Happy Heralds, IncMISUNDERSTOOD MYSTERIES MADE MANIFEST (CLEAR) by Dr. Fred Wittman IV. THE MYSTERY OF THE SON OF A HUMAN INTRODUCTION:How can God justly alter human destiny? All are destined to die. “And according to as much as it is scheduled for the humans to die off once for ever, but after this, 0judging” (Heb. 9:27APT). The God’s unalterable law is, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezek. 18:4, 20). Thus execution of judgement upon each one of us is sure to come after humans die. In our previous two studies of mysteries, it was noted that because of disobedience and sin all humans are bound for the Lake of Fire. But God is Love and He must have a way to save mankind. In His wisdom He planned and in His prudence He provided that way. Scripture calls it “The Mystery of The Christ.” “According to revelation He made known to me the mystery (according as I wrote before in a few |words|); with reference to which, as you& are reading, you &are able to comprehend[with the mind] my /understanding in the mystery of The Christ) (Eph. 3:3,4APT). To understand this mystery, first carefully consider the Human predicament. A. ANALYZE THE JUDGEMENT The judgment, upon all humans because we all have sinned and were born in sin, involves seven dreadful aspects. 1. Damned to Eternal Death (Rom. 6:23; 5:12 Heb. 9:27; Rev. 20:15; 21:8; Jn. 3:18); ‘‘For the wages of the sin, death! But the grace-gift of The God, eternal absolute life through Christ Jesus, The Lord of ours! . . . Because of this, even as through one+ human the sin entered into the world and the death through the sin, so also the death penetrated unto all humans because all sinned’’ (Rom. 6:23; 5:12APT). The contrast is between life and death. The gift is Eternal Life. Therefore the wages of sin, Eternal Death. “And according to as much as it is scheduled for the humans to die off once for ever, but after this, 0judging” (Heb, 9:27). “And if (and it is true) anyone |who| was not found standing written in The Volume of The Absolute Life, he[or she] was cast into the Lake of the Fire. . . . But to frightful ones and to faithless ones and to sinners and to abominating ones and to murderers and to sexually immoral ones and to sorcerers [dealers in black magic and drugs] and to idolaters and to all the lying ones, the part of theirs |shall be| in the lake, |namely | the ^ one continuously burning with fire and brimstone, which is 0second death” (Rev. 20:15; 21:8APT). “The one continually committing trust unto Him is not being judged. But the one not continually committing trust already has been permanently judged because he has not permanently committed trust unto the name of The Only Begotten Son of The God” (Jn. 3:18APT). The True God’s unalterable law remains steadfast, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die!” (Ezekiel 18:4,20). The result of one sin, an act of disobedience by Adam, was death. This death passed upon all humans because this law applies to all humans. We are damned to Eternal Death. 2. Cursed (James 2:10; Gal. 3:10; John 3:18); Since we have not kept all ten commandments, we are cursed to eternal punishment by the law unless we appropriate the only provision available to escape eternal judgment in the Lake of Fire. “For whoever keep the whole law watchfully secure but trip in one |point|, he has become guilty of all& |points|” (James 2:10APT). “For as many as are by means of works of law, they are under curse. For it stands written, Everyone who does not constantly continue in all the things which stand written in the scroll of the law in order to do them |is| an accursed one” (Gal. 3:10APT). “The one continually committing trust unto Him is not being judged. But on the contrary, the one not continually committing trust already has been permanently judged because he has not permanently committed trust unto the name of The Only Begotten Son of The God” (John 3:18APT).
3. Defiled - Sinful (Rom. 7:8-10; Tit. 1:15,16; Eph. 4:22; Lk. 5:8); Because we all are stained with sin, we are defiled and unclean in God’s sight. “. . . for all sinned and of themselves are falling short of the glory of The God. . . .But the sin, receiving a base of operations through the commandment, performed in me every kind of passionate lust. For apart from 0law, sin |is| dead! Now I myself was continually absolutely living apart from law once, but when the commandment came, the sin absolutely lived again. Then I myself died off. And the commandment, |namely| the one for me unto absolute life, I found this |to be| unto death” (Rom. 3:23; 7:8-10 APT). “On the one hand all things |are| clean to the clean+ ones, but on the other hand not one thing |is clean to the ones standing polluted and faithless. But even the comprehension and the conscience of theirs stands polluted. They persistently confess to be aware of God. But in their works they deny |it| by being abominable ones and disobedient ones and disapproved ones with reference to every beneficially good work” Tit. 1:15,16). “. . .of yourselves lay down away from yourselves at once with respect to the former behavior [conduct of life], the old human, |namely| the one being destroyed by corruption according to the passionate lusts of the enticement!” (Eph. 4:22). Simon Peter, the disciple doubted The Lord’s command concerning catching a draft of fish. He disobeyed in refusing to let down all the nets. He dragged the catch of fish to shore in the one net which he reluctantly lowered and broke. “When Simon Peter beheld |this|, he fell prostrate at the knees of /Jesus while saying, O Lord, Exit away from me! Because I am a man, a sinner!” (Lk. 5:8APT). Here is a follower of Jesus, one of the twelve disciples acknowledging that he is an unclean, defiled sinner because of his one act of disobedience. So for all, one act of disobedience makes a human a sinner. 4. Diseased (James 1:13-15); “While being tested [to prove], not one is to say! ‘I am being tempted by The God.’ For The God is incapable of being tempted by evils, in fact He Himself tempts not one |by evils|. But each one is being tempted, while being drawn away by his own passionate lusts and is being beguiled. Afterward when the passionate lust becomes conceived, it gives birth to sin. Then when the sin has been finished off, it generates death” (James 1:13-15APT). Like leprosy, a disease which starts with a seemingly insignificant spot but eventually increases and spreads to destroy the whole body, sin is a disease of the soul and spirit of man which increases and eventually destroys the whole person -- body, soul, and spirit. 5. Alienated - Enemies (Col. 1:21; Eph. 4:17,18; Phil. 3:18,19; James 4:4); Humans are naturally (because the nature of all humans is to err) prone to sin and alienated from the life of The Absolute Living God. Therefore all are naturally enemies of righteousness and to The Absolute Living God. “And yourselves, once being alienated ones and enemies in the thinking capacity by means of the wicked works, but even now He completely reconciled in the body of His /flesh through His death, to present you& holy& and unblemished& ones and ones not judicially incriminated& directly in His view” (Col. 1:21APT). “. . . as also the remaining Gentiles are continually walking, in 0vain futility of the comprehension of theirs, ones having the thinking capacity standing obscured in darkness and ones standing completely alienated from the absolute life of The God through the ignorance which is continually in them because of the callousness of the heart of theirs” (Eph. 4:17,18APT). “For many, whom I told you& many times, but now I tell you& even weeping loudly, are walking as the enemies of the cross of The Christ! The end of whom, utter destruction! The god of whom, the belly! And their glory in the shame of theirs! The ones continually minding Earthly things!” (Phil. 3:18,19APT). “O adulterers and adulteresses, you& are aware that the friendship of the world is enmity with The God, are you& not? Therefore who ever be desirously willing to be a friend of the world is continually appointed to the position of 0enemy of The God” (James 4:4APT). There is a difference between being a friend of the world and being a friend to the world. When we enjoy the world’s pleasures, lusts, pursuits, entertainment, and visit the places where The God is neither welcomed nor wanted, we are friends of the world and being or behaving as enemies to The God. 6. Enslaved (John 8:34,44; 1 Jn. 3:8; Rom. 6:16); All humans before regeneration are enslaved to the sin and the devil. Everyone is either a bondslave to The God or to the devil. /Jesus answered them, Amen, Amen, I am saying to you&, ‘‘Everyone who continually commits the sin is continually a bondslave of the sin. . . . You& yourselves are continually of 0father the devil and the lusts[earnest desires] of your& /father you& are determinedly willing to constantly do That one was continually a human killer from beginning. And he was not continually standing fast in the truth because 0truth is continuously not in him. Whenever he speak the falsehood, he is speaking out of his own things because he is continuously a liar and the father of it[falsehood]” (Jn. 8:34,44APT). “The one repeatedly committing the sin is continually of the devil because the devil repeatedly sins from 0beginning. For this purpose The Son of The God was displayed, in order that He bring the works of the devil to ruins” (1 Jn. 3:8APT). “You& are aware, are you& not? That to whom you& yield yourselves bondslaves unto obedience, you& are bondslaves to whom you& are continually obeying, either [restrictive, one of two; the first naturally] to sin unto death, or to obedience unto righteousness?” (Rom. 6:16APT). Scripture is very clear! According to this passage of Scripture, Paul indicated to the Romans that every one is a bondslave either to sin and unrighteousness, or to The God and Righteousness; that everyone is either a bondslave to Sin and unrighteousness or a bondslave to The God and Righteousness. There is not the possibility to fluctuate between the two masters. Remember what The Lord Jesus Christ taught, “You cannot serve two masters. For either you will love the one and hate the other or you will cling to one and despise the other” (Mt. 6:24; Lk. 16:13APT). The bondslave is described as having four unique characteristics: Firstly, he or she is born into slavery: we all are born into sin, therefore if we are to become bondslaves to The Lord Jesus Christ we must die to sin and be regenerated or born anew into the family of The God as bond slaves even as The Jesus was a bondslave when He was born into this world; Secondly, the bondslave is in a permanent relationship for life, that only death can break; Thirdly, the bondslave is one whose will is swallowed up in the will of another, his master; and Fourthly, the bondslave is devoted to his master to the disregard of one’s own life. (To remain a bondslave to sin and Satan is to the disregard of Eternal Life. There is no possible escape from slavery to sin, except by death to the sin. 7. Dead (Rom. 5:15; 6:11; 2 Cor. 5:14). “But not as the gross stupid error |is| the grace-gift. For if (and it is true) by the gross stupid error of the one the many died off, much rather the grace of The God and the gratuitous gift by means of grace which |is| by The One Human, Jesus Christ, is in abundance unto the many . . . So also you yourselves reckon yourselves! on the one hand to be dead ones to the sin, but on the other hand absolutely living ones to The God in Christ Jesus, The Lord of ours” (Rom. 5:15; 6:11APT). “For the love of The Christ is continually impelling us because |we| judged this, ‘/If (and it is true)\ One+ died off in behalf of all, so then the all died off. . . .’” (2 Cor. 5:14APT). Thus all humans are in this sevenfold predicament: damned to eternal death, cursed, defiled - sinful, diseased, alienated from The God -- enemies, enslaved to the sin and the devil, and dead to The God. This predicament ends at the Great White Throne with condemnation to eternal death in the Lake of Fire. Since all humans are so damned and all such dreadful sevenfold affliction prevails upon all, there appears to be no hope. But on the contrary The God is the God of Love, of Justice, and of Wisdom. He recognized the problem and the only solution to such predicament. The solution is the Mystery of Christ. He Himself must assume the judgment. B. ASSUME THE JUDGMENT The only way for humans to escape this damnation to eternal death in the Lake of Fire is for The God to take this judgment to condemnation upon Himself in the person of His Beloved Son. In order to do this judicially and retain His righteousness it is absolutely necessary for Him to meet three prerequisites. 1. FULFILL THREE PREREQUISITES a. There must be A Perfect Adult Human sacrificed. Only a perfect, sinless, righteous human with out blemish suffering in sacrificial death under The God’s fearful wrath would suffice and propitiate the righteous demands of The Holy God. Since all humans have sinned, The God Himself must find a way to provide a perfect adult human to be the sacrifice. Its the ONLY way! b. This Perfect Adult Human must become the Perfect Sacrifice and shed his sinless blood. His whole being (body, soul, spirit) must suffer under God’s Wrath. Animal blood is amoral (non-moral)! Human blood is immoral! The Christ, the Perfect Adult Human who never sinned had moral blood (perfect, precious {this blood is the only one of its kind}, and undefiled by sin)! c. This Perfect Adult Human Sacrifice must become the Perfect High Priest to minister and mediate before The God. He must justify and make sinful humans new creatures alive, free from stain of sin, and fit for Heaven. 2. PRUDENTLY PERFORM THE PREREQUISITES The Lord Jesus Christ arrived on Earth and fulfilled and performed the prerequisites. At the same time he dealt with every phase of the dreadful condition of every human. a. The Christ Came as The God-Man, The Son of a Human, born of a virgin mother, fathered by The Holy Spirit, Sinless in Blood and in Body--a perfect sacrifice! (Mt. 1:20-23). Lo! a 0Lord’s 0angel appeared to him in a sleeping vision, saying, O Joseph, son of David, stop fearing to take Mary your$ /wife alongside! For the~ one in herself is begotten by means of 0Holy Spirit. Now she shall give 0Son birth and you& shall title His /name Jesus, for He Himself shall save His /people from their /sins. Now this whole thing came to pass in order that the declaration by The Lord through the prophet be fully fulfilled saying, Lo! the virgin shall be pregnant and she shall give Son birth and they shall title His /name, Ehmmahnouáyl, which is being translated, The God with us (Mt. 1:20-23APT). It had to be this way because if Jesus had been impregnated by a human, he would have been born with defiled blood. Discovery of the function and trace of DNA confirms what some Bible Scholars taught from Scripture concerning the precious, spotless, perfect, undefiled blood of The Lord Jesus Christ years ago. Only by being born of a virgin, conceived by the seed implanted by The Holy Spirit could Jesus be The Perfect Adult Human that could provide Salvation through His shed blood and suffering the torment underneath the fiery wrath of The Holy, Righteous God. b. The Christ was condemned to a torturous death, the death by crucifixion. Old Testament prophets and David foretold of The Christ suffering an excruciating death (Ps. 22:1- 8,13-15; Jn.10:11,17,18; Isa. 52:13a,14b,c; 53:3-7,10,12c-f; Lam. 1:12-14; 3:1-3,14-20). David first wrote of The Good Shepherd Who giveth His life for His sheep in agonizing death which the beloved disciple John recorded concerning The Lord Jesus Christ. “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent. But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them. They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded. But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, ‘He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.’. . . They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death. (Psalm 22:1- 8,13-15). “I Am Myself continuously being The Intrinsically Good Shepherd. The Intrinsically Good Shepherd lays down His natural /life[soul] in behalf of the sheep&. . . .Because of this, The Father continuously loves Me because I Myself lay down My natural life[soul] in order that I take it again. Not one carries it off away from Me, but I Myself lay it down by Myself. I continuously have authority to lay it down. And I continuously have authority to take it again” (Jn.10:11,17,18APT). Isaiah gave a vivid prophetic description of the death of The God’s Servant, The Suffering Messiah of Israel Who is coming. “Behold, my servant . . . ; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men: . . . He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. . . . Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. . . . Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors” (Isaiah 52:13a,14b,c; 53:3-7,10,12c-f ). Certainly Isaiah described the excruciating physical suffering which The Lord Jesus Christ endured on the cross of Calvary, but he also mentions that the LORD bruised Him, put Him to grief and made His soul an offering for sin. Without fire burning the sacrifice, even though blood was shed, the sacrifice was not acceptable to The LORD. All the sacrifices, peace offerings, sin offerings, and trespass offerings had to be burnt with fire just as the burnt offerings did (Leviticus 1-8; 23:37). Only in a “sacrifice made by fire unto the LORD” was forgiveness available to the congregation or to the stranger (Num. 15:13-26). No sacrifice with shedding of blood and burnt with fire? No forgiveness! “All that are born of the country shall do these things after this manner, in offering an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the LORD. And if a stranger sojourn with you, or whosoever be among you in your generations, and will offer an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the LORD; as ye do, so he shall do. One ordinance shall be both for you of the congregation, and also for the stranger that sojourneth with you, an ordinance for ever in your generations: as ye are, so shall the stranger be before the LORD. One law and one manner shall be for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, . . . Then it shall be, if ought be committed by ignorance without the knowledge of the congregation, that all the congregation shall offer one young bullock for a burnt offering, for a sweet savor unto the LORD, with his meat offering, and his drink offering, according to the manner, and one kid of the goats for a sin offering. And the priest shall make an atonement for all the congregation of the children of Israel, and it shall be forgiven them; for it is ignorance: and they shall bring their offering, a sacrifice made by fire unto the LORD, and their sin offering before the LORD, for their ignorance: And it shall be forgiven all the congregation of the children of Israel, and the stranger that sojourneth among them; seeing all the people were in ignorance” (Numbers 15:13-18a,24-26). Then Jeremiah also prophesied as he wept over the destroyed city of Jerusalem. In the record of his Lamentations, he used the singular personal pronoun “I” and “my” to describe, along with his own sufferings, the excruciating suffering which could only be ascribed to The Coming Suffering Messiah. “Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the LORD hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger. From above hath he sent fire into my bones, and it prevaileth against them: he hath spread a net for my feet, he hath turned me back: he hath made me desolate and faint all the day. The yoke of my transgressions is bound by his hand: they are wreathed, and come up upon my neck: he hath made my strength to fall, the Lord hath delivered me into their hands, from whom I am not able to rise up. . . . I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath. He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, but not into light. Surely against me is he turned; he turneth his hand against me all the day. . . .I was a derision to all my people; and their song all the day. He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood. He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he hath covered me with ashes. And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I forgat prosperity. And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the LORD: Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall. My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me” (Lamentations 1:12-14; 3:1-3,14-20). The fire “from above” came in those three hours of darkness between twelve noon (sixth hour) to three P. M. (ninth hour). This was absolutely necessary in order to provide a way for sinners to escape damnation. The Righteous God can only forgive sin and sins if the punishment is paid in full and His justice satisfied. Only through The Lord Jesus Christ suffering the righteous fiery wrath burning the sacrifice as He suffered on Calvary could He forgive the sins of the world corporately and individually -- your sins and mine. c. The Christ was made a curse on the Cross for ALL (Gal. 3:13). “Christ redeemed us out of the curse of the law by becoming a curse in our behalf (for it stands written, Everyone who is hanging upon wood |is| an accursed+ one)!” (Gal. 3:13APT). d. The Christ became sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21). “For The One, |Who| did not know[from experience] sin, He made sin in behalf of us in order that we ourselves become God’s righteousness in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21APT). God imputed to His Beloved Son, The Lamb of God, the sins of the entire world committed from creation until Calvary and the sins yet to be committed in the future from Calvary until the end of time. “Because Christ also suffered in behalf of us, . . . Who did not a sin, neither was deceit found in the mouth of His; . . . Who Himself bore up the sins of ours in the body of His upon the wood” (1 Pet. 2:21-24 APT). e. The Christ was alienated from God on the cross (Mt. 27:46). After those three hours of darkness on the cross of Calvary, Jesus cried out to God. “Then about 0ninth hour /Jesus cried loudly with a great call, saying, Aylée! Aylée! lamáh sahbakh-thah-née? It is this, O My God, O My God, why is it that You$ forsook Me?” (Mt. 27:46APT). Thus He was alienated from God as The Lamb of God burning under the fire of God’s wrath and by doing so, on the cross He bore the punishment of the sins of the whole world and provided forgiveness to be appropriated by repentance and faith. Confirmation that He did burn in that fire is given by John, the beloved disciple as He described the Risen Christ in Heaven (Rev. 1:12-18, particularly verse 15). “. . . and the feet of His, similar ones to fine brass, ones having been burned& as in a furnace and the voice of His, as 0sound of many waters . . .” (Rev. 2:15APT). f. The Christ died on Calvary, shed His blood, endured the fire of God’s wrath in the darkness from noon until 3 P.M. (Lk. 23:44; Lam. 1:12,13, see B.2.b. above) and judgement upon sin ( 1 Pet. 3:18). After receiving the judgment for sins of the world (Jn. 1:29), He voluntarily committed His Spirit to His Father and expired. “Because even Christ suffered once with regard to sins, 0Just+ One in behalf of unjust ones, in order that He lead us tod The God, |Who| on the one hand was put to death in 0flesh, but on the other hand was made absolutely alive by The Spirit” (1 Pet. 3:18). “On the morrow /he\[John] sees /Jesus coming to him and he says, Behold The Lamb of The God Who is carrying off the sin of the world!” (Jn. 1:29). He died as The Lamb of The God and therefore in those dark hours in which He endured the burning of Brimstone, the same burning as the Lake of Fire (Rev. 20:10). Brimstone gives off a black dark gas with intense heat. As The Lamb of The God in suffering the agony of the wrath at the hand of The God and bearing our sins while being forsaken of Him, The Lord Jesus Christ addressed The Father as His God. But after those three hours of suffering were at an end and He was about to expire, He addressed The God as His Father. “And when /Jesus called with a loud[great] voice, He said, Father, [Ps. 31:5a]into Your$ hands I deposit[place alongside] for Myself My /spirit. And after saying these things, He expired” (Lk. 23:46APT). g. The Christ rose again, ascended into heaven, became The Perfect High Priest (Heb. 5:5,6), and applied His Blood to the Mercyseat before God’s throne (Heb. 9:11-14,23-26). “So also The Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but That One spoke to Him, You$ are continuously My Son. Today I Myself have begotten You$. According as He says also in another[different kind] |place|, Yourself, 0Priest for /ever according to the order of Mehlkhee-sehdéhk!” (Heb. 5:5,6APT). “But when Christ emerged alongside High Priest of the imminent beneficially good things by means of the greater and more perfectly-complete Tabernacle, not made with hands, that is not of this creation, neither by means of 0blood of he-goats and of calves, but by means of His own blood He entered once for all into the Holies, after finding in Himself an eternal ransoming. For if (and it is true) the blood of bulls and of he-goats and 0ashes$ of an heifer by sprinkling the ones having been ceremonially unclean[defiled] sanctify to the ceremonial purification of the flesh, by how much rather shall the blood of The Christ, Who through 0Eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to The God, cleanse the conscience of yours& from dead works in order to continually sacredly serve The Absolute Living God? . . . Therefore on the one hand |it was| a necessity for the imitations of the things in the Heavens to be cleansed by these; but on the other hand the celestial~ things themselves by better sacrifices than these. For The Christ did not enter into 0Holy Places made with hands, figures of the genuine ones, but on the contrary into the Heaven itself, now to appear in /person to The God in behalf of us. Neither that He offer Himself many times, even as the high priest repeatedly entering into the Holy Places era[cycle of seasons] by era with a stranger’s blood, since it would be absolutely necessary for Him to suffer many times from 0world’s foundation. But now once for ever before consummation of the ages He stands displayed for nullification of sin through the sacrifice of Himself” (Heb. 9:11-14,23-26APT). Not only did He resurrect on that third day, but He ascended that same day (Jn. 20:17, see below) and applied His blood on the Mercyseat thus fulfilling the requirements of The God and the Mosaic Law. The Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled all the requirements and performed all that was necessary in order to provide eternal salvation which includes forgiveness of sins, reconciliation to The God, peace with God, justification (complete clearance of all guilt), regeneration (new birth as the God’s child), eternal life, sanctification, and ultimate glorification with Christ in a new glorified body. Having analyzed the condemnation to eternal judgment and having noted how The God Himself assumed the judgment in the person of His Only Begotten Son, Who Fulfilled the Three Requirements and Prudently Performed the Prerequisites to solve the mystery, it is The God’s responsibility to Adjudicate Judicially. To remain true to His character (and He does not, will not, cannot change; He remains the same forever), He must righteously and justly rectify all seven aspects of our predicament due to our dreadful human condition. C. ADJUDICATE JUSTLY The Righteous, Just, and Holy God must adjudicate justly. His righteous holiness demanded that He do seven things to solve the mystery and save humans, all of whom have incurred condemnation to eternal destruction by violating The God’s unalterable laws. Two of these unalterable laws are: “The soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4 ) and “The wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). Therefore He must: 1. EXECUTE THE SENTENCE His law of sin and death cannot be broken except by death. The God will execute the sentence of death, which hangs over all sinners that ever lived or will live. However this death sentence was once placed upon His Beloved, Only-begotten Son, The Lamb of God almost two thousand years ago. The Lord Jesus Christ came for the express purpose of offering up His body as a sacrifice and burnt offering for the sins of the whole world. He expressed this when he arrived in this world as the Babe of Bethlehem (Heb. 10:5-12). He performed what The God purposed in the beginning of time. He took the sentence of death upon himself when He took all the sins of all mankind of all ages and bore them in His body on the cross (1 Pet. 2:22,24, see 2.d above). All that remains for the sinner is to appropriate The Christ’s death under the fiery wrath of The God on Calvary for him or her by repenting and committing total trust to The Lord Jesus Christ as his or her Substitute, Savior, and Lord. Failure to do this leaves the human under this sentence of eternal death in the Lake of Fire to endure the fiery wrath of the God. “The one continually committing trust unto The Son is continually having eternal absolute life. But the one persistently resisting persuasion with reference to The Son shall not behold absolute0 life, but [on the contrary] the anger of The God is continually abiding upon him” (John 3:36APT). The death sentence upon the sinner will be counted (reckoned) paid by The Lamb of The God for the one who totally commits trust to The Christ or it will be paid by the sinner himself who fails to totally (not tokenly or partially) commit trust to The Christ. 2. EXPIATE THE SIN This term includes “putting an end to sin, paying the penalty for sin, satisfying The God’s righteous demands against the sinner, and forgiving the sins to the sinner who totally commits trust in The Lord Jesus Christ and His atoning death. All this was accomplished by The Lord Jesus Christ through His vicarious, atoning, propitiatory death and His glorious resurrection-ascension. “And He Himself is 0propitiation [satisfaction of God’s righteous demands] in behalf of the sins of ours, but not in behalf of ours only, on the contrary, also in behalf of the whole world” (1 Jn. 2:2APT). “. . . to whom& it is about to be reckoned, to the ones continually committing trust upon The+ One |Who|, out of 0dead& ones, raised up Jesus, The Lord of ours, Who was delivered over for the sake of the gross stupid errors [failings to stand upright when one should] of ours and was raised up for the sake of our /justification[being declared righteous, free of: blame, guilt, and / or penalty]” (Rom. 4:24,25APT). The Early Church believed in the resurrection-ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ. Upon His Resurrection The God declared His Son to be High priest (see Heb. 5:5,6 in B.2.g. above). Immediately after His resurrection He ascended to Heaven according as He told Mary Mahgdahlayn (Jn. 20:17). “/Jesus says to her, Stop trying to embrace[touch, in the motion of] Me for I have not yet ascended to My /Father! But journey to My /brothers! And tell them, I am ascending to My /Father and your& /Father and |to| My God and your& God.”(Jn. 20:17APT). Immediately after telling Mary, The Lord Jesus ascended and (according to Hebrews 9:11-14) He offered His blood and Himself without spot. Matthew recorded that on the way to tell his disciples that Jesus has resurrected, the women were met by Jesus and held Him by the feet (Mt. 28:9). Yet Jesus did not permit Mary to embrace even his feet. Why? Because High Priests may not be defiled between offering the sacrifice to be burned on the altar and sprinkling the blood on the Mercyseat. Jesus was declared by The Father, “High Priest after the order of Mehlkhee-sehdéhk!” (Heb. 5:5,6APT). As The High Priest of The Old Testament on the Day of Atonement entered the Holy of Holies with blood of a bullock for his own sins, then the blood of a he-goat for the sins of the people and applied the blood to the Mercyseat, just so, The Lord Jesus Christ’s first duty as High Priest after the order of Mehlkhee-sehdéhk was to enter Heaven itself and apply His own blood on the Mercyseat where the Throne of the God was situated. By doing this He completed redemption, secured salvation, enabled regeneration to be enacted when The Holy Spirit descended, introduced The New Covenant, provided justification, reconciliation, and sanctification. The resurrection-ascension of The Lord Jesus Christ brought all of this into effect. Since: the penalty for sin is paid, the righteous demands of The God have been met, the sacrifice has been burnt, and the blood has been applied on the Mercyseat, God’s justice demands the forgiveness of sins be offered to every sinner so that each may choose whether he or she will avail self of the gift of forgiveness and eternal life or not. This is the mystery of The Christ. He alone and His work in behalf of all humans could provide the solution to the Sin problem. The God had it all planned from the beginning of time when the foundation of the world was laid (Rev. 13:8;17:8). “And all the ones residing upon the Earth, the names of whom have not been written in the /Scroll\ of The Absolute Life of The Lamb, /The One\ standing slain from 0world’s foundation, shall bow in homage to him” (Rev. 13:8APT). From Beginning, in His mind The God completed this plan called, The Mystery of The Christ, The Son of The Human. But he did not unravel the mystery until the writings of Paul the apostle in prison in Rome. The Lord Jesus Christ completely fulfilled this plan in His death, burial, and resurrection-ascension. The next aspect of human predicament to be rectified is for Him to: 3. EXTINGUISH THE GUILT If The Lord Jesus Christ only experienced the sentence of death and expiated the penalty for sin of the sinners so that they have forgiveness of sins and eternal life with Him in Heaven but did no more, we would be most miserable in Heaven. For we would be plagued with the guilt of our sins forever. But he did much more than that. The High Priestly Ministry of The Resurrected-Ascended Lord Jesus Christ resulted in justification and the extinction of the guilt of sin. The meaning of ‘justification’ is the complete clearance of all guilt both of Sin the root and sins the fruit so that all we who commit trust in The Christ are free from blame, guilt, and the penalty for sin and declared righteous in Him. Our sins were imputed to Him at Calvary and His righteousness is imputed to us the moment we commit total trust to Him (see Rom. 4:24,25 above). “Therefore much rather being justified now by means of His blood, we shall be saved away from the anger through Him” (Rom. 5:9APT). “The God has permanently brought this^ to completion to us their /children when Jesus resurrected. As it also stands written in the second /Psalm, ‘You$ are My Son. Today I Myself have permanently begotten You$.’ . . . By means of This+One everyone who is committing trust is being justified even from all things from which you& are not able to be justified by means of the law of Moses” (Acts 13:33,39 APT). “. . . neither by means of 0blood of he-goats and of calves, but by means of His own blood He entered once for all into the Holies, after finding in Himself an eternal ransoming[payment of release price]. . . . For if (and it is true) the blood of bulls and of he-goats and 0ashes$[Num. 19:2-.19] of an heifer by sprinkling the ones having been ceremonially unclean sanctify to the ceremonial purification of the flesh, by how much rather shall the blood of The Christ, Who through 0Eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to The God, cleanse the conscience of yours& from dead works in order to continually sacredly serve The absolute Living God?” (Heb. 9:12-14APT). “. . . all the ones committing trust, . . . are being justified gratuitously by His grace through the^ redemption [release for ransom paid], |namely| the one in Christ Jesus, Whom The God purposed, a Mercy Seat, through the faith in His /blood for exemplification of His righteousness for the sake of the letting-go-unpunished of the previously standing occurred sins in the forbearance of The God” (Rom. 3:24-26APT). The application of His blood on the Mercyseat in Heaven by The Lord Jesus Christ satisfied every righteous demand of The Holy God. The Lord Jesus Christ met every prerequisite required by The Righteous God, The Judge. 4. EXPURGATE (PURIFY) OFFENDERS Not only must the conscience be purged, but the whole human must be purified. The Lord Jesus Christ took care of this also according to Paul. “and |having| 0Great Priest over the house of The God, let us approach with a genuine heart in full assurance of faith and our hearts standing sprinkled from a wicked conscience and with reference to the body, ones standing bathed with clean water!” (Heb.10:21.22APT). “The Great God and Savior of ours, Jesus Christ, Who gave Himself in behalf of us in order that He by Himself ransom[ pay price for release] us from all lawlessness and cleanse for Himself a special chosen people, one boiling-zealous of intrinsically good works” (Titus 2:14APT). 5. RECONCILE THE ENEMIES Since we are enemies alienated from The God as seen above (A.5.), we need to be reconciled. This includes restoring all things to the original state at peace with and in communion with The God. “Therefore since being justified by means of faith[committed trust], we continually have peace with[to the face of] The God through The Lord of ours, Jesus Christ, . . . For if (and it is true) while being enemies, we were reconciled to The God by the death of His /Son, much rather being reconciled, we shall be saved by means of His /absolute life” (Rom. 5:1,10APT). “And This One is the head of the Body, |namely| the Church, Who is 0Beginning, Firstborn out of 0dead ones, that He Himself become 0Preeminent One. Because He delighted: that all the fulness reside in Him, and through Him to completely reconcile the all things unto Himself by making peace through the blood of His /cross, through Him, whether the things upon the Earth, whether the things in the Heavens. And yourselves, once being alienated ones and enemies in the thinking capacity by means of the wicked works, but even now He completely reconciled in the body of His /flesh through His death, to present you& holy& and unblemished& ones and ones not judicially incriminated directly in His view” (Col 1:18-21APT). 6. REDEEM (EMANCIPATE) THE SLAVES The Lord Jesus Christ paid the price of the ransom to release us from bondage to sin and lawlessness (Titus 2:14, see C.4. above). The result of being in bondage to sin is bondage to destruction by corruption and that is ultimately the Lake of Fire. However, the bondslaves to Sin, Unrighteousness, and Satan who totally commit trust unto Lord Jesus Christ are set free from this bondage and so at liberty to yield themselves to Him as His bondslaves. He indeed is a much kinder Master than Satan. “You& are aware, are you& not? That to whom you yield yourselves bondslaves unto obedience, you are bondslaves to whom you are continually obeying, either[restrictive, one of two; this first naturally] to sin unto death, or to obedience unto righteousness? But gratitude |be| to The God! because you& were continually 0bondslaves to the sin, but you obeyed out of 0heart in regard to which type of doctrine you were delivered. Then since being freed ones from bondage away from the sin, you& became enslaved to the righteousness. . . . For when you& were continually 0bondslaves of the sin, you& were continually free& ones from bondage to the righteousness. Therefore what fruit were you& having at that time by means of which~ things you& are now being utterly ashamed? For the end of those~ things death! But even now, since being freed ones from bondage away from the sin but enslaved ones to The God, you& are continually having your& /fruit unto sanctification[separated unto a holy relationship with The God]” (Rom. 6:16-18, 20-22APT). 7. RESURRECT ABSOLUTE LIFE Since all humans are dead in sins (A.6. above), in order to save us and make us fit to live with Him in Heaven, The God must resurrect us spiritually and physically to absolute life. The resurrection of The Lord Jesus Christ completed His cross work and brought about the spiritual resurrection of those who totally commit trust in Him. The physical resurrection will take place at His second coming in the air for His own redeemed ones. “But The God both raised up The Lord and He shall raise us out by His /miraculous power” (1 Cor. 6:14APT). “But we, since having The Same Spirit of the faith according as what stands written: I committed trust, wherefore I spoke. We ourselves also continually commit trust, wherefore we also are continually speaking and perceiving that The One, |Who| raised up The Lord Jesus, shall raise up us also by Jesus and He shall present |us| together with you&” (2 Cor. 4:14APT). Because He is Righteous, The God can no longer hold the repentant sinners, who appropriate the work The Lord Jesus Christ accomplished in His death on the cross and in His resurrection-ascension on behalf of them, accountable for their sins. But He reckons their (our) sins imputed to Christ on the cross and the Righteousness of His Son, The Christ imputed to those trusting sinners. The True God indeed has executed the sentence of death, expiated the sin, extinguished the guilt, reconciled the enemies, redeemed (emancipated) the slaves, and resurrected dead sinners to Absolute Eternal Life spiritually to await The Glorious Day when The Blessed Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ shall come again and resurrect all regenerated committed ones to be with Himself forevermore. The mystery has been solved and disclosed by the Apostle Paul. The mystery is how the damned, cursed, sinful, diseased, alienated, enslaved, spiritually dead humans can be saved from impending doom? The solution totally engulfs The God’s Only-Begotten, Beloved Son. The God’s perfect plan was revealed and has been accurately fulfilled to the minutest detail except for that which shall be accomplished when The Lord Jesus Christ comes in the air for His own whom he redeemed by His blood and His miraculous resurrection power. D. APPROPRIATE THE GOD’S PROVISION The Only True God has fulfilled His responsibility! He made a perfect provision for complete salvation. This provision by The God is the substitutionary work of The Lord Jesus Christ. But it was all in vain for you, unless you fulfill your responsibility. Human responsibility is to appropriate The God’s provision by repentance and totally committed trust upon The Lord Jesus Christ for His complete salvation. CONCLUSION: Now it is up to you! God has done all for you and me. There is nothing more He can do. If you do nothing you will end up in the Lake of Fire with your ancestors, who did nothing but disobey God. Come to the foot of the Cross now! Repent! Turn around and embrace Christ as Savior and Lord! Begin a life of obedience to God and the Lord Jesus Christ now! If you O - W - N, own The Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord N - O - W now, you will have W - O - N won the victory over Satan in the battle to keep your soul as his bondslave. Will you win or lose? If you would like help in making your total commitment to The Lord Jesus Christ, log on to the Knowing The Savior Broadcast. Just click here. ____________________ | | understood $singular &plural /the 0no article +masculine ~neuter Return to MISUNDERSTOOD MYSTERIES MADE MANIFEST page... Send mail to Info@HappyHeralds.org
|