The Significant Days of Holy Week

Posted on March 29, 2026 by His Way with Gary Curtis

A 4.2-minute read by Gary Curtis,

The final week of our Lord’s earthly life is often called “Holy Week.” It began with Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem, riding on a young donkey to the acclaim of happy crowds waving palm branches (hence the later name “Palm Sunday”). The seven significant days of this significant week were followed by “Resurrection Sunday.” 

Jesus Entered Jerusalem 

The next day, the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,

“Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the king of Israel!”  (See John 12:12-19)

Following His triumphant entry on “Palm Sunday,” Jesus used the days that followed to predict to the disciples about His soon-to-be death, burial, and resurrection.  He also taught them of His future return, righteous judgment, and the Kingdom Age. (See Matthew 24-25.) 

Jesus Observed the Passover Event 

Jesus and His disciples arranged to share the annual Jewish Passover meal in an “upper room” in Jerusalem (Mark 14). During that significant “Last Supper” together, Jesus washed the disciples’ feet and privately released Judas to go and arrange to betray Him to the Jewish religious authorities (Matt. 26:14-19; 20-25).

While eating the meal, Jesus blessed the bread, broke it, and gave it to His disciples. Then He commemorated the cup with the juice of the vine from the Passover meal, likening these elements as symbols of His blood and body in a new covenant relationship with His select followers (Matthew 26:26-29). 

The Apostle Paul later rehearsed these events to serve as future reminders of our Lord’s body and blood, given on our behalf for the forgiveness of our sins and the health of our bodies. Paul explained that our repeated observance of our Lord’s words and works proclaims or announces our Lord’s death, burial, and resurrection until He comes again (1 Corinthians 11:23-30; 15:1-11)! 

The Resurrection of the Dead

The Apostle Paul continued about the resurrection of Christ Jesus in his first teaching letter to the Corinthians:

12 But tell me this—since we preach that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of the dead? 13 For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless 15 And we apostles would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead. 16 And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless, and you are still guilty of your sins. 18 In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! 19 And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world. 20 But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died. (1 Corinthians 15:12-20; New Living Version; NLV) 

My friend, actor and author Bruce Marciano, dramatically described in his book, Meeting Jesus*, how he envisions life reentering Jesus’ body after He had been dead for three days: “What happens first? The spirit returns, the heart fills with blood, the nerves reattach, and the decayed tissues reconstruct cell by cell, molecule by molecule? The more one tries to figure it out, the more bafflingly miraculous it all becomes.”

Bruce’s God-honoring imagination continued: “The lifeless flesh lies straight and flat and still–so incredibly still. Then in suddenness beyond suddenness, with a sound like a megaton implosion of atmosphere rushing into a sealed vacuum, the chest heaves heavenward in one massive, back-arching thrust as the breath of life reenters and blasts anew, exploding through the lungs with all the resurrection force of heaven and earth!” 

May this Holy Week devotional and scriptural references support our pathway to Resurrection Sunday and renew our faith in and commitment to Jesus Christ, our Living Lord and Coming King! 

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  • MEETING JESUS, (c) Bruce Marchiano, 2002, Harvest House Publishers

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Persia’s Past and Prophetic Future

Posted on March 22, 2026 by His Way with Gary Curtis

A 3.6-minute read by Gary Curtis

U.S. Marines, along with military ships, planes, and armaments, are currently making their way to the Middle East in response to the current Iranian threat and its resolution. Now, three weeks into this “war,” it is significant to remember that modern Iran is identified with ancient Persia and is a key player in end-time events and biblical prophecies.

Persia is identified by students of biblical prophecy with a country called Magog, with its leader named Gog, and mentioned in Ezekiel 38-39. It is part of a geographical coalition of nations that will attack Israel in the last days.

The Jewish Prophet Daniel mentions Cyrus as king of Persia (10:1), and Daniel 10:13 and 10:20 speak of the demonic “prince of Persia” which obstructed the heavenly messenger for three full weeks. Modern interpreters point to the reality of spiritual warfare and the unseen battles that can delay or hinder our prayers. Daniel 11:2 prophecies of three more kings in Persia.

And, of course, the book of Esther (Hadassah) is all about saving the Jewish people from attempted genocide by the evil actions of Haman, King Ahasuerus’s key commander. His personal hatred of the Jewish people went back many generations (Esther 3:1-4; 9:24), and he plotted to exterminate all the Jews throughout the Persian Empire on a single day, as determined by casting lots (purim). Purim became the name of the annual springtime Jewish observance of that historic victory. 

[I find it interesting how the names of many of Israel’s current adversaries begin, as Haman’s did, with the letter “H”: Hamas, Hezbollah, and Houthis.]

Some theologians also connect ancient Persia with the “fortunes of Elam,” in Jeremiah 49:34-39. As such, the prophecy may relate to a potential future nuclear threat from Iran, given their historic, hostile relations in the region. While Iranians/Persians are descendants of a 4,000-year-old civilization, they are not ethnically Arab. They are definitely a Muslim -majority nation, where Shia Islam forms the foundation of its laws, governance, and theocratic system. It is the source of their anti-semitic hatred and demonstrations against the United States and Israel (called “Great Satan” and“Little Satan”).


While many find it significant that ancient Persia is explicitly mentioned in biblical prophecy, some scholars prefer to interpret the current conflict with Iran as uncertain and speculative. They warn against creating unnecessary fear over imminence.  Biblical prophecy is not given to cause fear, but so we can prepare!  

From the River to the Sea

For thousands of years, Satan has schemed to deceive and destroy God’s highest order of creation, mankind. God cursed this evil one and declared perpetual enmity between his seed and mankind’s (Genesis 3:15). The current cycle of wars in the Middle East and the Palestinian Arabs’ efforts to eradicate the Jewish people “from the river to the sea” is part of Satan’s grand, genocidal scheme.

God chose to work His grace of redemption of mankind through one man (Abram) and his progeny. Through them, “all the families of the earth will be blessed (12:1-3). Abram’s name was changed to Abraham, and his grandson Jacob’s name to Israel (Gen. 32:22-31). A Bible-based teaching ministry in modern Israel, One For Israel, has shared these important thoughts:

“God has promised that the people of Israel will never be wiped out, and that they will be around as long as the sun, moon, and stars are in place (Jeremiah 31:35-36). Israel’s enemies have clearly not gotten this memo. Their stated goals are to have a Judenfrei [Jew-free] land from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean, and for things to go back to Muslim rule, as it was before.“

God’s judgment has waited since these ancient times, but the prophesied future destruction of these declared enemies is certain. However, God wants both Israel and her enemies to know Him!

Let us earnestly pray for all peoples to repent and come to eternal life, through Jesus Christ, the Jewish Messiah and the Gentile’s Savior!

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Posted in End Times, Middle East, Prophecy | 1 Comment

Resisting the Evil Threesome of the End-Times

Posted on March 15, 2026 by His Way with Gary Curtis

A 3.9-minute read by Gary Curtis

According to the unnamed writer of the New Testament letter to the Hebrew diaspora, the purpose of Jesus’ incarnation was to destroy the devil, who had the power of death, and to release or set free those who all their lives had been held in the bondage of the fear of death. Perhaps some even have an inordinate fear of the devil or his antichrist (Hebrews 2:14-15; 1 Corinthians 15:54-5;7; John 14:7-11; and 1 John 2:18-23).

The Apostle Paul emphasized that Father God has not given His children a spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7), but of power and love and a sound [calm, confident, well-balanced] mindset! Instead of fear, we need the freedom of a godly perspective concerning the evil threesome of the end-times.

Commit Now to Resist Then

In the final book of the New Covenant, self-described as “The Revelation of Jesus Christ,” the Apostle John unveiled divine secrets of the last days through apocalyptic descriptions and warnings. It also speaks about societal collapse, cosmic cataclysms, and divine judgments, as communicated to John by a special Angel (Revelation 1:1; 22:16).

Chapters 12 and 13 of this prophetic screed of existential dangers and societal decay identify a sort of “counterfeit trinity.” Read these three, brief “revelations” about this evil threesome:

  1. Revelation 12:7-12 (NKJV) > Satan, the Accuser and Deceiver, is thrown out of Heaven.
  2. Revelation 13:1-10 > The Antichrist / The Beast from the Sea 
  3. Revelation 13: 11-18 > The False Prophet / The Beast from the Earth 

On the basis of these prophetic words, let us avoid the ultimate deception of the evil threesome by these active commitments today:

1. Discern the “spirit” behind the arguments and debates of our times or even the angry, hostile thoughts that pop into our minds. Prudently, ask, “Are these thoughts and words from the Holy Trinity or from the counterfeit trinity?” Let us help each other to escape the ensnarements of Satan and his deceptive antichrists! See 2 Timothy 2:14-17a, 26; 3:1-5; Rev. 12:9-10. 

Patience in the last days is not passivity but calm discernment and consistent resistance to the one who would trick us, trap us, and trample us, if he could. “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

2. Determine–in advance–to never deny Jesus as our Lord but to faithfully “endure to the end.”  Have faith over fear! 

Jesus warned that “…whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32-33).

The Last Days will call for courageous perseverance on the part of the saints still living at that juncture (Rev. 13:10). Our faith must not falter; our obedience to Christ must not fail. Make that determination now!

3. Dedicate each day to the Lord, as a living sacrifice. Look at yourself in a mirror and consciously dedicate your mind and thoughts to be pleasing to Him. Commit your eyes, ears, hands, and feet to holy and God-worthy efforts and activities only (Col. 1:10; 1 Thess. 2:11-12). 

Paul called for courage in the face of fear, endurance in the face of weariness, and a holy transformation “by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:1-2).

Jesus’ Redemptive Victory on the Cross

“They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto the death.”

(Revelation 12:11, Modern English Version; emphasis added).

Dr.  Jack Hayford explained that “the agelong warfare with evil” will conclude with saints of the Great Tribulation season being victorious on the basis of their embracing the Cross (“the blood of the Lamb”) and the authority of God’s Word (“the word of their testimony. 

Jesus’ redemptive victory on the Cross is the basis of our salvation, the source of our confident, confessed faith (Hebrews 11:13-16), and the grounds for our ultimate, spiritual victory (Colossians 2:13-15)! Hallelujah!!

“…to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:21 (MEV)

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“Standing” in These Difficult Days

Posted on March 8, 2026 by His Way with Gary Curtis

A 4.3-minute read by Gary Curtis

The Apostle Paul assured young Pastor Timothy that every word of the original Scriptures was inspired by God (“God-breathed”) and “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17; NKJV).

If we are daily immersed in and saturated by God’s inspired Word, we will have the Holy Spirit’s help to become spiritually mature in Him! We will be able to “stand against the wiles of the devil…in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (Ephesians 6:10-13).

Discerning End-times Essentials

The writer to the scattered Hebrew Messianics compared those who were spiritually immature to babies, who could only digest milk and not solid food (Heb. 5:12-13). Conversely, those who are spiritually mature have received and applied more advanced teachings. 

  • The Psalmist David said, “Wait on the Lord and keep His way” (Ps. 37:34). The spiritually maturing disciple will seek to discern the will and ways of God. He will not run ahead of God and will learn to be patient for the Lord to act. 
  • The Apostle Paul taught, “Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what the will of God is, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2, ESV). 
  • Pastor Jack Hayford noted in his Spirit-Filled Life Study Bible regarding verse 14  that these discerning disciples “have their spiritual senses able to discriminate between sound and unsound doctrine and between wholesome and unwholesome conduct.” Elsewhere, Hayford observed that “God is searching for people whose hearts desire Him and His ways.” 

There are only two options for discerning disciples. We are either being transformed for His glory and our good, or we are being conformed by the persistent, hellish draw of today’s culture. The preferred transformation of our minds comes through prayer and anchoring ourselves in Scripture. Then we can “be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding” (Colossians 1:9). 

God’s Truth and Satan’s Lies

A second area of spiritual discernment is regarding God’s truth and Satan’s lies. When Jesus was confronting religious Pharisees, he spoke of Satan as “a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).

We live in a very deceptive age, where right is called wrong and wrong is called right. Followers of Satan, the father of lies, deceive by redefining classifications of evil as good, while perverse character deficiencies have become something to normalize and laud. Others deliberately misstate or misrepresent the Word of God. These liars lie because it is natural for them to do so, being dominated by their “father, the devil.”

Only time spent in Scripture and in the awesome presence of Father God, as we “seek first the Kingdom of God,” will enable us to distinguish truth from lies. But, as the days become darker around us, such spiritual light and discernment are essential.

Determine to Stand

Finally, a third end-times essential is our spiritual determination to stand against the enemy’s evil plans and processes. In Ephesians 6, the Apostle Paul, using a metaphor about the “whole armor of God,” included the term stand several times: “Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil…Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand, therefore …” (Eph. 6:11, 13-14). 

The spiritual “battle” is twofold: first, our personal faith that positions itself against evil, and then our spiritual warfare against demonic strongholds. In each case, we must determine in advance to resist the evil schemes of the devil and to wisely confront and oppose those whose eyes have been blinded and spirits dulled by the lies of the evil one! By faith, we can see the victory that is ahead! 

The Secret to Standing in These Evil Days:“…be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Col. 1:9-10).

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Crazy Costumes and The Courageous Queen Esther

Posted on March 1, 2026 by His Way with Gary Curtis

A 3.9-minute adaptation by Gary Curtis of his March 11, 2017, post

Beginning Monday evening of this week, Jews around the world will celebrate the Feast of Purim, a one-day event honoring an orphaned Jewish young woman, who stopped a plot to murder masses of Jews in ancient Persia. Like Halloween, Purim is an opportunity for celebrants to dress up in crazy costumes to help children relive the events of the original biblical events.

However, Purim is more than crazy costumes. The celebration is rooted in an amazing biblical story of rescue and redemption from the brief book of Esther in the Old Covenant. The true events center on a young Jewish girl who was raised by her older cousin, Mordecai. He was the son of Jair, of the Hebrew tribe of Benjamin. Generations before, her family, with many others from Judah, was carried into exile in the land of Babylon, now known as Iraq.

Over time, the Persians defeated the Babylonians. King Ahasuerus (Xerxes I of Persia) wanted a new queen, and a cultural contest was held. Esther, a beautiful Jewish girl, won the contest and went from being just one of the many unknown minorities in the land to becoming the Queen of Persia.

Choosing Courage When Faced with Moral Crises

Esther’s story is a study of the survival of God’s people in the face of harassment, hostility, and hatred. The Persian king’s second-in-command was a vengeful anti-Semite named Haman. He wanted all the Jews destroyed, and he manipulated the king to call for their demise throughout his kingdom.

In this time of cultural calamity, God chose to elevate Esther (also known as Hadassah) and use her to save her people. Mordechai counseled her with words that have become famous to Jews and Christians:

 “Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:13-14)

Fearing God more than men, Esther risked her life in order to save her Jewish people from certain extinction. She heroically summoned the courage to meet her destiny and courageously approached the king on behalf of her people. This saved them from annihilation at the hands of the evil Haman (Boo! Hiss!). Haman was hanged, and her cousin Mordecai, a spiritual leader of the Jews in the Persian Empire, became prime minister.

The ancient hatred of Haman for the Children of Israel (Abraham’s grandson, Jacob, and his descendants) and the Land of Israel can be seen and heard in the vile anti-Zionist rhetoric and military actions against Jews and modern Israel (and the world) today. Political preachments and extremist practices of the Islamic faithed Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Hamas in Gaza, the Houthis in Yemen and Somalia, and the ISIS offshoots in Iraq and Syria are dastardly displayed. 

All of these Islamic allies are gathered around the country of Iran and its constant quest for nuclear armaments to back up its military threats and religious dominance in the world. Yesterday (Saturday) morning, the U.S. and Israel jointly attacked Iran from the air, and a naval armada is now in the region. The Supreme Leader Ali Komanie was reportedly killed, along with several dozen military leaders.

So, what is the message of the annual Feast of Purim and this heroic Hebrew woman? I believe it is, as Messianic leader Ron Cantor at Tel Aviv’s Messiah’s Mandate explains, “no matter who you are or how insignificant you feel, God can use you to do remarkable things if you will choose to act courageously” in times of moral crisis.

Let us all remember Queen Esther and pray for peace at this Feast of Purim!

“God is to us a God of deliverance!”
—Psalm 68:20 NASB

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