History of Redemption: Blog Post 46
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. 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, 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. 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.” Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. - Revelation 211;3-7; 22:20 NASB
Creation, Fall, Redemption, Restoration. This is God’s story for humanity. Every worldview held today SHOULD give account for each of these four chapters. Only one worldview is the truth.
Before I surrendered my life to Jesus Christ I battled with bouts of depression, sometimes lasting days, sometimes weeks. At that time I understood Creation, and I understood the Fall. What I did not understand at that time was the application of Redemption and of Restoration. I did not understand the finality of Christ’s atonement upon the cross, and so I stood condemned by my guilty conscience, knowing that I could never live a life which was not stained by sin. Likewise, not having read my bible, I had no understanding of what awaited me after this life comes to an end. I saw before me a world filled with mourning, crying and pain. And I could not reconcile this with a good and loving God. Now I can. Now I understand. Now I see that the greatest suffering in the history of humanity, was in fact the most merciful outpouring of God’s love for us. Now I see the redemption bought by suffering, as I look to the cross.
Over the past 46 weeks we have read through God's history of redemption. We read about His perfect creation in the Garden of Eden. We witnessed man's rebellion against his Creator. We heard of man repeatedly turning his back on God, and were therefore reminded of our own rebellion against God. We then came to that great turning point in God's plan, when He sent His beloved Son, to enter into human history, as the most vulnerable of creatures, at the most vulnerable of times. We watched that Son march to His death, on a bloody and brutal cross, as He took upon Himself the wrath of God for our sins, for our transgressions, and for our iniquity. We watched Him then rise from death, in a great victory over satan, as He had paid once and for all the wage for our sin.
And now, we arrive at the greatest climax to the greatest story every told. And how glorious is the ending to this story? Never before has there been more hope and more joy and more love expressed in the history of the universe, than there is in the restoration of the earth for God's people, by God. Other stories may have "happy endings", but they are all fleeting. The prince and the princess will still one day succumb to sickness and death, another terrorist cell will still rise up and again attempt to destroy their enemy, and another greedy villain will once again surface for James Bond to battle, as his body slowly but surely deteriorates. Their joy is always temporary. But our joy is ETERNAL! The great hero of our story not only conquers, but now dwells with us, forever! We will never again get sick, we will never again feel pain, we will never again experience the loss of a loved one. We will never again hunger or thirst, for we will drink forever from the "spring of the water of life". And we will never again be separated from the love of God!
Think about the greatest moment of pain in your life so far. Now picture God Himself, gently and lovingly wiping away every tear from your eyes. Oh God, You are so good.
Christ Himself declared on the cross that "It is finished". We are reminded here again, by Him, that "It is done". We have nothing to fear. We are freed from sin, and from death, and we will live forever with our Creator, our Lord, our King our Savior, and our Father.
As Oswald Chambers pronounces, in My Utmost For His Highest, "The greatest note of triumph that ever sounded in the ears of a startled universe was that sounded on the Cross of Christ - “It is finished”. That is the last word in the Redemption of man.”
“Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.”