76~More About “Flag Ship Forever”

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BACKGROUND FOR THIS EPISODE

(In Order of Appearance)

NEW TESTAMENT OF THE BIBLE:

John 11:16 – Thomas (called The Twin) said to the other followers, “Let us go, too, so that we can die with him!”
Thomas is referred to twice in the Bible with the nickname of Didymus (John 11:16 and 20:24). Didymus comes from the root word “duo” and means twin.
John 20:24 – Thomas (the one called “The Twin”) was one of the twelve apostles. He was not with them when Jesus came.
Some ancient traditions say that Thomas was born in Antioch, Syria, a seacoast town just below today’s Turkey.
John 5:18 – Because of this, the Jewish leaders were trying even harder to kill Jesus. They thought that Jesus was not only breaking the rules about the sabbath day, but he was also claiming that God was his own Father, thus putting himself on the same level with God.
John 10:31, 39-40 – Again, some Jewish leaders picked up stones to throw at Jesus and kill him…Once again, they were trying to arrest Jesus, but he slipped through their hands. Jesus went back across the Jordan River to the place where John was first immersing people. Jesus stayed there.
John 11:3-15 – The two sisters sent a message to Jesus saying, “Lord, listen, your good friend, Lazarus, is very sick!” ⁴When Jesus heard this, he said, “This sickness will not end in death. Instead, it will be for God’s glory. This will be used to give glory to the Son of God.” ⁵Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. ⁶When Jesus heard that Lazarus was very sick, then he stayed where he was for two days. ⁷After that, Jesus said to his followers, “Let us go back to the land of Judea.” ⁸Jesus’ followers said to him, “But Rabbi, the Jewish leaders are now trying to stone you to death! Do you want to go there again!?” ⁹Jesus answered, “There are twelve hours in a day. Someone who is walking in the daytime does not stumble; he sees the light in this world. ¹⁰But a person may stumble when he walks at night because he has no light.” ¹¹After Jesus said these things, he told them this: “Our good friend Lazarus is asleep, but I will go wake him up.” ¹²Then Jesus’ followers said to him, “Lord, he will be all right if he’s asleep.” ¹³(Jesus was talking about the death of Lazarus. They thought Jesus was talking about natural sleep.) ¹⁴Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died! ¹⁵For your sakes, I’m glad I was not there when he died. I want you to believe. Nevertheless, let us go to him.”
John 6:66-69 – From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. ⁶⁷“You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.⁶⁸Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. ⁶⁹We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”
Luke 9:54-55 – James and John, the followers of Jesus, saw this. They asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven and burn up these people!?”^e⁵⁵But Jesus turned and reprimanded them.^f
John 11:16 – Thomas (called The Twin) said to the other followers, “Let us go, too, so that we can die with him!”
John 12:12-13 – The next day, a large crowd came to the festival. When they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, ¹³they took branches from palm trees and went out to meet him. They were shouting, “Hosanna! Give praise to the king of Israel who is coming with the authority of the Lord God.”
Matthew 26:26-27 – While they were eating, Jesus took bread and gave thanks. He broke off some of the bread and gave it to his followers. He said, “Take it and eat it. This bread is^f my body.” ²⁷Then he took a cup. He gave thanks to God for it and gave it to them. He said, “All of you, drink from it.
John 13:34-36 – I am giving to you a new command—love one another. You must love one another, just as I loved you. ³⁵You must have love for one another. That is how everyone will know that you are my followers.” ³⁶Simon Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered him, “I am going where you cannot follow me now, but you will follow later.”
John 14:37-38 – In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. ³⁸He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
John 14:1-2 – “Don’t let your heart be troubled. You trust in God; trust in me, too. ²There are many rooms in my Father’s House. I would have told you, if that were not true. I am taking a trip to prepare a place for you.
John 14:5-6 – Thomas said to Jesus, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” ⁶Jesus said to him, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life! The only way anyone can come to the Father is through me!
John 16:29-33 – Jesus’ followers said, “Listen, now you are talking plainly. You are not using figurative language anymore. ³⁰Now we know that you know everything! There is no need for anyone to ask you more questions. This is why we believe that you came forth from God.” ³¹Jesus asked them, “Do you believe now? ³²Listen, the time is coming—it’s already here—when you will all be scattered, every man for himself. You will abandon me. However, I am really not alone; the Father is with me. ³³I have said these things to you, so that you may have peace in me. You will have trouble in the world, but be strong; I have conquered the world.”
Mark 15:38 – The curtain in the temple sanctuary was split from the top to the bottom into two parts.^j
Hebrews 10:19-20 – So, brothers, with the blood of Jesus, we can have confidence to go into the most holy place. ²⁰His blood is the new, living way that opened the way for us through the curtain. (This is his body.)
Matthew 28:11-15 – While the women were going, look, some of the guards went into Jerusalem. They told the most important priests everything which had happened. ¹²The priests had a meeting with the Jewish elders. They decided to give the soldiers some money to lie. ¹³They said to the soldiers, “Say this: ‘While we were sleeping, the followers of Jesus came at night and stole his body.’ ¹⁴If the governor hears about this, then we will make him believe us. We will fix it; don’t worry!” ¹⁵So, the soldiers took the money and did as they were told. This rumor has spread among Jewish people until this very day.
John 20:24-25 – Thomas (the one called “The Twin”) was one of the twelve apostles. He was not with them when Jesus came. ²⁵The other followers continued to tell Thomas, “We have seen the Lord Jesus!” Thomas said to them, “I will never believe it, unless I see the marks of the nails in his hands, unless I put my finger into the marks of the nails, unless I put my hand into his side!”
Luke 24:39-41 – Look at my hands and my feet. It is really me! Touch me. You can see that I have a living body; a ghost doesn’t have a body like this.” ⁴⁰After Jesus told them this, he showed them the holes in his hands and feet. ⁴¹They were amazed but very, very happy to see that he was alive. They still couldn’t believe it. So, Jesus asked them, “Do you have any food here?”
Mark 2:28 – Therefore, I am Lord even of the sabbath day.”
John 20:26-27 – A week later, Jesus’ followers were inside again. Thomas was with them, too. The doors were locked, but Jesus came and stood in the middle of them and said, “Peace be to you!” ²⁷Then Jesus said to Thomas, “Look at my hands! Put your finger here. Bring your hand here and put it in my side. Stop doubting and start believing!”
John 20:17 – Jesus said to her, “Don’t cling to me; I have not yet gone up to the Father. Go to my brothers and tell them this: ‘I am going up to my Father and your Father, to my God and to your God.’ ”
John 20:28 – Thomas answered Jesus, “My Lord and my God!”

OLD TESTAMENT OF THE BIBLE:

II Chronicles 3:8, 14 – Then Huram-Abi made the Most Holy Place.^o It was 30 feet long and 30 feet wide.^p (It was as wide as the temple.) He covered its walls with about 23 tons^q of pure gold…¹⁴Huram-Abi made the curtain of expensive linen,^v as well as of blue, purple, and red fabric. And, he put designs of cherubs on it.
Genesis 3:15 – I will put hostility between you and the woman, between your children and her child.^k Although her child will crush your head, you will bite his heel.”^l
Numbers 6:24-26 – “May the Always-Present One bless you and keep you.²⁵May the Always-Present One show you His kindness. May He have mercy on you. May the Always-Present One watch over you and give you peace.” ’^h
Psalm 22:6-8 – But I am like a worm instead of a man.^cMen make fun of me.The people look down on me. ⁷Everyone who looks at me laughs. They stick out their tongues at me.^dThey shake their heads.^e⁸They say: “Let him turn to Yahweh for help! Let Him rescue him!^fIf He likes you, maybe He will deliver you!?”^g
Psalm 16:9-11 [PREDICTED 1000 YEARS BEFORE JESUS] – So, I’m glad, and I rejoice.^eEven my body has hope.^f¹⁰This is because You will not leave me in the grave.^gYou will not allow Your Holy One^h to experienceⁱ corruption.^j¹¹You will show me^k the pathway to life.^lBeing with You will fill me with joy. At Your right hand,^m I will find pleasure forever.ⁿ

GEORGE CURRIE:

THE MILITARY DISCIPLINE OF THE ROMANS FROM THE FOUNDING OF THE CITY TO THE CLOSE OF THE REPUBLIC – In the various writers of [Justinian’s] Digest, eighteen offenses of soldiers are mentioned punishable by death….leaving the night watch.

JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, OF ANTIOCH (347-407 A.D.):

…the fact of their saying that the disciples stole Him. For this is the language of men confessing, that the body was not there. When therefore they confess the body was not there, but stolen, it is shown to be false and incredible, by their watching by it [guards at tomb], and by the seals [Roman insignia], and by the timidity of the disciples [in hiding], the proof of the resurrection even hence appears incontrovertible.

JOHN R. STOTT:

BASIC CHRISTIANITY – …after the rigours and pains of trial, mockery, flogging and crucifixion He could survive thirty-six hours in a stone sepulchre with neither warmth nor food nor medical care? That He could then rally sufficiently to perform the superhuman feat of shifting the boulder which secured the mouth of the tomb, and this without disturbing the Roman guard?
BASIC CHRISTIANITY – A careful study of the text of John’s narrative [in the Bible]….the [burial] cloths ‘lying’…or ‘collapsed’….Next, the head napkin….was not lying…but ‘wrapped together’….translated ‘twirled’….these graveclothes…had been neither touched nor folded nor manipulated by any human being. They were like a discarded chrysalis from which the butterfly has emerged.

N. D. ANDERSON:

CHRISTIANITY TODAY, 1968, “The Resurrection of Jesus Christ” – If the Jews…order to have the body moved, why, when the apostles were preaching the resurrection in Jerusalem, didn’t they explain: “Wait! We moved the body – Christ didn’t rise from the grave….If this failed, why didn’t they recover the corpse, put it on a cart, and wheel it through the center of Jerusalem? Such an action would have destroyed Christianity.

SPECIAL CHARACTERS APPEARING IN OTHER EPISODES

Season 4, Flood Gates, “Portals of Paradise”

Season 4, Flood Gates, “Thunder Road”

Season 5, Promise Keeper, “Day Extraordinaire”

Season 5, Promise Keeper, “God Essence”

Season 5, Promise Keeper, “Power in the Breaking”

Season 6, Shadow of Death, “Torch Flight”

Season 5, Promise Keeper, “Fallen Star”

Season 5, Promise Keeper, “Power in the Breaking”

Season 6, Shadow of Death, “The Breath of God”

Season 6, Shadow of Death, “Torch Flight”

Season 6, Shadow of Death, “Desert of Sighs”