Now that you have seen the bad news you need to know there is some hope!
That hope has to do with God and his mercy towards humanity
There is another side to this very bad news; When Adam and Eve sinned God was not only was angry and had wrath towards them, but he saw that they felt ashamed and regret for their mistake. When Adam and Eve were sorry and wanted to repent of their sin they have committed there was no way for them to take back their sin; it was already done and they had disobeyed God’s orders. HOWEVER God is willing to forgive sins:
Exodus 34:6
“The Lord, the compassionate and gracious God…forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.”
The Bible reveals God had a plan on how to make a way for them to receive his forgiveness himself, but how?
Before this, it’s important to note that when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit they immediately realized they were naked. They immediately wanted to cover their shame by taking leaves from a fig tree they made clothes to cover their nakedness, thus making the first recorded clothing in the Bible and history.
Genesis 3:7
“…they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.”
However God seemed to not approve of their own efforts to cover their nude bodies, so God decided to help them and made clothes for them. This is was the first thing God did after he got though punishing them:
God covered their nakedness with clothes made by himself, but these clothes were different than theirs:
Genesis 3:21
“The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.”
These clothes were not made from leaves like Adam and Eve originally made for their nakedness:
But rather the clothes God gave them were made of somethings skin that was once alive! This meant God (logically) had to kill an innocent animal to make their skin clothing!
But why did he do this?
Why didn’t he just make them clothes out of trees? Why did he make them clothes out of an innocent animal’s skin? If this was true; that God killed an animal this would be the first recorded slaughter of an animal in the Bible (and history)
However The answer is not directly stated in the passage thought it does seem like God was trying to cover their shame and showing it was by HIS actions that there shame was covered properly.
Could this foreshadow God providing a covering to sin (shame)? Let’s see.
After this at some point their children, Cain and Able, were offering sacrifices by killing animals or burning produce on an alter to God:
Genesis 4:2-4
“Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering,...”
This is something previously not mentioned to Adam and Eve or in Eden, So we see their children must have been taught to do this at some point in their lives wherever it was by their parents, God himself, or both is not stated, but they logically had to learn it from somewhere. But could their parents have been taught to do it themselves? when God made them skin clothes? Possibly, this would make sense and be a starting point to taking about offerings.
but what is an offering?
An offering is defined as:
“Something freely given to someone else to please or for the benefit of the other.”[1]
Also the original word for offering was the Hebrew “מִנְחָה” (min-khaw') meaning offering or a gift or tribute[2]
So in this case, they were taught to give the best of their work (in this case livestock or produce) freely to God on an alter to burn.
This is also a Sacrifice which is defined as:
“Something given up from someone and given to something else in exchange for another thing.”[3]
Now this is a very confusing definition that seems to make no sense, but in a specific case it can be clarified:
For instance Parents give up their free time to do what they want to do and give it to their children in exchange to raise them with that time and bond with them.
This is a sacrifice!
However, in Cain and Able’s case this sacrifice would have been
Giving up some of their finest Goods (livestock and produce) and giving it to God by killing it on an alter and setting it on fire and burning in exchange to obey God, win his favor, and not sin.
This was done from this point on by all humans who wanted to follow God and obey him
Such as Noah
Genesis 8:20-21
“Noah built an altar to the Lord and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of humans …”
Because of this God was pleased and blessed Noah and his sons:
Genesis 9:1
“…Then God blessed Noah and his sons…”
And Abraham
Genesis 15:9-10
“So the Lord said to him, 'Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.' Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half.”
Because of his sacrifice and obedience God made a promise to Abram and his descendants:
Genesis 15:18
“On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, 'To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates—'
And Jacob:
Genesis 31:54
“He offered a sacrifice there in the hill country…”
To clarify an oath for God and his father:
Genesis 31:53
“So Jacob took an oath in the name of the Fear of his father Isaac…”
It also was a sign of honor and worship:
Genesis 35:14
“Jacob set up a stone pillar at the place where God had talked with him, and he poured out a drink offering on it; he also poured oil on it.”
Exodus 5:3
“…let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God, or he may strike us with plagues….”
Even God himself commanded for there to be burn offerings to glorify him:
He commanded the Israelites to build an alter to have burnt offerings
Exodus 27:1
“Build an altar of acacia wood, three cubits high; it is to be square, five cubits long and five cubits wide.”
(See more details for the alter in Exodus 27:1-8)
Also, again in:
Exodus 20:24
“Make an altar of earth for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings…”
Job offered sacrifices to God however his intent was different from the others mention:
Job 1:5
“Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them [his children] , thinking, 'Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.' This was Job’s regular custom.”
He was giving something (food, produce, or livestock) up in order for God to forgive their sins! So, these sacrifices were not just to make God pleased but for God to forgive someone sins!
God also says for his people to do this in Exodus:
to kill a perfect lamb and cover their front door with its blood and God would see that blood and because of that blood God would spare the people of that house from destruction:
Exodus 12:4-7
“Each man is to take a lamb for his family, …The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses...”
Exodus 12:13
“The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you…”
They were giving up their perfectly healthy lambs to be killed and burned on an alter in order for God to spare them from Destruction!
In fact, this was also the only acceptable way God would forgive someone of their sins!
Leviticus 4:1-12
The Sin Offering
"The Lord said to Moses, 'Say to the Israelites: 'When anyone sins …and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands—… he must bring to the Lord a young bull without defect as a sin offering for the sin… He [the priests] is to present the bull at the entrance to the tent of meeting before the Lord. He is to lay his hand on its head and slaughter it there before the Lord…then the anointed priest shall take some of the bull’s blood and… he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering at the entrance to the tent of meeting…then…—he must take outside the camp to a place ceremonially clean, where the ashes are thrown, and burn it there in a wood fire on the ash heap.' ' ”
Leviticus 4:26
“…In this way the priest will make atonement for the… sin, and he will be forgiven.”
In fact, this was also the only acceptable way GOD would forgive someone of their sins!
So in this revelation we can conclude the offerings were more thank just giving the best you had to God and even Adam and Eve’s skin clothes were more than just about covering their nakedness. God saw that Adam and Eve (or no human) could find a way or do anything to be forgiven of their sin. So God made a way for them to be forgiven:
He killed an animal and covered their shame (nakedness) with its dead skin (body).
In this way, he very likely was showing Adam and Eve (or at least foreshadowing) that in order to be forgiven something was going to have to be sacrificed (especially living animal sacrifices) this was the only way to be forgiven of sins!
Adam and Eve (and thus all humanity) were given a way to be forgiven of their sin!
By sin offerings!
It seems though this, God was the teaching humanity that the only proper way that sins can be forgiven is if something paid the punishment in the sinners place, something would have to give!
You might be wondering
“But how could burning up your prized food, produce, or livestock to God be enough to be forgiven of sins so serious to God?”
After all, if doing every good work and even dedicating your life and all your energy to being forgiven was not enough, then how could giving up your physical possessions/animals and burning them on an alter enough to be forgiven?
God reveals that answer to this in Leviticus:
Leviticus 17:11
“…For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life.”
Hebrews 9:22
“…without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”
So only the Animal sacrifices with blood in them can be a sin offering! Because it is the taking of a life (which is the blood spilling out). The reason it works is because your sin is so bad it requires another life to be killed to pay the penalty for your own sins (representing God’s wrath meant for your sin on that animal instead, it took your place in punishment), since humans cannot pay in no way for their owns sins (except to face the ultimate punishment for those sins) the only other way to pay and not face the judgment it to be forgiven by someone else being murdered and burnt in your place.
THAT IS THE ONLY WAY!
Sin requires the destruction of physical life by the moral of God himself; he must punish someone even if it’s not you! Sin always requires something to give.
“So in order to be forgiven I need to go and kill and animal and burn it on an alter to God?”
This would seem to be the case, but the Bible reveals there is more to forgiveness than just that:
God through his prophets promised a messiah (which means “anointed one” in Hebrew [4]) that would pay the ultimate price by being beaten and punished for all of the sins of humanity, in their place:
Isaiah 53:5-6
“But he(the messiah) was pierced for our transgressions (sin), he was crushed for our iniquities(another word for sin), the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed(forgiven). We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the lord has laid on him the iniquity of all.”
And through this he would end all sacrifices:
Daniel 9:27
“…he (the anointed one/messiah) will put an end to sacrifice and offering…”
God through the Messiah promised that he would pay for all humanities sins and evil, through the messiah’s punishment!
This messiah would bridge the divide of all humanity between God making unity once again possible. God through the Messiah would buy back the whole world to himself just like before all the rebellion and fall:
After you realize what is very wrong with humanity you need to realize something even more important!
The savior that changed all that!!!
Later in the Bible, the Messiah is revealed to be Jesus Christ; he was the only son of God:
John 3:16
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son…”
His very name meant “the Lord SAVES!” because he was going to save humanity from their sins!
Matthew 1:21
“… give him the name Jesus (In Hebrew ‘Jesus’ means “the Lord saves”[5]) , because he will save…people…from their sins.”
Jesus was also called the Lamb of God for taking away the sins of the world:
John 1:29
“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, 'Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!' ”
Jesus was different from all the other offerings!
All the other animal sacrifices of the past were from Humans BUT Jesus was from God himself!
He was the lamb from God; that means he was a sacrifice from God! He was the Sacrifice of Sacrifices; he was the ultimate sacrifice the one to end them all!
But how did Jesus, as the ultimate sacrifice for sins, do this?
Jesus was sacrificed by being beaten and killed by men who disliked his teaching and identity:
First, he was whipped (called flogging here):
John 19:1
“Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged.”
Flogging/scourging (in original Latin: “FLAGELLO”) was a severe Roman whipping; a punishment for criminals who had been condemned guilty of breaking major laws.
In The Scourging, the criminal’s clothes were taken off so they were exposed to the whip, then their arms were tied by a chain to a column so that they could not move and their back was facing the whip. Scourging then was done with a special Roman whip called “the scourge” (original Latin “FLLAGELIUM”) this whip had several leather strings hanging off the handle with metal balls tied on the end of them with bits of bones and glass woven into the leather of the whip. If the leather strings were not bad enough the balls at the end intensified the whipping and broke open the skin much more, and if that was not enough then the interwoven glass and bones shredded the torn skin and muscle to bits![6]
The American Medical Association says this about the horrors of Roman scourging:
“As the Roman soldiers repeatedly
struck the victim’s back with full
force, the iron balls would cause deep
contusions, and the leather thongs
and sheep bones would cut into the
skin and subcutaneous tissues. Then,
as the flogging continued, the lacerations would tear into the underlying
Skeletal muscles and produce quivering ribbons of bleeding flesh. Pain
and blood loss generally set the stage
for circulatory shock.” [6]
The beatings were so horrible many died from all the injuries! This is what Jesus had to endure: he was horribly beaten; his skin and muscles were ripped to shreds and he bled horribly!!![6]
(He was BEATEN for humanities sin!)
But that was not all; on top of that he was mocked, spit on, and beat even more on the head with a staff by the Roman soldiers!
Matthew 27:27-30
The Soldiers Mock Jesus
“Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. 'Hail, king of the Jews!' they said. They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again."
Finally, he was crucified:
Matthew 27:31
“After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.”
John 19:16-18
“... Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha).There they crucified him,…”
You might be wondering:
“What does crucify mean?”
To you this might be a strange word, what does crucify even mean?
Crucify, or the proper term; Crucifixion, (in the original Latin “CRUCIFIXUS”) was a Roman-style way of murdering horrible criminals in the worst possible way! It was the electric chair of the day, except much worse and much more humiliating!!!
Specifically in Crucifixion, a criminal was forced to carry a plank of wood to the site where the crucifixion would happen (Usually while still bleeding from the whipping) once there the plank was taken off the criminal’s back and fixed horizontally to a vertical wooden plank, the parallel wooden planks would hold the body of the criminal: these parallel wooden planks were call “the Cross” (in original Latin “CRUX”) on which the crucifixion would happen. Then the criminal was bound either by being nailed though the hands and feet or tying the hands and feet to the parallel wooden stakes to hold the body (hands and legs) of the prisoner. Then the cross was hoisted up into the air (usually from the top and was held in place by the bottom) to leave the body dangling in air.
This is when crucifixion began: once the body was in the air the crowd and roman solders could mock/ beat the criminal while they died a slow and painful death! [7]
Once Jesus was horribly whipped, then mocked, and beaten in the head with a staff he was forced to carry the plank of his cross to the crucifixion site: Golgotha which was a little way outside the city where he was. His skin already ripped to shreds and much of his blood pouring out he actually was too weak to carry his own plank all the way and someone else had to carry it for him!
Matthew 27:32-33
“As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross.”
When he got to Golgotha, they took the plank off his back and set up his cross. They then nailed his hands and feet to his cross and hoisted his cross up into the air so the crowed and soldiers could mock and beat him!
Jesus suffered so much pain and horror!
Through The whipping, mocking, beating, and torture of crucifixion; Jesus, the Lamb of God, was being sacrificed to God for the forgiveness of all of humanities sins.
He was beaten with those whips for all of Humanities sin! He was mocked to get the judgement humanity rightfully deserved! And HIS BLOOD was spilt on the ground to pay the debt of sin!
The Son of God’s blood spilt on the ground! To make up for YOUR SIN to take YOUR PUNISHMENT: the Wrath of God that was mean FOR YOU!!!
Jesus, the Lamb of God, was finally killed this way; most likely of both massive blood loss and suffocation (most criminals died this way in crucifixion).[7]
This is what he said right before he died:
John 19:30
“…, Jesus said, ' It is finished.' With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit (he died)…”
In the Greek “it is finished” was “Τετέλεσται”(Teh-Tell-iuh-Sty) it means “it has come to an end” or “it is complete”! [8]
What has been completed?
God’s wrath on all humanities sin was completed! The debt of sin that no one could afford was finally paid! Through Jesus’s blood and thus his life, was complete, thus ALL sin could be paid for in his sin offering to God. The Son of God’s blood was more than enough to pay EVERYONES SINS no matter how many and how bad a million times over!!!
It’s like you were on death row to be killed for the crimes you had committed, and it was your last day of life. You also really regretted all your crimes after seeing how you would be punished and wanted to start over and get your life straight, but you could never do that now because of this penalty!
Someone, however, comes to you and says they will take your place and take the punishment of death for you, if you promised to start over and live a good life.
What would happen to him?
What would happen to you in return?
He would DIE IN YOUR PLACE FOR YOUR WRONGDOING and you would be freed from the death penalty; all your crimes would be erased, almost like a new life; another chance!
This is what Jesus did for you!
You and every human alive really deserves to die the way Jesus and all those sacrifices did:
To be killed in shame, toucher, and disgrace with your blood poured out and your body burnet in fire!
But thank God he is merciful and gives you and all humanity a second chance. Giving what you and all humanity don’t deserve: a sacrifice, Jesus Christ took your place.
You could not pay the debt so you would not have to face the consequences. So, he stepped in on your behalf and paid it for you!
Romans 5:8
“…But God commended his love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners (fallen), Christ died for us (humans).”
Christ taking your punishment is a gift from God!
Ephesians 2:8-9
“For it is by grace you have been saved,….—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—…”
He took the penalty so you could have a new life, and live right like God wants you to:
2 Corinthians 5:21
“God made him (Jesus) who had no sin to be [a] sin [Offering] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
You might be wondering:
“But what about all those animal sacrifices, weren’t those who sacrificed forgiven?”
An answer in the later passage of the New Testament sheds light on that:
Hebrews 10:4
“…It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”
That’s because their blood never really could take away sin!
“Then why did killing animal sacrifices work? Why did God command it then!?”
The Bible also answers this!
Hebrews 10:1
“The law (the law of sacrifices to forgive sins) is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves.”
So, what does this mean?
It means the animal sacrifices themselves really never could pay for sins in the first place, the price was still too high for a killed animal to pay for one sin; even all the sacrifices ever sacrificed might not be able to pay for one sin!
But that was not the point of sacrificing animals.
They were just a shadow, or symbolism, of Jesus Christ’s futuristic sacrifice and the heavy price sin carried that God wanted to demonstrate. Before Jesus came, animal sacrifices were a way to claim Jesus future sacrifice on their sins, and the people who did it could be forgiven by God of their sins, NOT because of the death of the animals but because of the future death of Jesus!
Ultimately Animal sacrifices and blood did not have the power to pay for forgiveness; their lives were not valuable enough. It took the sacrifice and blood of the Son of God; Jesus Christ to really pay for a sin! In fact, his life was so valuable it was enough to pay for any amount or any type of sin that anyone could have!
Today there is No other sacrifice or God who can save except Jesus Christ!
Acts 4:12
“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind (Humanity) by which we must be saved.”
Because the wrath of God was on Jesus’s instead of you and because Jesus’s blood wiped away all your sin you will not be judged after death and condemned to hell! Jesus SAVED you from Judgement and HELL!!!
Romans 5:9
“Since we have now been justified (Made right) by his blood… we (you will) be saved from God’s wrath (Judgment and Hell) through him! ”
But the good news gets better! Because of the sacrifice of Jesus not only did it take away the ultimate punishment of sin: Judgement and hell, but because of this sacrifice the curses of sin could be reversed!
Romans 5:16
“…the result of one man’s (Adam’s) sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift (Sacrifice) followed many trespasses and brought justification.”
Like it only took one sin to make everything wrong it took only one holy perfect sacrifice to make it right again!
God’s wrath on humanity could be taken away, and once again it was possible for humans to have peace with God!
Romans 5:1-2
“…we have peace with God through our Lord JESUS CHRIST….”
God could finally be reunited with the human race and humans could finally have a relationship with their creator again:
1 Timothy 2:5
“…For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus,…”
It completely restored the relationship between humanity and God!
And not only did it restore the relationship, it also restored humanities freedom from sin:
As discussed before:
Ephesians 2:1-3
“You are dead in your transgressions and sins (the living-Dead in your sins), in which you live in and you follow the ways of this world (Like anything society is doing) and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air (Satan)…”
However, there is a “but” in this statement not shared before:
Ephesians 2:4-5
“ But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loves us, even when we are dead in our trespasses(Zombies/slaves), he can make us alive(free) together with Christ—…”
Not only has Jesus freed humanity from sin but can “wake” humanity up out of their sinful thinking and lifestyle and following the world; you can now be free from Sin’s power over your life, no longer a slave to the world!
You might say
“Well, this almost like a new life!”
In a way, it is a new life! Like the criminal that was set free he now can live a new life! And for you Jesus can allow you to have a fresh start and live a new life and perspective now!
The Bible calls this being “born again”:
John 3:3
“…they are born again.”
This is done by God giving you a new heart (mind/way of thinking) and put his spirit into once you are awake and made alive in Jesus!
Ezekiel 36:26
“ I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you;…I will put my Spirit in you…”
You will not only be forgiven, you will not only have to go to hell, you not only will be free from sin now, but you will THINK DIFFERENT AND LOOK AT THINGS DIFFERENT!
YOU WILL LOOK AT THEM IN TRUTH AND THAT WILL SET YOU FREE!
John 8:31-32
“…Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Though this is a wonderful gift it truly did come at a great price because of all this Jesus lost his life, but what happened to the promised messiah? He died for humanity but was that the end?
After his death, Jesus’s body was given to a disciple of Jesus named Joseph, he got him off the cross, wrapped his body in cloth (like a mummy) and was put into a cave like structure inside of a massive rock called “a tomb” owned by him:
Matthew 27:57-60
“As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away.”
Mark 15:45-46
“…he[Pilate: Jesus’s judge] gave the body to Joseph. So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body [From the cross], wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.”
So, was this the end of Jesus?
NO! The Bible says that was not the end of the messiah Jesus:
After three days Jesus actually was brought back to life again!!!
Matthew 28:1-6
“After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen,…’ ”
Mark 16:2-6
“Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, 'Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?' But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. 'Don’t be alarmed,' he said. 'You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him…' ”
So, Jesus was killed but did not stay dead; he came back to life! and after he spent some time with his followers he finally was brought up to heaven where he is now:
Mark 16:19
“After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them [His followers], he was taken up into heaven…”
Luke 24:50-51
“When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven.”
So this is great news! Not only did Jesus die for all of humanity’s sins, but he was brought back to life again after his sacrifice and is alive today in heaven.
That’s not all! He not only died and was resurrected for himself but since his sacrifice was reversing the curses on humanity, he was brought back to life to symbolize how God could now reverse the ultimate curse of death on humanity:
by bringing the dead back to life!
As Jesus promises
John 14:19
“Because I live, you also will live.”
Because of Jesus sacrifice he made a way to break the first curse of Death by Adam:
Romans 6:17
“…The trespass of the one man (Adam), death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant…gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!”
"But why are people still dying and not being raised back to life right now if the curse of death has been broken? Has God forgotten his promise?"
No, as Jesus explains, God is not going to do this right now but in a day in the future called the last day and unlike your first life you will never die again and live forever!
John 6:39-40
“…everyone…in Him (Jesus) may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
Jesus says everyone will have life forever because of him when this happens:
John 3:16
“For God so loved the world that he gave (to humanity) his only begotten son (the first and only son of God) …[so humanity would]…NOT perish (be destroyed) but have eternal life (live forever!).”
Have you ever wanted to live forever? Well through Jesus not only will you not go to hell, but you will live afterwards forever with God now!
This is the Gift of God!
Romans 6:23
“…But the gift of God is eternal life though Jesus Christ our lord…”
After all this no wonder why, Jesus says:
John 10:10
“…I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
However last but definitely not least Jesus will eventually reverse the very first curses of humanity and the world:
Because one day in the future There will be a
Revelation 21:1
“…a new earth…”
One Where there will be no more painful pregnancies, Hard work to survive, no more hard life for animals (and snakes),and no more thorns because there will be no more:
Revelation 21:4
“…death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away (Gone when this new Earth comes).”
This is some great news!!!
In fact, that is exactly what people originally called this:
It was called “the Gospel” when people first heard about it, which was a Greek word that meant “Good News”!
This is what Gospel means and this is what the Gospel is! In fact, this is the best news ever!
Now you may be wondering
“So does God forgive me now, because Jesus died for me, and I am now free from sin?”
Well not exactly, while it is true Jesus did die to take your place (and all humanities) and you CAN be freed from sin does not mean you (and all of humanity) is automatically forgiven and given the Gift(s):
In order to get this wonderful gift(s) of God you need to do something on your part first:
You need to choose to respond to this gift
This will also be the most important decision of your life!
Now that you know the bad and good news it’s time for you to make a VERY important decision.
Sources:
[1]
[A] Merriam-Webster “Offering”
Website:
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/offering
[B] Cambridge Dictionary “Offering”
Website:
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/offering
[2]
Strong’s Greek: 4503. Minchah (min-khaw') -- a gift, tribute, offering, by Biblehub.
Website:
https://biblehub.com/hebrew/4503.htm
[3]
[A] Merriam-Webster “Sacrifice”
Website:
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sacrifice
[B] Dictionary.com “Sacrifice”
Website:
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/sacrifice
[4]
Strong’s Hebrew: 4899. מָשִׁיחַ (mashiach)—anointed. by Biblehub
Website:
https://biblehub.com/hebrew/4899.htm
[5]
Strong’s Greek: 2424. Ἰησοῦς(Iésous)-- Jesus or Joshua, the name of the Messiah, also three other Isr. By Biblehub
Website:
https://biblehub.com/greek/2424.htm
[6]
[A] “Let’s have Rules, to lay down a fair punishment for every crime, lest we flay with the terrible whip what merits the strap.” (Terrible whip in original Latin was “horribili flagello”) : “The Satires” (original Latin “Satirae”) Book I(1): Satire III(3): “All sins are not equal” by Quintus Horatius Flaccus 35 BC
By Poetry in Translation, Translated by A. S. Kline © Copyright 2005
Website:
https://www.poetryintranslation.com/PITBR/Latin/HoraceSatiresBkISatIII.php#anchor_Toc98155463
[B] “…they say that the bystanders were struck with amazement when they saw them lacerated with scourges even to the innermost veins and arteries, so that the hidden inward parts of the body, both their bowels and their members, were exposed to view;” :“History of the Church” (Original Latin “Historia Ecclesiastica”) Book IV(4) Chapter 15:“Under Verus, Polycarp with Others suffered Martyrdom at Smyrna.” Verse 4 By Eusebius of Caesarea 313 A.D.
Translated by Arthur Cushman McGiffert. From “Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers” Second Series, Vol. 1 from New Advent “Church History”
Website:
https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/250104.htm
[C] Special Communication: “On the Physical Death of Jesus Christ”
By William D. Edwards, MD; Wesley J. Gabel, MDiv; Floyd E. Hosmer, MS, AMI , JAMA The Journal of the American Medical Association · March 21, 1986—Vol 255, No. 11 references from Research Gate
Website:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/19648788_On_the_Physical_Death_of_Jesus_Christ
[7]
[A] Encyclopædia Britannica “Crucifixion” The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. October 12, 2018
Website:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/crucifixion-capital-punishment
[B] Fairchild, Mary. "Definition of Crucifixion, an Ancient Method of Execution." Learn Religions, Mar. 10, 2020,
Website:
https://www.learnreligions.com/what-is-roman-crucifixion-700718
[C] Special Communication: “On the Physical Death of Jesus Christ”
By William D. Edwards, MD; Wesley J. Gabel, MDiv; Floyd E. Hosmer, MS, AMI , JAMA The Journal of the American Medical Association · March 21, 1986—Vol 255, No. 11 references from Research Gate
Website:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/19648788_On_the_Physical_Death_of_Jesus_Christ
[8]
[A] Strong’s Greek: 5055. teleó (tel-eh'-o) -- to bring to an end, complete, fulfill. Biblehub.
Website:
https://biblehub.com/greek/5055.htm
[B] BibleHub John 19:30 Greek Interlinear
Website: