By: Evangelist Joseph O Olorunnisola The Hours of Utter Darkness

Date: March. 25, 2012

In a fallen world, pain does not ask for permission, catastrophe offers no excuse, crisis invades ones life forcing him/her into survival mode. Christian marriages collapse in adultery, and lack of trust, patience, or compassionate love. Businesses suddenly fail, capitulating families into financial ruin and joblessness. Loved ones are sometimes suddenly killed or diagnosed with terrible terminal disease bringing a total ruin to ones life's ambition. All these are not simply speed bumps but terrifying detours that shatter ones life. No easy counseling, warm embrace, or workable strategies can be successfully applied in negotiating these hard roads of life or atoning the un-answerable whys of this mysterious world. Yet our greatest need is not freedom from these adversities, for no calamity in this life could in any way be compared with the absolute calamity of eternal separation from the presence of God. Amazingly, the solution to this greatest catastrophe confronting humanity was not secured from any legislative house, or superior court but from the hours of utter darkness, utter gloominess, passionate sorrow, outrageous submission to humiliation of the Creator to His creatures and terrifying anxiety. The 72 hours marking the three most sacred days of all time when generations and time were re-defined known in Christendom as 'Triduum Sacrum' provided the solution to the hopelessness of humanity and marked the termination of the fear and mystery of death. The first of the three days is the Maundy Thursday, the night before He was betrayed when the Lord gave the command that we should love one another (John 13:34-35): a re- summation of the great Mt. Olives Beatitudes, an agape and demeaning love such as washing the feet of the faithless friends who would run away and leave you naked and helpless at the most critical moment. A gloomy night of heavy sacrifice of excruciating mental agony, immeasurable sorrow, and feverish fear of death in the Garden of Gethsemane of the Savior for an adulterous and pervasive world. The second day of utter darkness when the entire heavens and its glories also went into mournful silence and total emptiness was the darkest, but yet, the greatest Friday: the day of the greatest eternal Sacrifice for human redemption. A great day marked with a pained emotional outburst of the last seven WORDS from the Cross - the wood of damnation turned in a stunning reversal of faith into the Tree of Life. And the third day is the holy Saturday, the pre-resurrection day, when the entire world, the government of hell, and the entire mighty hosts of Heaven were in frigid suspense and trepid anxiety to see the genesis of a new created Order and regeneration of the cosmos &Apocalypse. These three days of utter darkness and gloominess are in-escapable for every true believer that is heaven bound. They are marked by dryness, despair, barrenness, desolation, sorrow, fear and profound sense of God's absence. It is the thorny way between Gethsemane and Calvary, a path littered with the skeleton of our egos, corpses of our fantasies of wealth and power, and the shards of our self righteousness, self justification and hypocrisy. It is marked by seven sequential falls addressed by the last seven Words of the Cross. (Proverb24:16) God will not come to our rescue until our bones and hearts are broken, for we are not likely to come to our senses until we sense ourselves in the life and crucifixion of Christ. Without standing in the shadow of the Cross our Christianity is simply an illusion and our faith a mockery of authentic discipleship.

"Father forgive them for they know not what they are doing." Unto whom was the prayer from the crucified Christ? Unto all those screaming for His crucifixion, but release of Barabbas, the robber and man of violence; for Pontus Pilate forever wringing his hands forever soiled; for the soldiers who stripped Him naked, who put the crown of thorns to pierce His head, who spat on Him, who wielded the whip, who drove the nails, who pierced His sacred rib with spear, and who gave vinegar as water to their Creator. Also for you and me who were once sinful murderers, idolaters, adulterers, fornicators, thieves, homosexuals, liars, covets, agents of bitterness, hatred, anger, pride, and all forms of unrighteousness. Now we have been forgiven because Christ paid the price to satisfy the justice of God Almighty. Now Christ is speaking to you from the Cross to repent, withdraw, and never return back to your sins, 2Corin. 5:17-21,otherwise you are not saved.(Heb. 6:4-8). The other compelling side of the same coin is the necessity for you to forgive all those who offend you if you must see the salvation of God. And Jesus says in Matth. 18:35 " So likewise shall my heavenly Father not forgive anyone of you who fail to forgive his brethren his trespasses from his heart". Matth 6: 14-15, James 2:13. Our great need is to hold the two sides of this truth in perfect conjunction and harmony. Forgive and you will be forgiven. No matter the nature, the dimension or seriousness of the offence, you must forgive!!! And to the right hand robber He said, " Truly, I say unto you, today you will be with Me in Paradise" Luke 23:39-43. The right hand robber was saved because of his conviction and confession:40 But he rebuked the left hand robber saying, Do you not fear God, since you are

under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong. 42 And he said, Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. He admitted his fear for God, he confessed, regretted, and repented of his sins, he admitted the righteousness of Christ and acknowledged Him as God and finally requested for the forgiveness and mercy of Christ. He was saved because he fulfilled the demands of Christ for forgiveness. Are you also standing on the right hand side of the crucified Christ as a sheep marked for Paradise or on His left as an un-repenting goat (Matth. 25:32-33) because this message of the Cross is also for you: for you have robbed others of their peace, of their joy, of their right and of their possession. You have lied, slandered, gossiped and fought to rob others of their peace. You have fornicated with others spouses or children to rob them of their joy, and you have stolen to rob them of their possessions. By your malice, anger, bitterness, hatred and pride you are robbing others of their peace and joy. You are indeed a robber being called into repentance today. Don't associate with the left by seeing yourself righteous and yelling at the truth. It is eternal condemnation into everlasting lake of fire.
"Woman behold thy son! And to the disciple, He said "Behold thy mother! John 19:26-27. This message was directed to His mother- Holy Mary and to all believers of His words to reassure them that He would not leave them without a comforter- the Holy Ghost who would continue to teach, guide, comfort and minister to all their needs. John 14:16-18. But as the Holy Ghost was unknown and yet to be given (John7:37-39) it was only reasonable to symbolize the source of comfort using the beloved disciple. Whosoever shall do the will of my heavenly Father same is my brother, sister and mother. Matth. 12:50.

Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani? which means, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Mark 15:34. This dark hour is an indispensable period of spiritual growth and prerequisite for the attainment of glory for every believer. It is marked by dryness, despair,
barrenness, desolation, abandonment, sorrow, fear and profound sense of God's absence. You are warned " I thirst!' John 19:28. It is a clear message of the Cross that at the time of your critical need of sincere comfort and solace you will be further grieved by people that you rely upon, just as Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, Job's friends responded to Job's grievous adversity and un-paralleled misfortune. "It is Finished!" The work of human redemption by Christ is indeed finished but it is not over for you and me until we fulfill the righteousness of the Kingdom of God. We are required to seek it with all our strength above all things. The unbeliever is a fugitive from God seeking only riches, power, fame, happiness and peace of mind which can only be obtained from God but not God the giver of them all.