today you can see from the screen behind me that I'm going to be talking to you today about the crucifixion and I'm going to be talking to you about Goltha which the Bible says is the place of the skull what does that mean well I think you're going to hear a very interesting answer but you know years ago when I was a child every year I heard the same message year after year after year about Easter and I wondered isn't there more to the story so I took a deep dive into the passion of Christ and wow I found things that no one had ever told me including what is Golgtha the place of the skull and today that's what we're going to see now we're also going to be talking today about the crucifixion and I'm warning you that when you talk about the crucifixion it is very graphic but my friends we need to understand what Jesus endured for us when he hung on that cross he shed his blood as a lamb slain before the foundation of the world this is what he was born for and he died on that cross and shed his own blood to purchase our redemption and we need to appreciate what Jesus did for us so today we're going to really go into detail about crucifixion but I want to remind you that if you need prayer we're here for you and we want to hear from you so reach out to us by calling us or by sending us an email and the moment we hear from you we're going to release our faith and Jesus is going to do something magnificent in your life he's waiting to work right now he's just waiting to be asked but if you'll write us or give us a call we'll pray with you and we'll ask the Lord to do exactly what needs to be done say amen and call us or send us an email but I'll be back in just a moment but first watch this do you know the story of Easter the resurrection of Jesus the empty tomb and the appearances to the disciples but did you know that's only part of the story in Rick Rener's new book Easter: The Rest of the Story Rick delves into the lesserk known details of the Easter story that are often overlooked details like who was Pontius Pilate what really happened to the Garden of Gethsemane what happened to the temple when Jesus died what exactly did the disciples witness on that miraculous morning why Easter is the absolute defining moment of our faith when you call or go online right now to order this book for just $45 you will receive this timeless keepsake with 300 pages of breathtaking illustrations your family can establish a practice that will enrich your Easter celebrations for generations perfect as a gift or to enhance your own holiday traditions order Easter the rest of the story today for just $45 call now or visit renter.org to order today I'm going to be talking about Golgatha the place of the skull which is where Jesus was crucified and today in the city of Jerusalem there are two sites that are called Golgatha one of them is also called the Garden Tomb or Gordon's tomb and the reason it's called Gordon's Tomb is because a general came from England in 1883 and when he found the site he said "Wow this looks like the real site where Jesus was crucified." And the reason he thought that was because nearby on the cliff is seemed to show the face of a skull carved into the rocks it was a natural formation but from a distance it looked like a skull and there was also an empty tomb nearby and so he assumed this must be the real site of the crucifixion and Jesus burial and resurrection and today it is operated by the garden tomb association and they do not say it is the authentic place of Jesus crucifixion and resurrection but they say it probably is similar to what that site first looked like where Jesus was crucified and where he was buried but there is another site and the other site is the church of the holy supplr when Constantine came to faith and declared the Roman Empire to be Christian his mother Helen was very committed to her faith and she came to Israel and she began to search for holy sites and she by interviewing people found the location where Jesus was crucified Golgtha and she found the tomb and a church eventually was built over the site and my friends that really is the authentic site now most Protestants don't like the Church of the Holy Supplr because it's covered with so many religious decorations and ornamentations they prefer the other site called the Garden Tomb because it is so simple and appears in nature the way that the garden tomb probably first appeared 2,000 years ago that over 2,000 years people have been coming to the church of the holy supplr the real site and they've been decorating it and honoring it and venerating it and now they've covered it with all kinds of ornamentations and religious decorations and Protestants particularly don't appreciate it but many people often say well where is Galatha well it's right there inside the church of the holy supplr and in fact you can ascend a set of steps to the top of a small hill or what remains of Goltha and when people see it they're taken back and they say "Well where is the rest of it this is the hill of Golgtha where is the rest of it?" Well history is very interesting so let me answer the question what happened to the hill of Golgtha in 1172 Italian architects begin to construct the Tower of Pisa in Pisa Italy and nearby they constructed the Cathedral of Pisa and wealthy people at that time in Pisa Italy wanted to be buried in sacred ground and there was no more ground more sacred than Golgtha so workers came to Israel and they began shipping away at Golgatha and finally they loaded five ships with the soil of Golgatha and transported it back to Pisa Italy and they put it in the central courtyard of the Cathedral of Pisa so the wealthy people of Pisa could be buried in sacred soil so today if you go to Israel and you go to the church of the holy supplr and you see Golgatha you might be surprised that it's so small and you may be among those who ask "What happened to it where's the rest of it?" Well to see the rest of it you got to go to Italy because that's where five ships took the soil of Golgtha so the wealthy people of that region could be buried in sacred soil that is just amazing to me but after Jesus was scourged he carried the upper portion of his cross the cross beam all the way to a hill which was called Golgtha and again the ruins of Golgtha can be seen today inside the church of the holy supplr now when most people today think of a cross they think of the typical cross which you see in most paintings which kind of looks like a plus sign but the Romans did not use that kind of a cross that image which you see in paintings today were created by painters during the mid mid middle ages but the crosses which the Romans used were T-shaped it was an upright post and it had a cross beam which set across the top and it looked more like a T than a plus and in reality these the cross was an upright post it had a notched groove along the top into which the cross beam was placed after a victim was nailed to the beam and the cross beam was normally about a 100 pounds and the victim carried it on his back all the way to the place of execution so the cross beam was placed on Jesus' back and Jesus be to carry this heavy heavy cross beam all the way to the place of execution and you can imagine how difficult this was because Jesus had already been so physically abused and he had been scourged his body was flowing with blood his back had been ripped open and now a 100B cross beam was placed across his shoulders and there's something else there was a sign hung around the neck of the person carrying the cross beam and the purpose of the sign was to announce the person's crime and the reason for which he was being crucified and normally the sign was written in Hebrew Greek and Latin and again it declared the person's crime and as the person would walk through the streets of the city carrying the cross beam the bystanders could look and could read the crime of the individual and this is why we read in Luke 23:38 "And a subscription also was written over him in the letters of Greek Latin and Hebrew this is the king of the Jews this sign announced Jesus crime that he had claimed to be the king of the Jews and as Jesus walked to his crucifixion this sign dangled from his neck and then ultimately it was hung on the cross so the people who walked by and saw him there would know why he had been crucified but as Jesus was walking to the place of Golgatha the place of execution we're told in Matthew 27:32 that the Roman soldiers compelled Simon ofSirene to bear Jesus cross this word compelled in Greek means to compel to coersse to constrain or to force someone into some kind of compulsory service and here we find that Jesus had been so beaten and was so weak that he needed help to carry his cross so they compelled Simon ofSirene to come alongside and to carry the cross beam on Jesus behalf but eventually Jesus ended up at a place called Golgatha which means the place of a skull listen to Matthew 27:33 it tells us that the Roman soldiers led Jesus to a place called Galatha that is to say the place of a skull well we know that Gordon believed the garden tomb was the place of the skull because the cliff seemed to resemble a skull but if you study the writings of early church fathers they tell a different story about what the word Goltha the place of the skull really means origin who was one of the most important early church fathers and was noted for his historical accuracy wrote that Jesus was crucified on the spot where Adam was buried now that is what origin said and whether or not this is true the fact is there really was an early widespread Christian belief that Jesus was crucified just above the place where Adam was buried we know in Matthew 27:51 that there was an earthquake that occurred at the time of Jesus crucifixion and the early church tradition said that Christ's blood ran down the cross into a crack in the rock below and drained through the crevice until it fell on the skull of Adam and this belief was so entrenched in early Christian tradition that Jerome who was the first to translate the Bible from Greek and Hebrew into Latin jerome one of the most prominent scholars of the early church referred to this fact in a letter that he wrote in the year 386 and he affirmed that Jesus really was crucified on the place where Adam was buried and that the blood of Jesus dripped down ran through the crevice and fell upon the skull of Adam now this is unknown to most western Christians but it is so accepted as a part of Orthodox Christianity and Orthodox doctrine that if you look at the crosses of the Orthodox church or the icons of the Orthodox church at the base of each one of those crosses in the icons or in the paintings you will see a skull most people assume that it symbolizes Jesus victory over death but in fact it symbolizes Adam's skull and they believe the blood of Jesus fell on that skull and if it's true I'm not saying that it is true but if it is true it is amazing that the second Adam Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world exactly on the spot where the first Adam the original sinner was buried and if Jesus blood really ran down a crack and fell upon Adam's skull this early tradition says this is symbolic of Jesus blood covering the sins of the human race i think that is amazing it is not provable but that really was believed by early Christian church leaders but what do we definitely know about the place of execution well we know that Jesus was crucified like a criminal just outside the walls of Jerusalem and we know from 1 Corinthians 15:es 3-4 Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures and that he was buried and he rose again on the third day according to the scriptures what is most important is not where the event took place but what is important is that the event did took place jesus really was crucified and when you come to Matthew 37:34 it gives us this insight they gave him vinegar to drink mingled with Gaul the word Gaul is really a word which referred to a special painkiller and there was a very special group of kind women in the city of Jerusalem who believed it was their job to help those that were suffering horrific deaths to have some kind of a painkiller and they made a homemade brew and this is what was given to Jesus in fact it was offered to Jesus twice but twice he rejected it because Jesus believed he was to drink the full cup of suffering but when you come to Matthew 27:35 it says "And they crucified him." The word crucified in Greek refers to an upright pointed stake that was used for the punishment of criminals it was used to describe those who were hung up impaled or beheaded and then publicly displayed it was used in connection with public execution and the point of hanging a criminal publicly was to bring further humiliation for the accused but crucifixion was one of the crulest and most barbaric forms of punishment in the ancient world in fact it was so horrible that Favius Josephus wrote that it was the most wretched of deaths and it was viewed with such horror that Cynica wrote a letter in which he stated that suicide was preferable to crucifixion but different parts of the world had different kinds of crucifixion for example in the east the victim was beheaded then was publicly displayed but among the Jews the victim usually was stoned and then hung on a tree and that is why we read in Deuteronomy 21 22 to 23 and if a man have committed a sin worthy of death and to be put to death and thou hang him on a tree his body shall not remain all night upon the tree but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day for he that is hanged is a cursed of God but at the time of Jesus crucifixion his crucifixion was entirely carried out by the Romans and once an accused person such as Jesus reached the place of crucifixion he was laid on the cross beam he carried with his arms outstretched then a soldier would drive a 5inch nail through each of his wrists not the palm of his hands but through his wrists into the crossbeam and after being nailed into the cross beam the victim was hoisted up by rope and the cross beam was dropped into a notch at the top of the upright post and when the cross beam dropped into the groove the victim experienced excruciating pain as his hands and wrists were wrenched by the sudden jerking motion and the weight of the victim's body caused his arms to be pulled out of their sockets josephus writes that the Roman soldiers out of rage and hatred amused themselves by nailing their prisoners in different postures but once the wrists were secured in place on the cross beam the feet came next and usually the feet were nailed through the ankles into the sides of the upright post now I have an illustration here which shows that Jesus ankles nailed into the side of the post this was typically the way that Romans crucified their victims but for the victim to breathe he had to push up by his feet which were nailed into the vertical beam and because the pressure on his ankles became unbearable it wasn't possible for him to remain in that position very long so eventually he would collapse back into the hanging position and as the victim pushed up and collapsed back down again and again over a period of time listen his shoulders eventually dislocated and popped out of joint and soon the outof joint shoulders were followed by the elbows and the wrists and these various dislocations caused the arms to be extended up to nine inches longer than usual resulting in terrible cramps in the victim's arm muscles and making it impossible for him to push up any longer added to all this torture was the agony caused by the constant grading of Jesus recently scourged back against the upright post and every time he pushed up to breathe and then collapsed he could feel the grading of that beam on his open back and then due to the extreme loss of blood and hyperventilation the victim would begin to experience severe dehydration and this explains why in John 19:28 we are told that Jesus said "I thirst." And then after several hours the victim's heart would begin to fail next his lungs would collapse and the excess fluids would begin filling the lining of his heart and lungs adding to the slow process of esphyxiation my friends this is painful to hear but this is what Jesus went through for you and for me and it is amazing that in Matthew 27:36 it says the soldiers sitting down they watched him there they sat and watched as all of this took place but what I want you to understand is the cross was shocking and the cross was appalling it was a disgusting repulsive nauseating stomach turning sight blood drenched down Jesus' torso blood poured from his head and from his brow blood ran like rivers from the deeply thorned flesh in his hands and his feet jesus eyes were matted with blood from the wounds in his brow his head bled from the crown of thorns the soldiers had pushed on his head and the whole scene was ugly unsightly repulsive sickening vile foul and revolting and that is why Peter wrote in 1 Peter chapter 1 18-19 for as much as you know you were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot my friends we need to understand and appreciate the price that was paid for our redemption and that's what we've been discussing today now I want you to watch this and then I'll be right [Music] back someone asked the question what does the place of a skull really mean well we first read about that in Matthew 27:33 where the Bible tells us they crucified Jesus at Golgatha that is to say the place of a skull this was a very notable place in Jerusalem because repeatedly it is where Adam's skull was buried and according to early Christian writers Jesus was crucified above that place and in fact early Christian writers write that when the earthquake took place at the time of the crucifixion Jesus blood ran down the cross down the crack into the grave below and fell on the skull of Adam symbolizing that the blood of Jesus would cover the sins of the human race now I don't know whether that is true or not but if you want to know what the place of a skull is that technically is what it refers to the place where Adam's skull was buried in Jerusalem and according to early Christian history Jesus was crucified just above that place are you tired of the same watered down Easter sermons rick Rener has a solution in his new series Easter: The Rest of the Story Rick explores the raw unfiltered aspects of Jesus's sacrifice this series is an opportunity to rediscover the profound spiritual significance of Easter and its lasting impact on our lives today in this powerful 15-part series you'll learn how many soldiers it took to arrest Jesus the reality of Judas's kiss of betrayal the horror of a Roman scourging the miraculous details of Jesus's resurrection available in digital or physical formats starting at just $24 this teaching holds the life-changing revelation found in the details of Jesus's death burial and resurrection which are the cornerstone of our faith his death was not just a tragic event it was a purposeful act of love that fulfilled God's plan for redemption by taking on the weight of our transgressions jesus brided the gap between sinful humanity and a holy God celebrate the gift of forgiveness grace and eternal life by ordering this series today in addition to this series you can also order the book Easter: The Rest of the Story this book brings new meaning to the 2,000-year-old history of our Savior with more than 30 stunning original illustrations order Easter: The Rest of the Story for just $45 don't miss this special offer of the bundle Easter the Rest of the Story call the number on your screen or go to renter.org to order call or go online now hey friends this is Rick Rener and look where I am i'm just outside the Tulsa headquarters building that is so wonderful and inside this building ministry is happening nonstop as people are calling and we're calling people and they're responding to teaching they can trust that is our prayer and God has been so good to enable us to move into this building and guess what the ministry expansion program is now 70% complete but we still have 30% that we need to retire the debt on on this facility and if you're not already a part of the ministry giving team would you please become a part of the team to help us retire the remaining 30% of the debt on this building wow what a victory that will be we'll shout hallelujah and you'll say hallelujah with us and people around the world will be benefited because finally funds will be released redirected so that we can take teaching people can trust to the ends of the earth today we've been looking at the process of crucifixion and what Jesus endured on the cross for me and for you my friends this was the price he paid for our redemption he was the lamb of God slain for us and with his blood he purchased our redemption and finally Jesus cried out "It is finished." What did that mean well that's what we're going to see in tomorrow's episode please don't miss it you need to understand what those words "It is finished," really means for you and for me but I want to remind you that if you need prayer we want to pray for you so if you'll call the number on the screen or send us an email when you reach out to us we will really begin to lift our voice and release our faith and pray for God to do whatever needs to be done in your life and my friends I promise you Jesus will do what needs to be done but I want to pray for you right now put your hand on your heart father help us to understand the price that was paid for our redemption so many times we badger ourselves and Lord we need to understand that we are so precious to you that you paid for us with the blood of Jesus and we are purchased with a price lord we thank you that you paid the price for our redemption we thank you for it in Jesus name amen amen well I'll see you tomorrow but until then remember Ecclesiastes 8:4 that says "Where the word of a king is there is power." Rener Ministries is proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ through every available media avenue to the uttermost parts of the earth discover the many ways you can help us make a difference in lives around the world with the word of God we invite you to partner with us in teaching strengthening and rescuing lives for the glory of God together we can make a difference that will last throughout [Music] eternity this program was made possible by the giving of the Godal partners of Rener Ministries please like subscribe and share this video with your friends so more people can see it