A woman told me she asked her Pastor this important question after reading a message like this but she could not get satisfactory answer. The question is: “Who is Jesus Christ?” While wondering how a person could possibly believe in Someone she does not know, I realized that a lot of Christians are like this. They just believe without question, which is a very good thing but the implication of not knowing Who Jesus really is is to remain a child of God instead of growing in the knowledge of Whom he or she believes. The question about the deity and humanity of Jesus Christ is what brings about this message titled: The Two Decisive Battles. If you permit me, I would like to start with the first decisive battle which is the war that broke out in heaven.
Lucifer who was created with much precious stones and power in heaven with the purpose of leading other angels in praising God, according to Ezekiel 28:13-15, became so full of himself that he said in Isaiah 14:13-14, “I will ascend into heaven (of heaven), I will exalt my throne (in the kingdom of God) above the stars of God; I will also sit on (control) the mount of the congregation (of all angels in heaven) I will ascend above the heights of the cloud, I will be like the Most High (God).”
With this statement which was intended for self-promotion into the status of the creator, Lucifer – a created being declared war against his Creator in heaven. And so in Revelation 12:7-9, the Bible says, “And there was war in heaven: Michael (another ach-angel) and his (warring) angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels (who teamed up with Lucifer), And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceives the whole world (as in the case of Adam and Eve who were deceived to hand over the kingdom of the world to the dragon in Genesis 3:1-6): he was cast out into the earth, and his angels (who are later called by different names like devils, demons etc) were cast out with him.”
Since the dragon took over the world from mankind through deception, he owns and rules the world, going by his statement that was not challenged by Jesus Christ in Matthew 4:8-9. It says, “Again, the devil takes him (Jesus) up into an exceeding high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And said unto him, All these things will I give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”
The original place for Lucifer and other fallen angels, according to Isaiah 14:15 is Sheol (hell), located at the “lowest depths of pit” which is part of God’s creations – far below the earth. But these fallen angels have the privilege to move to and from even up to the presence of God, according to Job 1:6, which says, “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.” All angels, including fallen angels are sometimes regarded as sons of God because they came from God, going by this and other passages like Genesis 6:2 that says, “(when) … the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose."
When God recreated the world which was then without form, according to Genesis Chapter 1, and handed it over to mankind, the dragon came from Sheol like a serpent with anger against God for throwing him out of heaven and with jealousy against mankind for being placed in the position he coveted. Thus Revelation 12:12 says, “… Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has but a short time.” That is to say, the devil has short time to fight the second decisive battle on earth with mankind through which every human can decide who they want to follow just as the angels fought their own decisive battle in heaven. Anybody who decides to be on God’s side will end up in the kingdom of God while those who do not will end up in Sheol, according to Revelation 21:8.
When the angels fought their own battle, about one third of the angels were influenced to rebelled against God. When all humans begin to fight their own battle with the dragon, he seems to be taking the majority to Sheol. He is able to do this through three old methods and simple ways of deceptions which are as follow, according to 1 John 2:16:
(1) The Lust Of The Flesh like desire of Eve to live forever as in Genesis 3:2-6
(2) The lust of the eyes like use of the eyes to see the pleasant looks of forbidden fruit in verse 6 and
(3) The pride of life like the desire to be wise in the same verse.
But God so love mankind, according to John 3:16, that He has to send His Word, Who is the Spirit that became flesh through virgin birth with the mission to deliver mankind from being taken to Sheol. He was to accomplish this mission by “bruising the serpent’s head”, according to Genesis 3:15.
To bruise Satan’s head, the Messiah or Saviour would have to go to Sheol where he dwells after “His heel is bruised” which is to die a painful death. No one in heaven and on earth is powerful enough go to Sheol and carry out this rescue mission because no one goes to Sheol and then return. So the Word of God who was still resting inside Father after He created the world has to come out of God to undertake the impossible mission of saving mankind. He was to be the sacrificial Lamp that would go to Sheol with the sins of the world and then rescue mankind from dragon by bruising its head. For this reason John, the forerunner of Jesus said in John 1:29, “… Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world.” And the book of Revelation 5:12 says, “…Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.”
When Jesus was about to go and bruise the head of the dragon in Sheol, His humanity was revealed when He said in Matthew 26:39, “… O My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” When the sins of the whole world that will take Him to Sheol were laid upon Him, He said in a loud voice in Matthew 27: 46, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”
When Jesus created the world, He was the Word of God. When He came into the world, He was a Son of man. When He went to Sheol, He was a Sacrificial Lamp. When He returned from Sheol after bruising the head of dragon, spending three days in the place, He became the Son of God. After He rose up from the dead, He made as many as believed in Him the sons of God who are delivered from the dragon that holds the whole world captive, according to John 1:1-18. When He is coming back the second time, He is coming to judge the world, according to 1 Peter 4:5, which says “…who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.”
My question now is: since God has gone this far to redeem mankind from the dragon, do anyone has any reason to remain the slave of the dragon or to end up in Sheol which is the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, according to Revelation 21:8?
I pray the missions of redemption of Jesus Christ will not be in vain in our lives in Jesus name.
No comments:
Post a Comment