<TITLE>09. Par 54-62</TITLE>L-54 And so Jesus was taken across the streets and down through the places till He met the higher court, Herod. And when He met Herod, Herod was presented with his only opportunity. How foolish can a man be? If Herod would've only knew that standing before him was the fulfillment of every Hebrew prophet of the long and the thirst of the world, which stood before him, the fulfillment of every sage and prophet that had ever spoke... The opportunity to have satisfied his sinful heart with grace and mercy, what a foolish man he was.
And yet not as much foolish as a man today that's presented with the same thing, 'cause we've had two thousand more years of His teaching of His mercy. But what a--a foolish thing that Herod did when he stood before Him and never asked Him for grace and mercy, never asked for pardoning of sin. He never knew that standing... He--I--I don't think the man realized that standing before him was such a Person. Let's let that soak for a minute. Because the Man had not such a--a social name of great social standing, of--of different organizations and--and clubs, and so forth, that He was associated with. He didn't have a name like that.

L-56 But He did have, among the people that knowed the Bible and knowed the promise. And may I go a little stronger, them that were predestinated unto Eternal Life, they recognized it the moment He stood there.
But Herod hadn't learned this; he never knew it. What a sad thing. All that the prophets had spoke of for four thousand years, the fulfillment of the cry of the world stood before him. There in his presence stood all the fulfillment. And as I might say this again, we'd think he was a foolish man 'cause he made a foolish decision, for you notice he never asked Him for mercy. He asked Him to--to entertain him. "Oh, I have heard that you are a--a miracle-worker." He asked for entertainment in the stead of mercy.
That's what the world today is expressing back the very decision of Herod, when they see the miracle-working Christ doing the same thing today that He did then, and the only things they require, "Let me see you do such-and-such." You say Herod will have a bad place to stand? The man of this day will have a worse place to stand. Herod had four thousand years of experience of prophets and sages. We've got six thousand, with a super teaching to what they had then. Certainly. What a thing it did. So is it today, same thing.

L-59 What was the matter? Herod never give it a serious thought. He never stopped to consider. And that's the way with the people of today. They see this great something; it's got them startled, but they don't stop long enough. They're trying to listen to some rabbi or some theologian who explains It all away. And yet, how when I think of Jeffersonville, "How oft would I have hovered you as a hen would her brood, but you would not. How oft would I have gathered you? How oft would I have made this the--the garden spot where all nations would've flown into, but you would not." See, see?
Now, see what will Herod have to remember in that day? His grand opportunity, he turned it down. And yonder somewhere in the regions of the lost tonight, he's remembering what he did about it. It's too late now.

L-62 Don't let that be to us. This is our visitation time. Let's remember Christ, that He's the same yesterday, today, and forever: Hebrews 13:8. Don't wait till some regions yonder in the damned, in that dimension where you cannot go in the Presence of God, and your time is up on earth. In the nightmare of horror you'll remember you had your opportunity and turned it away. Let the young people take notice to this. Let all take notice to it.
Herod never give it a serious thought. His only occasion, he only asked to be entertained, and that Jesus might do some kind of a trick, take a rabbit out of the hat, or, you know, or something. He thought He might be, in otherwise, he regarded Him as like a magician. "We've heard that you can do pranks. Let me see you do your prank now."


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