Mel Gibson’s epic — “The Passion of The Christ” — ended with Jesus’ Resurrection. Three significant Holy Events occurred during the forty years following Gibson’s screenplay. Almost nobody has heard of those Glorious Events. Indeed, a “mini-series” would be required to adequately describe that period following The Crucifixion.
Gibson’s objective was only to demonstrate dramatically and graphically, Jesus’ suffering. The film withheld “sanitizing” the violence, brutality and merciless behavior of the Roman soldiers at their grisly task. Gibson’s goal was to show it ugly, as it really was!
Nevertheless, those subsequent Events were equally dramatic, important and Glorifying of Jesus, as well as God, The Father. These Events have been shielded, ignored, misunderstood, overlooked or otherwise withheld from all but a handful of diligent, principally Jewish scholars. In my knowledge, almost no Christian scholars have even tried to learn of these Glorious and inspiring Events.
The Three Events are:
1st – The First “Event” actually was a series of Temple miracles that ceased completely during those forty years after The Crucifixion. Several Temple “miracles” had begun to appear during tenure of a certain highly respected Jewish High Priest, Simeon the Just (4th century B.C.E.). These encouraging miracles appeared during worship at Jerusalem’s Holy Temple. However, after Simeon’s time, these “signs” were not as “reliable” as with Simeon. Sometimes they showed and sometimes not. When they did appear, that was taken as a “good omen” for Israel. After The Crucifixion, they were to appear never again.
2nd – Departure of the Glory of God, (Divine Presence or Shekhinah), the “Pillar of fire and Pillar of Cloud” from the Temple. This was that same “burning bush” who first spoke to Moses, then later led the people to the Promised Land and who dwelled in the Holy of Holies of the Tabernacle and eventually the Temple. The Rabbis (Tamud and Midrash) report that after leaving the Holy of Holies just before Passover, He sat on the roof of the Temple until Shavuoth (Pentecost). The Rabbis further record that Shekhinah then returned back into the Temple, just for one last “tearful” farewell to His Holy House. He then proceeded to “the mountain that is on the east side of The City” – The Mount of Olives. Historians Flavius Josephus and Eusebius also report this Event. Josephus reports the exact year, month, date and hour of Shekhinah’s initial departure. The Event is prophesied and described as a “vision” in Ezekiel Chapters 10 and11.
3rd – This 3rd Event began about 3