MID-WEEK MANNA FROM PASTOR NAT’S DESK:
March 27, 2024
The Law of God and the Cross of Christ Series – No. 4
THE SECOND ‘WAY OF ESCAPE” AFTER THE FALL
The first way of escape envisioned by the omniscient Mind of the omnipotent Godhead (“let US make man in OUR image and in OUR likeness”) in and through Christ the Creator, for the only creature created or “made in the image and likeness of God—-should he fail the first test of free moral agency by disobedience to the word of law of his Maker—was not to ignore, set aside, amend, negate, “make of none effect, or worse, do away with that law, but to put divine ENMITY between him and Satan the serpent, the tempter, “the father of lies and murderer from the beginning, the author of sin, the transgression of God’s law.
This most fundamental of all Bible truths we have already established. Though created sinlessly perfect, the creature called man, was divinely endowed, intrinsically “wired” if you will, with a will, the power of choice, verily the governing power in man to choose intelligently, freely, willingly, and voluntarily to adore and worship his Creator by and through loving obedience to His word,
His law which is an expression of His will and thought, standard of His character-image, and the rule of His everlasting in heaven and the universe. This was and is the true foundation of the first, fullest, and most comprehensive meaning of “relationship.” There was none before it, and everything after it—the relationship of the only creature created in the image and likeness of the Creator of heaven and earth. Every other form of relationships are but branches of this main trunk as it were, downstream end products, or worse but yet prophesied as part of the great controversy between Christ and Satan, abominable corruptions and perversions.
In these lasts days of earth’s history of mankind’s second and last probation, it is one of Satan’s
most cunning counterfeits and truth-destroying means of deception—relationships with a cornucopia of its variables with everyone and everything else but with the first of all that could possibly be in the beginning: between creature and his Creator.
The second “way of escape” is described as follows. We quote again from The Cross and Its Shadow by Stephen Haskell, pp. 20, 21, for additional emphasis (all emphasis and bracketed words mine):
“Before man was placed on trial [man’s first probationary testing time] the LOVE of the Father and that the Son for him was SO GREAT that CHRIST [the Creator] PLEDGED HIS OWN LIFE AS A RANSOM if man should be overcome by the temptations of Satan. Christ was ‘the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world’ (Rev. 13:8) [Calvary prophesied before Creation]. This wonderful truth was made known to our first words spoken by the Lord to SATAN, ‘It (the Seed of the woman) shall BRUISE THY HEAD, and thou shalt bruise His heel.’ [Christ’s ‘heel’ would be bruised by Satan at Calvary, but Satan’s head will be finally eternally ‘bruised’ by Christ the King of kings and Lord of lords at the end of the millenium when he and all the fallen angels and wicked are finally destroyed by the ‘cleansing fires of the last days.
“In order that man might realize the ENORMITY OF SIN THAT WOULD TAKE AWAY THE LIFE OF THE SINLESS SON OF GOD, he was required to bring an INNOCENT lamb, confess his sins over its head [not feet or heels], then with his OWN HANDS TAKE ITS LIFE, a type of Christ’s life. This sin-offering was burned [nothing was left it it but ashes], typifying that through the DEATH of Christ ALL SIN would be FINALLY DESTROYED by the FIRES at the last day. [Malachi 4: 1-3). The Cross and Its Shadow.Note this: It was not the cruel “nails of Rome” driven through Christ’s sinlessly undefiled hands and feet into the wooden tree instigated through the hatred and false accusation of His chosen people that killed Jesus: it was the SINS of mankind, for “the wages of sin is death,” and Christ “was made sin for us, who knew no sin.”
Death by crucifixion was the “manner” by which He would be “condemned to die, not by beheading, hanging, strangulation, public burning, quartering, firing squad, or by any other form or method of public execution for enhanced dramatic effect for whatever reason.
Crucifixion was the means by which “all men would be drawn to Him,” that is, attention would be drawn towards Him like no other more intellectual, historical, or even miraculous means. That He, “the holy One of Israel,” the spotless Son of God, would be literally “lifted up,” suspended between heaven and earth,” crucified between two legitimately-determined-and condemned criminals was “truth greater than fiction,” more virally compelling the most finely-spun conspiracy.
It is from this platform that the true meaning of the Cross of Christ has and should be taught in the Third Angel’s Message, earth’s final, merciful warnings!
To be continued next MWM, God willing. Bless all, NMF.