of prophecies, which are 100% accurate, not a single one has gone unfulfilled at the appropriate time.  Others claim prophets, sacred scriptures, other testamonies and ways to salvation, but they can't back it up with fulfilled propehcy.  Only the Holy Bible with it's proven historicity and public record contains verifiable prophecy.  That is by itself proof and validation that Jesus is the Christ, and He is the only way to Heaven.

Not everyone is interested in prophecy (Eschatology) or what it was like to live as a Jew in the time of Christ.  But if you want to put yourself into the shoes of the Apostles at the Last Supper, and understand what they were thinking, a brief primer on these two topics can help.

The Nature Of Prophecy

History and prophecy are forever linked.  You can't have one without the other.  The fulfillment of prophecy is sure and pre-ordained.  Which makes Biblical prophecy a window into future history.

All prophecy originates with God.  It is a form of information known as "revelation," something we can not ascertain on our own apart from God.  Think of prophecy as divine communication, information about the future delivered from God to men, expressed in the terms of the day.

In the past the conduit or medium for prophecy came in many forms, the most common of which was the prophet.  Many religions claim to have modern day prophets or the "gift of prophecy," but all fail the test; which requires 100 percent accuracy.  Sometime in the future two great prophets will witness in Israel (Revelation 11), but it's not time for that just yet.

Don't worry, God has not left our generation in the dark.  We don't have prophets right now, but we are blessed above many previous generations because we have something they did not, the word of God documented in the King James Holy Bible and the Holy Spirit to help us understand it. 

There are over 31,000 verses in the King James of which somewhere between 25 to 30 percent address prophetic events.   Which means the Holy Bible is mostly a book of prophecy.  And Israel and Chirst are the primary topic of much of this prophetic scripture.  This type of prophecy is called Messianic Prophecy, the revelation of the sinless Lamb and Savior of the world.

Messianic Prophecy is divided into two basic subjects.  One is the First Coming of Christ in the flesh to be our atonement for sin, which has already been fulfilled.  And the other is the Second Coming of Christ in all His glory to defeat the armies attacking Jerusalem, lift Israel up above all nations, bring salvation back to the Jews, and rule the world from his tabernacle on the Temple Mount, which will be fulfilled soon.  You can see now why Revelation 19:10 says, "The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."

And make no mistake about it there is no other written testimony of Jesus Christ because there is no need for it.  The King James is the complete record of the gospel of Christ from the beginning of creation to a New Heaven and Earth.  And the Dead Sea Scrolls have proven the King James translation to be spot on, as accurate a conversion to a common language as we need.

Among the millions of books that have been published none can compare with the Holy Bible.  It exudes the perfection of its divine origin, which is what makes it so unique.  It's literary credentials are unmatched; perfect story, perfect substance, perfect style, perfect structure, and perfect grammar.  Yet the Bible is not a record of oral fictional imaginative stories as some say, but rather a cohesive body of work consisting of facts, actuality, reality, and ancient history and future events.

This is amazing considering the Holy Bible is a compilation of 66 separate books and letters penned over a period of 1,500 years in three languages by over 40 different authors from all different walks of life, and divided into two Testaments.  But never forget that the Holy Bible is Divine literature.

With such diversity one would think the books of the Bible would be very disjointed.  But just the opposite is true.  Every book stands on its own yet they all flow well and fit together and shed additional light on each other.  Even the Old and New Testaments fit together like a hand in a glove.

This wonderful cohesion between all the elements of scripture allows us to read the Bible from cover to cover, book by book, or follow a particular topic of interest where ever it may be addressed throughout the whole Bible.   All this made possible because God is the inspiration and glue that binds scripture together.

What this means is that the Holy Bible is an indispensable well of truth for believers.  Along with the guidance from the Holy Spirit the Bible is our primary source for understanding everything God wants up to know.

Living In The Time Of Christ

Judaism in the first century did not resemble what we see today.  All called themselves Jews, but they did not share a common doctrine.  They were fractured into many competing sects in the same way Christian denominations are divided today.  And just living back then was difficult because the Jews were not free, they were under the thumb of the Roman Empire.

The Romans

The Romans were the super power 2,000 years ago, and the Jews were living under their occupation.  They worshiped their Emperor as a god, and viewed themselves as a super-race, entitled to conquer and rule the ancient world.  And their rule was harsh.

They kept the masses in line by hand picking the Jewish monarchies and controlling the priesthood.  The Romans impounded the vestments of the High Priest and returned them to be worn only on feast days.  When these mechanisms failed to keep the peace the Roman Legions could always be counted on to restore Rome's authority.

The Sadducees

Chief among the Jewish sects were the Sadducees, coming from the wealthy and upper class.  They had a lot of power because they held top position, the office of High Priest.  They also controlled the Sanhedrin, the religious ruling body.  Yet the Sadducees did not believe in a resurrection, angles or spirits.   Imagine that, religious leaders that did not believe in an afterlife!  That is like appointing an atheist to pastor a local church. 

Religion was their business, and the activities on the Temple Mount generated a lot of money.  Exchanging currencies, selling sacrificiall animals, taking in offerings, was all necessary to support the Temple activities.  But using God's work to make a profit, as some did, angered God.  That is why Christ went up to God's House with a whip and straightened out the money changers.

The Pharisees

The Pharisees were another Jewish sect in those days.  Modern day Judaism is an offspring of this sect.  They believed in a resurrection and after life.  They were in favor with the common people.  And they were distinguishable from the other sects by their fanatical adherence to keeping up the outward appearances of religion.  Compliance with the law and traditions were the center of their doctrine.  They wanted the Romans gone, and therefore did not believe in paying the Roman tax.

The Herodians

The Herodians were a political party in Jerusalem and Judea, and another big force of influence in those days.  They were supporters of the Herod family, friends and allies of Caesar.  They were appointed by Rome to be the ruling dynasty in Israel at the time of Christ.  Consequently, they accepted the Romans.

In scripture we find the Herodians teaming up with the Pharisees and Sadducees on various occasions in an attempt to trap Jesus with difficult questions.  They believed in paying Caesar tribute and the Pharisees did not.  When these two groups approached Christ and asked if they should pay the tax they did so thinking Christ could not answer without offending either the Herodians and Rome, or the Pharisees.  But they were wrong.  You can't outsmart God.

The Zealots

The Zealots were another political movement in the 1st century.  They opposed Roman rule and the Herodian dynasty on the grounds that only a Jew descended from King David and had the God given right to rule Israel.  Their movement focused on inciting the people to revolt against the Roman Empire.

The Essenes

The historian Josephus and many others speak of yet another major religious sect which they called the Essenes.  The Essenes gained much attention in modern times with the discovery for their library at Qumran.  Known as the Dead Sea Scrolls, their work is divided into biblical and non-biblical categories.  Fragments of every book of the Old Testament (Hebrew canon) have been discovered, except the book of Esther, most predating Christ.

This discovery is very important because it represents evidence that the Messianic prophecies in today's King James translation are in agreement with the Tanakh used by the Jews before Jesus' time.  This not only proves the accuracy and historicity of the King James Bible, but it also proves that Jews had written evidence that Jesus was the Messiah they were waiting for.

The New Covenant

Although fractured, all of these sects and political parties that comprised Judaism in the time of Jesus were rooted in the Old Covenant, Moses, and the Law.  What the Jews did not realize at the time is God never intended for the Old Covenant to last.  It was only a precursor for something to come.  Everyone was competing for control of a religion that God preordained to be replaced with a New Covenant at the First Coming of the Messiah.

Once a Covenant is broken it is no longer valid.  That is the problem with placing yourself back under the Law as Jews and some Christians do today.  You can not keep the Sabbath today as required by the Law.  The very act of getting in your car on Saturday and driving to Church or a Temple violates the Sabbath.  We are human, we make mistakes, so it is impossible to comply with the Law 100 percent of the time, and we see that over and over again in scripture.  And if the Jews could not keep it, a people with dedication and commitment to God and tradition, then no one could. 

The Jews focused on keeping their actions in line with the commandments.  But Christ pointed out that merely having a bad thought is as good as breaking a commandment.  That is how we know the law could not be kept, it can not save, it only condemns.

We also know that the blood of animals can not cover sin.  This was instituted as a pointer to Christ, the real sacrificial Lamb.  In fact, everthing in the Old Testament points to Christ.

But the Jews were blind to this fact.  Why?  Like all of us, they were caught up in the everyday affairs of this world and lost focus of all the Messianic prophecies in the Word that pertained to Christ.  They were not expecting His arrival, even though John the Baptist had prepared the way and gave them foreknowledge.

Likewise, the Apostles at the Last Supper were oblivious at first.  They thought God and salvation belonged to the Jews only.  They did not realize that Gentiles would have a chance to be saved, and that the gospel was fulfilling the law.  They wanted Christ to reveal Himself to the world as the Messiah, come to establish the Millennial Kingdom.  But instead, so that prophecy could be fulfilled and salvation brought to all of us, Christ instructed the Apostles on the gospel at the Last Supper.

Tenets Of The New Testament

1. Christ offered Himself, God in the flesh, on the cross for the remission of sins.
2. Christ is the only way to salvation.
3. The Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, are the One and only God.
4. If you ask the Father in Christ's name, He will do it.
5. If you love Christ, keep His commandments.
6. When you are born again God sends the Holy Spirit to dwell in us.
7. To bear fruit we must be rooted in Christ.
8. The world hates us, as it hated Christ, but it loves its own.
9. The ruler of this world (Antichrist) is coming.
10. In Christ we have peace, in the world we will have tribulation.
11. Be of good cheer, Christ has overcome the world.
12. Christ will come again and receive us (Rapture and Resurrection) to Himself, that where He is we may be also.

John's Take

We are living in the last days.  Like the Apostles, our generation is about to see the fulfillment of prophecy and a dramatic change in the state of the world.  Christ knew that 2,000 years would pass before His Second Coming.  That is a long time for the Church and Israel to wait for Christ's return.  Enough time for doubt and false doctrine to creep into the minds of both Jews and Christians looking for the promise of the Lord and His kingdom.   There are those today that deny Christ as the only way to salvation.  Others deny the divinity of Jesus.  We also have so called Christian denominations that reject the Trinity.  Others that say the Second Coming has already taken place, and some deny the Pre-Tribulation Rapture.  And there are leaders of churches that set themselves over and above those they serve, even claiming to be infallible. 

Christ addressed all these things at the Last Supper, which makes His words the perfect source of scripture for rebuking those that spread false doctrine today:

• When Quakers and Jehovah's Witnesses deny the Trinity and divinity of Jesus, you can point them to the Last Supper.
• When Oprah and the President express their belief that there are many ways to get to Heaven, you can say, "Not so.  At the Last Supper Christ said He is the only way to salvation."
• When you hear a Seventh-day Adventist say they are keeping the Sabbath by driving to church on Saturday you can say, "No you're not.  Driving violates the law, the Church was never commanded to keep the Sabbath, the Apostles met on the first day of the week when Christ rose, and Christ fulfilled the law at the cross."
• When you hear a Mormon claim to have "another testament of Jesus Christ" you can say, "No you don't, Christ said it all at the Last Supper, and He didn't mention Jospeh Smith Jr.'s name."
• When you hear people claim the "Rapture" was invented by John Nelson Darby in the 1830s you can say, "Not so, you're 1800 years off.  Go read what Christ had to say about the Second Coming in the 13th & 14th chapters of John."
• When people say the Pre-Tribulation Rapture is "escapism," you can say, "Your right, that's what God calls it."  "Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man."   Luke 21:36
• When you hear someone say prophecy has been fulfilled, we are in the Kingdom now, you can say, "Not so, the ruler of the world has not come."
• When you hear a man in Rome take the title of "Holy Father" you can say, "Read John 17:11, that title does not belong to you."
• When you hear a Gentile say that God is finished with Israel, the Church has replaced the Jews, you can say, "Not so, at the Last Supper Christ said none that have been given to Him would be lost."

God is not finished with Israel and the Jews.  From a Biblical perspective, Israel and the Jews represent much more than just another country and people.  Israel represents the Kingdom which God has promised to believers.  The Jews are a living, breathing, and walking literal representation of the Elect.  God often uses a literal sign for something spiritual as a reminder of His will and to help our understanding.

Jesus was a Jew, and the Apostles were Jews, don't forget that. Christianity and the Church are not an offshoot of Judaism as some claim, but rather Judaism's new form ordained by God.  Judaism served a purpose before Christ, but not after, because the gospel and faith has replaced the futile attempts at keeping the law. 

Practicing modern-day Judaism is like using a typewriter instead of a word processor.  The First Covenant and the law were used as a placeholder until Christ could do His work on the cross. 

The point is it doesn't matter if you are a Jew or Gentile or practice Judaism or Christianity, the only way to salvation is through Christ.  That was true in Old Testament times and it is true now under the New Testament.

This is what the "Jewish" Apostles were dealing with at the Last Supper, and what each and every one of us are dealing with in these last days.  They came to that final meal with Christ with preconceived ideas about their religion, Jesus, salvation, the Messiah, and the Kingdom.  In the course of a few hours everything they took for granted had changed.  The same will be true of our generation after the Rapture.

Obey God; spread the gospel of salvation though Jesus Christ, that is why we are here, and that is the fruit we are all commanded to bear.

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