Blood-Washed: Why Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea Matter Today (#1111) Elim

What sets Christianity apart from every other belief system on earth? It's not merely philosophical differences or varying moral codes—it's the empty tomb.

Reverend Ben Cooper delivers a powerful, unflinching message that cuts through religious confusion with crystal clarity. Drawing from 2 Chronicles 15, he identifies three critical crises facing modern society: the marginalization of God, the scarcity of authentic biblical teaching, and the collapse of moral law despite extensive legal systems.

The sermon takes a fascinating turn when exploring the profound symbolism of Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea carrying Jesus' body from the cross. One representing the Old Testament, the other the New, both become covered in Christ's blood—a powerful physical demonstration of how salvation works. This moment when they carry the Word together, drenched in sacrificial blood, serves as a prophetic picture of how redemption reaches both the old and new covenants.

Throughout this message, Cooper repeatedly returns to a crucial distinction: while other religious figures remain entombed and decaying, Christ conquered death. "Every other religion has a marker where their god is," he observes, "They are wrapped up because they're dead." This fundamental difference isn't merely theological trivia—it's the beating heart of authentic faith.

The message culminates in communion and a stirring call to perseverance from 2 Chronicles 15:7: "Be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded." In times when society seems to crumble under moral confusion, this ancient text provides timely encouragement for believers to stand firm.

Ready to explore more challenging, Scripture-rooted teaching? Subscribe to Reverend Ben Cooper's podcast, leave a review sharing how these messages have impacted you, or visit rbchristianradionet for additional resources to strengthen your faith journey.

Chapters

• 0:19 Be Strong and Don't Give Up
• 3:56 The God Who Cannot Be Buried
• 8:40 A Nation Without God's Guidance
• 16:25 Distress Turns Hearts Back to God
• 22:15 Nicodemus and Joseph at the Cross
• 35:45 The Power of Being Blood-Covered
• 43:56 Breaking Bread in Communion
• 49:47 Final Encouragement and Prayer

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:19

Thank you help keep this ministry thriving. Don't forget to subscribe and find us online at rbchristianradionet. Stay encouraged, stay faithful and know this you are not alone brothers, can we look up this morning?

Speaker 2: 0:40

can we look up and let's turn to the old testament. For those that are making notes, those that are making notes, the title of um, this sermon, whatever way we want to look at it this morning, is be strong and don't give up. You know, that's where I get what I keep saying never give up, because it's a biblical reference. It's not my own understanding, it's what the bible says never give up. We're turning to the book of two chronicles, two chronicles. Two chronicles, chapter 15. Two chronicles, chapter 15. Uh, we're going to pick up around about verse 2 and we'll go around to around about verse 7. So, wherever you are across this world, you know, just remind yourself that god is with you, the god of israel, the god of heaven, earth, the god of time, the god of light, the god of all creation, that god, the god. There is no other god. It's very, very interesting when you, when you, uh, maybe study and you look into world religions, you know every religion has got a place where they buried their god. Every other religion has got a marker. You will trace them back and they're dead. They are dead and they're wrapped up and they are bones. Every other God that every religion serves. You will go and you will find a place. That's why God took the body of Moses. When you think about that, when God took the body of Moses, it says that God, even though when Moses gave him Jesus the ump, I didn't mean that Lord, but you know what I mean. You know, even when Moses stepped out of line and God went, you ain't going to cross in there, you're going to watch from a distance, son. But even when he died, god came down. And when you think about that, god loved him so much that God took him. And when we think about it, we say why did God take him? There's many reasons, but I think one of the reasons that we could ponder on and think about is because if Moses had a grave in the earth, we'd be worshipping. Today. He's no marker where he is, so that tells us a massive story. So every God you know, every God that we are aware of, there there is a grave.

Speaker 2: 2:46

You go to egypt, the valley of the kings. You find the pharaohs. What are they? They're dead, they're wrapped up. But it's very interesting. When we talk about the king, I'll use them and the terminologies when you look at the, the valley of the kings in in egypt and around the world.

Speaker 2: 3:01

When you look at the Valley of the Kings in Egypt and around the world, when you look at everything, they're wrapped in grave clothes. What did Jesus do? He took them off. He's the only saviour, he is the saviour and it's the opposite. So every other god is wrapped up and trying to preserve them because they're dead, they stink, they're dead, they're gone. Their flesh is rotten.

Speaker 2: 3:25

Yeah, it's brutal. Just say it as it is, don't mess about. They are dead and decay sets in. I've seen and I've watched decay and I know how this works. Trust me, as soon as you stop, I'm telling you you don't want to know what happens, but within hours and hours, want to know what happens, but within hours and hours doesn't matter how much oil they put. It doesn't matter how much oil they put on those leaders, those gods. They decayed.

Speaker 2: 3:54

It's really interesting, isn't it? Yes, they oiled Jesus up, they put the oil on him, but isn't it interesting that Christ's body didn't decay? When you think about that and when you study that and you work in palliative care and you work in the area of death, you know what I'm talking about. You know what I'm talking about. When you look at Jesus, he was in the grave. What did they say about Lazarus? Why did they say don't roll the stone back, because decay was in in even back then. So all the gods that they serve are dead. That's fact, that's science, that's mathematics, that's, that's real, that's true. But the king, the king that went to the cross, he died, he gave up his spirit, he died, but he did not rot. It's really interesting when you study mortality, when you look at death and what happens on that last breath.

Speaker 2: 4:59

Right, let's, without further ado, let's turn straight into the word of God. So I just want to emphasize this morning Jesus is alive. No decay in his body. The grave clothes were folded up by themselves. But you go to the valley of the kings, you go and find everywhere else, you know, even when you look at an open casket. When you go to a funeral oh, you're getting a bit heavy with that one. I work with it all day. I know exactly what it's like. Decay sets in to every human being on the earth except one, except the one that died and was gone for three days. He comes back perfect, very, very interesting. Right, let's jump straight in.

Speaker 2: 5:43

We're going to go to, as I said, the book of Chronicles. The book of Chronicles, chapter 15. And it says in verse two he went out. Now, yes, this is. This is, terrifically, this is old. This is really really old, this text, but it's alive, it's a while and it's relevant for where we are today.

Speaker 2: 6:01

As we look and we can, we ain't gonna have time to do this, uh too much, but as you look at this, I just got to emphasize, I really got to emphasize, saint this morning. It's really, really important, especially for those that, uh, that, uh, capture us on social media. You know every, all other world religions it's really I feel this in my spirit all other religions serve dead gods. Again, I've got to mention it. Every other religion has a marker where their god is and they're wrapped up as again, just look at the valley of kings, egypt. Look around peru, look around brazil, look around china, hong kong, look around. They are worshiping dead, the dead.

Speaker 2: 6:43

What did the angels say at the graveside? What have you come here? He's not dead. What you come here? You know he is the only God, he is the only king that is not dead. Every other God is dead. So, when you watch all this stuff going on. Every other religion serves a dead God. They haven't even. They're dead. They're wrapped up. As soon as they died, as soon as the pharaohs died, as I said, they was wrapped up and they're still wrapped up. They're trying to mummify them to get them to live forever.

Speaker 2: 7:15

But my Jesus, your Jesus, your God, on the third day, the scripture says the grave clothes. The grave clothes were wrapped up by themselves and they were placed in order the grave clothes, the napkin that has so much power to do with the last supper, the king's coming back. So you serve a king that took the grave clothes off, lazarus and Joseph of Arimathea. They oiled Jesus up, they cleaned clean the body. And let me tell you again, without any shadow of a doubt when a human being breathes their last rot drops in decay. You know rigor mortis, everything before now. Jesus is the only god, the only God, the only King that came back from the dead. Every other God across the social media, the gods that they serve, the ones with beards, that sort of stuff, I've got to be careful, but you know what I'm saying. Their God is dead. Their God is dead, he is gone and he will never be resurrected. But the Jesus, the god that I serve, resurrected himself. He took the grave clothes off.

Speaker 2: 8:29

But we are at a critical point here in the uk and this scripture that we are in is critical for me and for you. We gotta wise up. We gotta wise up. I'll tell you. This nation needs to wise up. This is rich in text form today.

Speaker 2: 8:43

Right, I'm picking it up in 2 Chronicles, chapter 15, and it says in verse 2, he went out to me and he went and said to him listen to me. This is what he says. This is critical. This is what I believe God is saying to this nation Listen to me. And as he goes on, he says listen to me, judea and Benjamin.

Speaker 2: 9:04

The Lord is with you when you are with him. Hang on when you read these scriptures. The Lord is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you. But if you forsake him, what has a nation done? Lifted foreign flags. What has this nation done? Lifted foreign flags. What has this nation done? Serve foreign gods. If you forsake him I don't want to read the next one, but we're going to read it he will forsake you. We are in spiritual trouble. We are in trouble like we've never been in before, but we're not. But we're not. We've got to trust and we've got to. Let's push on. He says for a long time this is so interesting, this text, what it's saying about today's climate, where we are. It says for a long time Israel was without a true God, without a priest to teach and without a law.

Speaker 2: 10:03

We have a law that isn't worth having. The law that works is for the motorist or the one that parks in a parking bay and has run over the clock. The law is on your back Straight away. You get a ticket. When you speed, you get a ticket If you get pulled up by the fuzz Sorry, what does that mean? By the police? Lord help me. When you get pulled up by the police and you get a ticket, the law works really well for the motorist. It works great for the motorist. It's set in stone and that's because that's how they make their revenue.

Speaker 2: 10:33

But when you look at the law of the nation, we are lawless. What does the Bible say? In the last days, there'll be lawlessness. We have lawlessness. We have lawlessness across the nation. You can't even look at your kids without getting social services on your back. You can't do anything. The law we have no law. It looks like we have a law but we are lawless. We are living in really frazzled days. But when you look at these scriptures verse three again of 2 Chronicles, chapter 15, for a long time Israel was without a true God. That's where we are. God is sitting on the fringe of the UK. God is watching, god is in full charge. But the church has got to come to Jesus Christ. Every denomination, every tribe, every tongue. When you look at the cultural church we have so many cultural churches in the UK A lot of the cultural churches are of one colour, one hat, one beard, one robe. We have cultural churches. You will not find a cultural church in the kingdom of God. What do you mean If you was to study the church?

Speaker 2: 11:40

If you look in the book of Acts, if you look in the book of Acts 1, chapter 1, chapter 2, chapter 3, and you start reading about the church, it says the men and the women were together what I love about the church of Acts and it says the women were praying first. Gentlemen, the women were in the upper room praying first. But every time we go in a certain cultural church, the women are chapped at the back looking after the little kids. The men are at the front front bouncing about giving it large for Jesus. When you go in certain different other religions, women are pushed to the back. The men are down the front. In other religions they're not allowed to worship in the same room as them. They're chapped out in the back by the car park. They're not allowed to walk in, but the man walks around with swagger because there's no God in that church, because man is the God.

Speaker 2: 12:30

But when you study the church, within the book of Acts it says the women were already in prayer and then the men joined them and they was from every area, every area. Every different type of man and woman was in that place. And it says they worship together. There's nothing like having a multicultural congregation If it's set in a certain color, a certain dress code, a certain hair swept a certain way, a certain headscarf, a certain this, a certain that. Even down to the vehicles, even down to the vehicles, we're not too far. Oh, I've got to be careful, let's get back in the word Come on, I'll have some bullets coming my way.

Speaker 2: 13:07

And it says in verse three for a long time israel was without a true god. That's where we are, number one. I mean. It says without a priest to teach and without the law. It's very interesting anyway. It says without a priest to teach, where are the teachers of the of of the doctrines this day and age? We have to go such a long way to find real strong biblical preachers and doctorings. We have to go such a long, long way to find real, uh, preachers of the gospel.

Speaker 2: 13:45

So when you look at these free areas, these free areas of these scriptures that we're in are very relevant for this nation today. Yes, we've had the union jack on the screen. Yes, we've been praying uh for the uk and it might go back up in a little while. But when you look at the union jack, there's a cross right in the center and it's a red cross because let me tell the foreign gods and the foreign, the devil worshipers, that this nation that I live in belongs to my God, the God of Israel. It doesn't belong to government, it doesn't belong to anybody, it belongs to God. This nation is blood washed, is sanctified and it belongs to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Just study that flag a moment, look at that flag, and I tell you again, and I'm bold enough to say it, I walk with the biblical Israel. I don't partner with any political party, a waste of breath. I stand with the God of Israel and when I look at that flag, this is not a political drive, this is nothing to do with that. This is to get us to wake up and to look. We need to pray for the UK because when you look at the Union Jack, what do you see At the centre? The centre is what the centre of the UK of the Union Jack is a cross. The cross overpowers everything. Cross overpowers everything, and that is calvary. The cross overpowers everything.

Speaker 2: 15:16

Let's get back to the scripture. We're staying in verse 3 of chronicles, chapter 15. For a long time, israel you could you know, I know we're not supposed to take words out, but you know, we know god forgive me, you know it says for a long time the uk, uk was without a true God. And then you could say without a priest to teach. We have no real biblical teachers. I know there's a handful, and I'll probably say there's a handful that you could really trust in what they preach. We are lacking preachers. We got educators, we got educators and we got people with fine sounding wording. We got a lot of razzmatazz. We got a lot of showmanship. We got all that stuff going on. But where are the preachers? Where are the true gospel preachers? A lot of churches are throwing any Tom Dick and Harry in the pulpit You'll find in many areas within the Church of England.

Speaker 2: 16:08

In certain areas of the Church of England. You'll get a bloke dressed in there a day that's got his fingernails painted. You'll get a bloke in there in the Church of England with probably IL shoes on. That's fact, it's across the social media In the Church of England. But it isn't the Church of England, it's the occult of England. It's an occult If you're not lifting Jesus first. It's an occult Catholicism. Who do they lift up? An occult? Any denomination, any church that puts a human being first or changes the doctrine. Jesus says do not add or do not take away.

Speaker 2: 16:47

So we got people. We got men in pulpits dressed as women. We got the biggest Adam's apple. God has ever created them, hands like builders, hands like bricklayers, air all coming out of their dresses Crazy, what are we doing? What are we doing? Are we doing? What are we doing? We got women dressing like men, shaved hair. All the razzmatazz going on. We are in a mess. Why? What does the Bible say? We are in a mess because of this Very, very clearly we are in this mess because God is sitting on the fringe. God is sitting on the fringe of this nation. God is sitting on the fringe, he's in control, but he's sitting on the fringe.

Speaker 2: 17:36

Three major areas in this scripture of verse three For a long time, israel was without a true God. For a long time, the UK was out a true God, without a priest, without a teacher. We got many priests, but they're wearing dresses. We are in a spiritual crisis because the church and when I talk about the church, I'm talking about the leaders at the front haven't preached the gospel of Jesus Christ. And as you go a bit further on, and it says without law. So three areas of key fact that we have. You know, we have been without a true God for a long time. We are lacking priests, teachers of the scriptures. We are lawless. We are completely a free for all. Anything goes. And then we go into verse four. But this is what's going to happen when we've got no distress. At the moment it might seem like it, but there is a wave coming, and let me tell you where that comes from.

Speaker 2: 18:42

If you've got a moment, turn to Jonah, chapter one, and I believe it's verse four. Jonah, chapter one, verse four. What does it say? It says something very, very interesting. God brought a powerful or a violent wind. God brought a powerful or violent wind to the sea To get what? Jonah's attention? Because Jonah wasn't interested in what His calling, he was messing about. No, god, I ain't going to do it.

Speaker 2: 19:11

Let me tell you this If you are alive and well today, yes, we're all called to salvation. But if you are called, if you are called, don't come out of your calling, don't mess around with what the crowd of the world is doing. Yes, we're all called. The Bible says many are called, few are chosen. If you have a calling on your life, whatever that may be, through the fivefold ministry, whatever that is, if you've got a calling, and God is calling you to a set task at this moment, don't get on a boat and sail somewhere else. Because let me tell you, just as God brought a storm to Jonah's personal life, god will bring a storm to my life and your life to get our attention, because you are marked, yes, firstly with the blood, but you are also marked with a calling over your life, and this is going out right across the world In the last days.

Speaker 2: 20:01

God is raising up a remnant. God is raising up men and women to stand and to deliver what he has given you to deliver. If I was you, I would hurry up and deliver what God has given you to deliver. If I was you, I would hurry up and deliver what God has given you to deliver. It might be something quick, it might be something for years, for months, it might be the rest of your life, but whatever you've got to deliver, I would tell you now, get in that rhythm and start delivering, because God is a God of love. Yeah, hallelujah Jesus, that's all around the town and all that, but be careful. He's a God of love. Yeah, hallelujah Jesus, that's all around the town and all that, but be careful. He's a God of justice, he's a God of order and he will not be mocked. So if you have a calling on your life, if you have a calling on your life and I'm not talking about being called by the pastor down the road and you're all that old razzmatazz.

Speaker 2: 20:43

We've got too many people in ministries that can't even stack sandwiches, letting them preach a message of Jesus Christ. We got men and women in pulpits that need to be erased because they're taking the church to hell. They are not preaching the correct gospel of Jesus Christ. We need God to sweep through the pulpits. We need God because this is where we sit In 2 Chronicles, chapter 15, verse 3,.

Speaker 2: 21:06

For a long time, israel was without a true God, without a priest to teach. Where are the teachers? Someone? Show me 10 clear, biblical teachers in this nation that are standing up for the blood, that are putting, putting everything out there. Tell me where these preachers are. Where are they? Help us God. And then it says you're without a law.

Speaker 2: 21:29

But in their distress they turned to the Lord. Why did they turn to God? What was the key thing? That they turned to God, the God of Israel, and they sought him and he was found by them In those days. Read this In those days it was not safe to travel about. Are you safe to travel in certain streets in London? If you took a cross and you walked down certain streets in London, by the time you got down the end, you'll be blessed. If you were alive, if you walked and you carried the flag of Israel, you'll be arrested before you could say Jesus loves me. The streets are not safe. So these scriptures, yes, might have longevity, but they are real for now.

Speaker 2: 22:16

It says but in their distress, verse four they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him, and he was found by them. In those days, it was not safe to travel about For all the inhabitants. What's happened? What is happening on these streets? All the inhabitants of the land were in great turmoil. One nation was beginning to crush another nation. What have we got? At the moment, when you look, nations are trying to crush the UK. They're trying to flood this shore with a certain demographic, they're trying to flood this shore with a certain area, and Peter Pan and his army at number 10 are dancing to the tune. Don't follow Peter Pan, don't follow that rubbish that's going on. Follow the scripture and follow Jesus Christ, follow the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

Speaker 2: 23:09

Verse six one nation was being crushed by another and one city by another. Why? Why was this happening? Because God was troubling them. God was troubling them, but we're in revival, ben, we ain't in revival. God was troubling them with every kind of distress, but as for you.

Speaker 2: 23:30

This is the line, verse 7, but as for you? As for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded. Do not give up. People say to me, ben, why do you say never give up? Because it's scripture and there it is right before your very eyes. Don't give up. And God says to you as an individual don't give up. In the distress that I am bringing to your land, in the distress that I am bringing, what does the Bible say? In the last days, there'll be birth pains. The Bible says there'll be persecution like you've never known it.

Speaker 2: 24:08

So don't be surprised by what is happening. The devil has nothing to do with it. The devil has nothing to do with it. It's God, because the scriptures are being fulfilled and we can't work this God out. Don't sit down and try and work out A, b, c and D about him, because you won't. It's his will and his good purpose and his pleasure. But I want to encourage you right now. There is something that we need to be very clear of More than church, more than religion, more than ministry, more than anything in the world you've got to be born again. You've got to be born again. That is it. That is it the Bible says work out your salvation with fear and trembling.

Speaker 2: 24:51

So when you watch across the social media, when you watch across the networks that are out there and you listen to a certain demographic the ones with beards, the one with hats, though you know what I'm saying without going the road, when you look at that lot telling you and trying to tell you and trying to get you to explain this Jesus, who is Jesus, and the common line that they drop is very clear that God created Jesus. He didn't create Jesus. There's no way on this earth. So do not get caught and listen to the trash that is coming out of them, men that are telling us that our Jesus isn't who he is. When they are serving who? I can't use the word, but it begins with a, b and we all understand what it means. We know, we know, we know, come on, get there. They serve a God that was a child A, b, c and D. They serve a God that married a. You know what I'm saying. Come on on. I can't go there, otherwise we'll be, we'll be off the air, but you know what I'm saying the god that you serve. On the third day, the bible says that god breathed in him and god brought him back and on the third day.

Speaker 2: 26:04

If you go to egypt, you go to sri lanka, you go to many areas across the world and you go and look at their. The world is serving their gods because they're dead. You can go to a marker. It costs you five quid. Come in and come down to Tutankhamun. You can come and have a look at him. He's been there for many, many years. He's dead. Yeah, he's dead, yeah, and we know the other gods that I'm talking about. They're dead and they've got a marker.

Speaker 2: 26:29

But the Jesus that I serve took off the grave clothes and it's very interesting who wrapped him up? You know, we've done a lot of stuff on this. We've studied this. We've done a lot on the wrapping of Jesus. There was twice that he was wrapped up. Once, when he came into the world, his mum wrapped him in swaddling clothes. He was wrapped. And the next time you find the scripture that Jesus is wrapped up. He's wrapped up by Joseph of Arimathea and they took him off the cross. They took him. Well, he was taken off the cross and every you can't, I could never, we could never go there to imagine it was bad enough, them putting him on it. But you know what they'd done when they took him off the cross. It was brutal, and you can imagine.

Speaker 2: 27:16

Now this is really interesting. You've got Nicodemus. Who was Nicodemus? Nicodemus is the one that Jesus spoke to, and what did Jesus say? You must be born again. And what does it mean to be born again? Let's simplify this, ben. It means to be saved. And what does it mean to be saved? To be born from above. So no church will get you saved. Let me tell you this If preachers are telling you that they hold the key to salvation, they're lying, because salvation comes from above. Yeah, you can have the prayer of salvation and you can pray wherever you like for salvation, but they might not receive it because it might not be God's will, because salvation don't come from pastors and helium. Salvation don't come from the church. Salvation comes from the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

Speaker 2: 28:01

So this is really important about the cross of Calvary. The cross of Calvary. What do you see on the screen? You see a cross. You see a cross. Don't look at the Union Jack. Look at the cross and it's red Right. You can imagine. At the cross of Calvary. There was blood everywhere. You would never imagine what it was like. And Jesus is on this cross and they get the body taken down. Jesus comes off the cross. And who is at the cross waiting for him? Joseph of Arimathea.

Speaker 2: 28:29

And we got Nicodemus. Nicodemus was the first person on earth to have a message preached to you must be born again. And it's the only message that Jesus Christ preached about. That was the critical message. Yes, we got the Mount of Olives, yes, we got all the stuff that goes along with that, but the most important message that Jesus preached was you must be born again. And Nicodemus went yeah, I've got an education on my head, I know what you're talking about, but it's impossible. Jesus went yeah, you're right, son, you got that right, that's for sure. And because it's from above, so salvation comes from above.

Speaker 2: 29:03

Now come to the cross of Calvary. So we know that Jesus spoke to Nicodemus and Jesus said you must be born again. You can't see and you can't enter, very, very interested in that. And then at the cross of Calvary, at the cross of Calvary, we have Nicodemus, the first person, the first human being, to hear the message about you must be born again. So Nicodemus goes to the cross of Calvary and you can imagine when Nicodemus and it says that they carried the body of Jesus. Have you ever carried a dead person? Have you ever carried someone that was dead? Have you ever? Let me tell you this it's the most harrowing thing that you'd ever do in your life. It's the most. You can't describe it. Let me put it like that Now, when they are at the cross, the soldiers pull him off the cross and you don't even want to go there to how they got him off the cross.

Speaker 2: 29:57

They dropped him on the floor, bang Blood everywhere, pools of blood everywhere. Jesus was covered in blood and this is really profound. This is a prophetic time in the scripture. Now, what did Nicodemus represent? What did Jesus say to him? You know the law. You know the law, nicodemus, you are Israel's teacher. So Jesus was saying Nicodemus, you are, above everything else, you are the teacher of Israel. What was Israel missing? The blood. It was missing the blood of Jesus because the cross hadn't been executed. So Jesus is dead. It's a mess. It's an absolute mess. Ribs are out, everything is going on. You've got to try and get an understanding of what we see.

Speaker 2: 30:48

Nicodemus rolls up in his next suit, all clean and tidy, rolls up to the cross. But he's got to get Jesus from the cross to the grave and the Bible says they carried him. What did Jesus say about Nicodemus? He said you're Israel's teacher. What was Israel missing? What was the Old Testament missing? They was missing the blood. So this is really interesting.

Speaker 2: 31:13

When Nicodemus, with Joseph, picked up the body and if you've it's like well, I'll put it like this you ever carried a roll of carpet that you can't get your hands around? It's a dead weight. You can't, they're not going to help you walk to the grave. It is a very and you've got to understand this is going to be slippery because there's blood and there's water, and what the water is representing was the word I can give you living water. When they punctured Jesus's side, what came out? Blood and water, living water. Who did he say that to? To the lady sitting around the well, I will give you. Are you thirsty? I will give you you water. What happened at the cross? They bang punched his rib, punched his side. Blood and water came out together.

Speaker 2: 31:54

Oh, jesus, so nicodemus is at at the cross. He's got his louis vuitton suit on, he's got his aero grease back, he's ready. You know, you've got. He's got his lovely shoes on and he's thinking I'm going to get a little bit mucky here. He's got his mate with him, joseph of Aramaphere, dressed a little bit down. He's got his Armani suit on. They're both clean and tidy. See, you've got to get covered in the blood to receive.

Speaker 2: 32:22

So they had to pick up, they had to pick up the body and they picked up the body, and I know what this is like, trust me. They picked up the body and they had to pick it up, put it in their arms like that, both of them side by side, and flick it towards themselves. So when they flicked the body of Jesus towards themselves, what happened to their Louis Vuitton suit that was covered in the blood? What was Israel representing, or what wasrael representing, or what was well? Israel was representing the old, the old days, but what was nicodemus representing? Israel and the old testament?

Speaker 2: 32:55

So now we have the, the, we have the physical connection of the blood of jesus and with israel. Let me tell you, israel will be saved is Israel will be washed in the blood of Jesus, because when you look at this in picture form, you watch very, very clearly that Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea. The only way they were going to carry Jesus was by putting their hands under his body and flicking it towards their chest. So salvation means this you'll be born from above. And what does it mean? You've got to be covered in the blood.

Speaker 2: 33:31

See nicodemus, the old testament preacher, teacher, lawgiver. He was covered in the blood of jesus. He was covered in the blood. So there we have a forerunner of what is going to happen to israel in the last days Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, one of the disciples. We got the new and the old. What Covered in the blood. Think about it for a minute. Nicodemus. Jesus said to him just not long ago you are Israel's teacher. Joseph of Arimathea was a disciple, so he was representing Jesus this side of the cross. Nicodemus was representing God, christ and the Torah and the law and everything that side of the cross.

Speaker 2: 34:18

Then, suddenly, what do you have together? You have the Old Testament standing next to the New Testament. Don't let anyone tell you that the Old Testament is dead because the Old Testament is alive. See the Old Testament and the New Testament. I believe there's 63,000 cross-references. This is where we see a physical connection, but the church misses it. The church misses it because it's spiritual and religion can't see it. So you have Nicodemus representing the old. Jesus tells us that loud and clear. Then we have Joseph of Arimathea standing next.

Speaker 2: 34:58

They were standing next to each other and they had to pick up what the words. The Old Testament has got to pick up the word, israel's got to pick up the word, the new church has got to pick up the word. And when you pick up the words and you bring it into your chest, you're going to be covered in the blood of Jesus. And this is so profound, so prophetic. This is so interesting that at the cross of Calvary you had a human being representing the old and then you had a new human being, shoulder to shoulder, representing the new. And what we have is the old and the new coming together at the cross of Calvary and they pick up the living word and they pick him up in their arms. And let me tell you this I've carried it, I know what it's like. You flick it towards your chest and whatever is on them is going to be on you.

Speaker 2: 35:55

What was on Blood and what Blood and water? The old was saturated in the blood. The new was saturated in the blood. They was covered. Imagine what that looked like. And they had to carry him where no coffins, no NHS to pick you up, put you in a black bag and zip you up, put you on a nice trolley and lead you out in a dignified way, chuck you in the back of a transit by the way, we all go in a transit when you look at this. They had to carry him from the cross to the grave.

Speaker 2: 36:31

So we have a representation of what the old and the new carrying washed in the blood, and not only washed in the blood. They was just completely covered in it. Their hands, everything, power in the blood. What does the book of Genesis say? It's life in the blood. So suddenly you find the Old Testament gets a glimmer and gets a tasting of what it's like. So we know when a scripture says Israel will come to Jesus, they will be washed in the blood, will come to Jesus, they will be washed in the blood. That biblical story, that biblical fact, was a forerunner of salvation coming to the new days.

Speaker 2: 37:17

Going back right back to the core, those foreign gods that are talking about Jerusalem and that they talk and all that. They don't own Jerusalem, when Jesus Christ is going to do what he's going to do. Whoever is in Israel and is in Jerusalem, guess what? They're going to be covered in the blood. They'll throw their prayer mats out. They'll throw their Harry Potters out. They won't follow their books, they'll follow the king. They'll follow the king.

Speaker 2: 37:44

Let's just go back to facts a minute. We're going to come to the table Now. We're going to come to the table with facts because we love mathematics, don't we? For some unknown reason, we believe mathematics and we believe measures and pie charts and flow charts. Well, there is a chart out there and let me tell you this. You know what I'm going to say because I've mentioned it already Harry Potter has sold 600 million books across the globe Already.

Speaker 2: 38:06

Harry Potter has sold 600 million books across the globe. The Quran has sold just over 800 million. But let me tell you about the book I'm talking about today. Let me tell you about the book. Listen to the figures. World Eight billion Bibles. Eight billion Bibles have been sold. Three billion Bibles have been given away. Eight, nine, ten, eleven, Eleven billion books. Harry Potter 600 million. The Quran, even if you gave them a little bit of grace, touched a bit further on 800, 900 million.

Speaker 2: 38:40

Nothing can touch the Word of God, because there is power in the Word. Why are we listening to the devils talk about their gods? Why are we going back serving gods that are dead? The God that you serve was carried from the cross to the grave. The God that you serve breathed into Jesus Christ. The God that you serve brought the king back and let me tell you this he's the only God that's alive. Yeah, but what about? What about when you look at Jezebel, when you look at Ahab? When you look at that? How did Jezebel end her life? Got chucked out, thrown out the top of the tower, hit the deck and I've got to be careful because kids are in the house and, it said, the dogs came and ate her. There are no gods that are alive except the one and only God. There is only one God and his name is Yahweh. There is only one God and his name is I Am. There's only one God Jehovah Jireh, jehovah Nissi, jehovah Shalom. There's only one God and there's only one King, and they're interwoven with the power of the Holy Spirit.

Speaker 2: 39:54

And as we come to the table now, we want to encourage you right now, wherever you are right now, to grab yourself a bit of bread and a bit of wine. Again, how many times do I say this? If you're going to a church and I had someone come up to me the other day and they was in distress because they went on holiday they went down to see their brother. They went down to see their brother down in Cornwall they went into a church and the church refused her bread and wine. Oh, have you been confirmed? Oh, dear, have you rubbed your rosary beads? No, I haven't, sir, and I won't be. In the name of Jesus, well, you're not allowed in this club. Hallelujah, I'm out. In the name of Jesus. Completely refused the bread and the wine. And if you go to a church where you don't take the bread and the wine, get your towel out, get out, because the bread and the wine. And if you go to a church where you don't take the bread and the wine, get your towel out, get out, because the bread and the wine is critical, it's fundamental to what we believe in. So we're going to break bread.

Speaker 2: 40:56

We're running out of time, we've just got a few minutes to go, but I pray that, wherever you are, don't get trapped on the devil's playground social media. Don't listen to what the devils are saying about their dead God. Because their God is dead, there's a marker. You can go on holiday and go and look at their gods, and what are you going to see? Nothing, because they're dead. Rigor mortis set in. They died, they're gone, they will never be resurrected.

Speaker 2: 41:29

Many of them are myths. Many of them don't even exist in certain areas of life. It's all fabricated, it's all made up Mythology. Don't follow the mythology of foreign gods. Follow the God of heaven and earth. Follow the God that said let there be light and, as we come to the table, grab yourself a bit of bread and a bit of grape juice, whatever it may be, and let's just break bread together.

Speaker 2: 41:50

In the name of Jesus, we want to invite those who are online and we've got a terrific amount of people following us across the world. May God bless you and carry you. In the name of Jesus, we want to encourage you today, as the scripture says at the bottom there. But as for you, be strong and never give up. As the scripture says at the bottom there. But as for you, be strong and never give up. Please, never give up and be strong. Don't allow the foreign gods, the devils on the social media, the stats, the statistics, to tell you otherwise. It's not true. Father, we thank you for this bread and as we take this bread now in the name of Jesus, it represents the body of Jesus that was dead, the only king, the only God to come back from the grave.

Speaker 2: 42:36

I love the fact that he didn't need a pastor to pray for him. I love the fact that Jesus didn't have a prayer team around him. He didn't have anybody around him, because death and life is in the hands of the beholder. Death and life. Jesus just had a yawn and he got up, kicked off the duvet, put on his trainers and got out, because he holds the power to death and to life. And we find that on the island of Patmos, when Jesus said to poor John and I'll say poor John because he said I fell as if I was dead I looked around and there I saw. I saw when you study that and Jesus put out his hand and put it on his shoulder and said do not be afraid. What did he say? I was dead, but behold, I am alive, your king is alive.

Speaker 2: 43:33

When you hear all that stuff on the social medias, just smile, just say I ain't gonna, I ain't gonna apologize, I ain't gonna do apologetics, I ain't gonna jump in the arena. I haven't got to prove that my God is alive because your God is dead. I ain't gonna do it, no more. I'm just going to smile. I just pray for you that you will receive salvation in God's time. Father, in the name of Jesus, bless this bread right now, in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, because it symbolizes the body of Jesus. Amen, sisters and brothers, grab yourself a bit of grape juice.

Speaker 2: 44:05

Whatever it may be, it's really, really important that we we study the cross of calvary, what I mentioned. We had nicodemus, representing the old way, the lord of torah. Jesus said you are israel's teacher. And then we got joseph of of aramaphia, you know, representing the new. So what we have at the cross, we have the old and the new coming together. Both of them were covered in the blood of jesus. The old and the new carried. Isn't that interesting? The old and the new carried the word. So from genesis to revelation is the word, and we had a physical understanding that the old testament and the new testament was, was, together. So don't let any preacher or teacher tell you that there is a separation, because at the cross of calvary and that's what christ was doing spiritually.

Speaker 2: 44:56

Can you just keep an eye on the time? A minute, alex, because it might, we might run over a second. I know I'll give you a headache. I'm so sorry. You know this really important. At the cross of Calvary we have the physical happening and we have the spiritual happening.

Speaker 2: 45:09

So when Jesus said it is finished, what happened was the Old Testament was fulfilled because Christ bowed and gave up his spirit. Then suddenly the New Testament accelerated. So we have the old being fulfilled at the cross, we have the new starting at the cross. That was the spiritual realms. So at the cross we had everything in the spiritual realm all heaven, all God, everything looking at the cross, from the spiritual world and from the physical world. So Jesus was showing the spiritual world and the physical world, two things. He was showing the spiritual world, all the devils, everything going on in the spiritual world that we can't see, that the Old Testament was fulfilled by the prophets and the law, by what was given and the forerunners. And when he said it is finished, he bowed his head and he gave up his spirit. So Jesus said I'll die now because Jesus is in charge of death. Death has no power over jesus. Death moves to the, to the language of the scripture. So jesus said it is finished. And then, all of a sudden, what we had? We had the old testament being fulfilled at the cross when he breathed his last. And then the new testament sprang into action in the spiritual realm.

Speaker 2: 46:24

But right at the foot of Calvary, when the body was taken off, we have it in the physical formation. We have the Old Testament, because what happens first, the spiritual is always first and the spiritual was before the physical. It's happened at the cross. The spiritual happened. The earth shook, everything happened, the temple cut and everything happened there. And then later on, joseph of arimathea and nicodemus comes to the cross and they asked for the body when he had died. So the spiritual is always first. The physical is is catching up to what has already happened in the spiritual realm. So Nicodemus and Joseph pick up the body, they pull it into their chest and they get covered in the blood. So you have a spiritual application and you have a physical application at the foot of the cross. So now we are doing this. This is critical, so you may have gone ahead of me, which is fine. So now we are doing this. This is critical, so you may have gone ahead of me, which is fine.

Speaker 2: 47:27

We don't have to follow. We're not Catholics, we're not the Church of England. We're born again spirit-filled. We are not religious, we are born again spirit-filled believers. Father, I thank you for this cup that symbolizes the body of Christ that we took on the bread, but right now, as we take the cup, we recognize that it's symbolic to the blood of Jesus. So, father, as we take this cup, cleanse us from the crown of our head to the sole of our feet In Jesus' name. Amen, there is power in the name.

Speaker 2: 47:57

I just want to read this last part of scripture before we click out and I might be able to get out on time. And it says there in 2 Chronicles, chapter 1st, 15, in the last text that we was at. And it says but as for you, be strong, every one of you be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded. Hang on a minute. It says it's not about reward, it's not about what we got again is a forerunner of salvation. You will be rewarded with the crown of life. It's not talking, it's not by works, so that no one can boast so again back all these thousands of years. We got a forerunner and you would. That only switched and changed at the cross.

Speaker 2: 48:44

Let's pray we're out of here.

Speaker 2: 48:45

In the name of Jesus, father, we thank you for the power of the Holy Spirit and we pray tonight that the fire of God would descend on this hellhole of a nation known as the UK. And Lord, will you sweep through? In the name of Jesus, lord, I thank you for everybody online. I thank you for the brothers and sisters around the world on radio. Thank you for joining us on RB Christian Radio. I thank you for wherever you are across the world, israel, across the world, everybody before me in the house, everybody on the networks. God bless you wherever you are. But let me just say it one more time before we disappear Never give up and be strong. Never give up and be strong. Never give up and be strong. Don't get involved in looking at foreign dead gods. They are dead. The king is alive. God bless you wherever you are. We thank you for joining us on the other side of the world and in the house today. May god bless you in the mighty name of the father, the son, the, the Holy Spirit, amen.

Speaker 1: 49:47

Thank you for joining us on Reverend Ben Cooper's podcast. We hope you feel inspired and uplifted. Don't forget to support us by buying us a coffee. Your generosity keeps this ministry thriving. We'd also love to hear from you, so please leave us a review and let us know what you think. And, of course, for more inspiration, visit us anytime at rbchristianradionet. Until next time, stay encouraged, stay faithful and know this you are not alone.