(Good Friday – April 22, 2011) God has revealed His purposes and His will for Creation in the Bible. The reason He created the universe and humankind is stated in the Book of Revelation: “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created.” (Revelation 4:11) We were created because it was God’s pleasurable will to create us in His image and to fellowship with Him. That God has a plan for the universe and humankind is revealed by Him through the prophet Isaiah: “9 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like Me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure.” (Isaiah 46:9-10) The plan begins with Adam and Eve in Genesis and ends (or begins again) with eternity in Revelation. Because He gave His human creations free will in relating to Him and because humans chose sin over God’s ways, His plan included corrective measures. There are three great deliverances that God ordained for humankind from before the foundation of the earth because He knew that humans would disobey Him and turn from Him. Two of these have already occurred and the third is yet in the future. Each of these deliverances has a common aspect to them. The darkness of God’s judgment preceded the light which radiated from each of these redemptive acts.
The First Passover
The first deliverance in God’s plan actually has its roots in His choosing of Abraham to bless all nations through his descendants. He told Abraham that he would have a son who would have a son who would become the father of the Jewish nation of Israel. But He also showed him that his Jewish descendants would suffer the bondage of slavery in another country before He brought them back to the land of Israel. As a result of a famine the Jews migrated to the land of Egypt where they eventually were enslaved for a few hundred years. At the time of God’s choosing, He sent Moses to deliver His people from their bondage to Pharaoh the king of Egypt. Pharaoh’s heart was hard even after God had brought ten plagues against Egypt. The eleventh plague preceded God’s final judgment on Pharaoh and his nation:
“21 Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even a darkness which may be felt.’ 22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days. 23 They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the sons of Israel had light in their dwellings.” (Exodus 10:21-23)
This darkness was unlike a natural darkness in that it could be felt! God’s final judgment fell immediately after this plague of darkness when the Angel of Death killed all the firstborn sons of Egypt who were not under the protection of the Passover lamb’s blood which was spread on the doors of the Jewish homes. Out of this judgment came a redemption for the Jews from the dark bondage of slavery to the Egyptians and resulted in their receiving the light of God’s law on Mt. Sinai: “For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light.” (Proverbs 6:23) When the Jews obeyed God’s law they lived under His blessing. Eventually though, they repeatedly turned from His law and succumbed to the bondage of sin and suffered His painful judgment. However, the second deliverance God had planned would not only deliver the Jews but also the rest of the world.
The First Resurrection (Easter)
“4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.” (Galatians 4:4-5) In God’s plan, at the perfect time, He sent His Messiah to deliver the world from the bondage of sin and in doing so fulfilled His promise to Abraham to bless all the nations of the world. In the law God had ordained the Jews to sacrifice innocent animals to atone for their sins. In reality, these animal sacrifices only covered their sins. His plan was to send His Son, Jesus Christ, to be the sacrificial lamb who would take away the sins of the world and thereby restore fellowship between humans and God forever. The sacrifice was offered on the cross of crucifixion with His shed blood and death atoning once and for all for the sins of humanity. Once again the darkness of God’s judgment preceded the redemptive light of God’s grace and mercy:
“33 When they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left…44 It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour, 45 because the sun was obscured; and the veil of the temple was torn in two. 46 And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, Into Your hands I commit My spirit.’ Having said this, He breathed His last.” (Luke 23:33,44-46)
During this darkness God laid every human sin ever committed or that will be committed on His sinless firstborn Son and poured out His wrathful judgment on Jesus. The veil in the Temple which separated sinful man from a holy God was ripped away because Jesus’ death made a way for humans to once again fellowship with God. In the light of Easter morning, the empty tomb where the crucified body of Jesus had been laid and now was resurrected to eternal life, confirmed that God accepted His Son’s sacrifice on behalf of humanity. The Light of the World redeemed humanity from the dark bondage of slavery to sin: “11 He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. 12 But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” (John 1:11-12) However, as John wrote, not everyone receives Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Those who reject Him are still under the power of Satan, the ruler of this world as the apostle Paul wrote: “3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:3-4) The third and final deliverance in God’s plan will redeem the world from the power of the Devil and usher in Jesus’ kingdom on earth.
The Second Coming
After Jesus’ ascension to Heaven, God sent His Holy Spirit upon the followers of Jesus in order to guide them into all truth and to spread throughout the world the gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ alone. When the worldwide preaching of the gospel is accomplished, Jesus will return to earth and reign from Jerusalem. Before that occurs however, the world will grow more and more rebellious in its attitude towards God’s authority and in its rejection of Jesus Christ as His Savior. Instead, they will turn to the Devil and his servant, the beast or Antichrist, to be their savior. This demonic leader will try to rule the world through the power of Satan. Initially he will have some success but ultimately he leads the world to destruction and the judgment of God. Jesus said the signs of the End-Times will be like labor pains. This means that at the very end, God’s final judgments, the seven bowl judgments, will occur quickly and close together. Darkness again is at the very end of this horrible time:
“10 And the fifth angel poured out his bowl upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, 11 And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.” (Revelation 16:10-11)
This darkness is followed by the culmination of the battle of Armageddon. During that battle the light of Jesus’ second coming appears: “8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the Spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming: 9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonder.” (2 Thessalonians 2:8-9) Jesus destroys the Antichrist and his rebellious armies at His second coming. At long last the world is redeemed from the dark bondage of slavery to the world’s ruler and his wicked system. What Jesus said during His first time on the earth will once again be true when He walks the earth the second time and sets up His millennial kingdom: “While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.” (John 9:5) Though the world had been in darkness both literally and spiritually, the true light will reign on the earth.
The Conclusion of God’s Plan
After Jesus reigns for a thousand years the Book of Revelation declares what happens next:
“7 When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, 8 and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. 9 And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 10 And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. 11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:7-15)
For reasons known only to God, He allows Satan one last chance and once again he leads a rebellion against God which is quickly put down. The Devil is thrown into the lake of fire for eternity. Then God judges those who rejected Jesus’ sacrificial atonement for their sins and they too are judged and cast into the lake of fire. What this eternal fire looks like is not known. However, it seems that this judgment includes darkness of some kind as Jesus stated: “And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 25:30) This then is the final judgment of God in eternity. After the darkness comes the light of God’s eternal presence:
“1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, 4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away’. 5 And He who sits on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new’ And He said, ‘Write, for these words are faithful and true.’…21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the gates was a single pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. 22 I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb.” (Revelation 21:1-5,21-23)
Good Friday
Today is Good Friday, the day we commemorate our Lord’s crucifixion and sacrificial death for our sins. We need to understand that this was part of God’s plan from the beginning to the end. The end of the plan is only possible because “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” If we confess our sins and repent of our sins and receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior then He gives us the power to become sons of God. Then we will be part of the fulfillment of God’s plan which He made before the foundation of the world. Then as His children we can lovingly declare the final words of His plan:
“20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. 21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” (Revelation 22:20-21)
(March 13, 2011) In certain segments of the modern Church there is a misunderstanding and sometimes a denial of the biblical revelation of God’s nature. Some of those segments believe that traditional evangelicalism is ineffective or at least falls short in meeting the needs of the modern world. I suppose a case could be made that this is true of every generation since the Church’s formation two thousand years ago. It is true that Christians should be living the gospel of Jesus Christ and not just preaching it. The Books of James and 1 John among others talk about showing your faith to others by helping those in physical need as well as spiritual need. The problem as I see it is that experience, sentimentality, and relativity triumph over the truth of God’s word within areas of the modern Church: We are to love our neighbors by not offending them with the truth about complete salvation in Jesus Christ. If they are of a different religion, who are we to tell them their beliefs are wrong? Why not worship and pray together with them regardless of their religions? And certainly we have to stress only the love of God and never His judgment of sin or sinners!
(June 20, 2010) 
