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Nightmare
(This article is for the unsaved)Imagine the worst nightmare you ever had: one where you woke up screaming, drenched in sweat and shaking like a leaf. Now imagine it isn't a nightmare, but reality.
When we dream, the dreams we have can sometimes feel so real that if it were not for the fact that when we wake up we realize they are dreams, we would swear they actually happened!!! This is especially true for nightmares, where the very sweat on out brows, the dryness of our mouths, and the fear we feel is so palpable, that at that moment, it is reality for us. Only when we awake, safe and sound (for the most part), is it that we realize that it was "just a dream".
Let me tell you of a nightmare that DID come true...
Caiaphas was the High Priest, and the head of the Sanhedrin, the religious ruling body of Jerusalem and of Judea. Along with his fellow council members, they held the say-so in the religious lives of the people in the land. Naturally, it wasn't appreciated when a young rabbi by the name of Yeshua (Jesus) began preaching not only with authority, but preached against the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, Scribes and Saduccees. They felt that this itinerant Rabbi who was performing miracles and that many claimed to be "the Messiah" (Christ) would bring down the wrath of the Romans on their heads:
"Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council, and were saying, “What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs. If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” ( John 11:47-48, NASB)
It was Caiaphas that said the following:
"But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all, nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish.” (John 11:49-50, NASB)
Caiaphas did NOT believe Jesus was the Messiah; if anything, he considered him was a blasphemer:
" Again the high priest was questioning Him, and saying to Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?” And Jesus said, “I am; and you shall see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING WITH THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN.” Tearing his clothes, the high priest said, “What further need do we have of witnesses? “You have heard the blasphemy; how does it seem to you?” And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death." (Mark 14:60b-64 NASB, emphasis mine)
Jesus told Caiaphas EXACTLY who he was, and no one in that assembly that night believed him. ALL of them considered him a blasphemer, and wanted him DEAD. And from what Jesus just told them, they thought they had him dead to rights: they brought him before Pilate, and whipped up the crowd into a frenzy:
"But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to ask him to release Barabbas for them instead. Answering again, Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?” They shouted back, “Crucify Him!” But Pilate said to them, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify Him!” Wishing to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas for them, and after having Jesus scourged, he handed Him over to be crucified." (Mark 15:11-15, NASB, emphasis mine)
And everything went exactly as they hoped: Jesus was crucified, and died:
"When they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. (Luke 23:33, NASB)
"And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, INTO YOUR HANDS I COMMIT MY SPIRIT.” Having said this, He breathed His last." (Like 23:46, NASB)
The chief priests (the High Priest Caiaphas would definitely be considered one, along with other council members of the Sanhedrin) mocked him at his crucifixion: they didn't believe for one moment that he was whom he claimed to be:
"In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes, were mocking Him among themselves and saying, “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. Let this Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe!” Those who were crucified with Him were also insulting Him." (Mark 15:31-32, NASB, emphasis mine)
But Caiaphas' nightmare was about to begin:
"And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split. The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many. Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:50-54, NASB, emphasis mine)
Now, even if Caiaphas had not been there himself, reports of these from numerous people would have filtered back to him. And upon hearing of the veil in the temple being torn in two, he most certainly have rushed to investigate it for himself. The veil being torn alone would have horrified him; that was laying bare the Holy of Holies for all to see!!
But that is EXACTLY what God did:
"But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption." (Hebrews 9:11-12, NASB, emphasis mine)
In this manner, God had abolished the old way; the Old Covenant was fulfilled, and a New Covenant was now in effect.
But if Caiaphas thought this was bad, worse was yet to come:
"Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave. And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. The guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. “He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying... Now while they were on their way, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all that had happened. And when they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, and said, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.’ (Matthew 28:1-6, 11-13 NASB, emphasis mine)
As he had predicted, Jesus was raised from the dead!!!
Now, upon first murmurings of this, Caiaphas and his cronies would have dismissed it as either a story or a hoax that the disciples had pulled off. But as time went on after the resurrection, over 500 people saw Jesus alive and in person. The Sanhedrin had done their worst to destroy him, and now he was back!!!
Generally, once you kill a person, you run out of ideas of what to do to them!!
Even though Jesus ascended into heaven, it is a good likelihood that those that plotted his death never slept soundly after the resurrection. You can imagine Caiaphas' dreams from that point on, seeing Jesus' face again and again, and hearing his last words to him:
"and you shall see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING WITH THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN."
With the preaching of the Apostles that soon spread across the land and all over the known world, Caiaphas could not escape Jesus. Either his heart hardened entirely, or he went insane. We don't hear anything further of Caiaphas after the book of Acts, but we do know that Caiaphas eventually did die. And whether or not he did repent is never recorded.
But if he didn't, his nightmare is FAR from over; all those who die without Christ go to Hades upon death, where they are held until the Great White throne Judgment. And for those like Caiaphas, the horror of ALL horrors will truly begin:
" Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds" (Revelation 20:11-12, NASB, emphasis mine)
And we are told in Scripture who the Judge is:
"For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him." (John 5:22-23, NASB, emphasis mine)
When Caiaphas, Pilate, and the Sanhedrin stand before God in judgment, the ultimate horror will befall them, as tables are turned and THE ONE THE CRUCIFIED IS NOW THE ONE THAT SITS IN JUDGMENT!!! Jesus' words will come back to their ears, and one can only imagine their despair.
But sadly, they will not be the ONLY ones who will suffer this fate.
Today, there are those that have been told the gospel, and yet do not believe. Atheists outright deny God, while others claim that there are many paths to God, via the religion or belief system they practice. But Jesus said in scripture:
"Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me" (John 14:5, NASB)
God has offered enough to convince anyone who is truly seeking Him that Jesus is indeed who he claimed to be, and that Salvation is through repentant faith in his sacrifice on the cross; but sadly, many STILL will not believe. And in the day of judgment, those that refuse will encounter their worst nightmare...
Jesus as their judge.
If you are reading this and you are not saved, I beg you to reconsider; it is TOO LATE for Caiaphas, Pilate and the Sanhedrin members, but it is NOT too late for YOU.
It's up to YOU. I pray you make the right choice.
I bid you peace (and moreso bid you to consider the Lord's precious offer)
-Sojourner414
