FROM THE PREACHER"S LENSES

Wednesday, April 1, 2020
[email protected]
Lagos, Nigeria
CERTAIN FORETASTES & SHADOWS THAT REVEALED HOW GOD WAS TO PERFECT THE SALVATION OF MAN WITH THE BLOOD OF JESUS

am always amazed at the ways God works.

The more one studies the Bible, the more one understands God; His foreknowledge, His plans, His love and mercy for us His hands made.

The moment our fore parents fell out with Him and became doomed for hell, God wasted no time to reveal His plans to restore man to Himself in order to live with Him after we die rather than go to hell.

Right from the time God pronounced judgement for the various people who sinned at the garden of Eden, He planned that Jesus will reconcile us to Him with His blood, which will be shed at a much later date. This plan of God is recorded in the book of Genesis 3:15.

The Bible makes it clear that 'Blood' is the only antidote (remedy) acceptable to God for atonement of our sin. A record is found in Leviticus 17:11:

"For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement (purify) for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement (purification) for the soul.'

Why blood?

God had earlie said 'for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die'(Gen.2:17).(referring to the forbidden fruit).

Also in Ezek. 18:20, we read 'The soul that sin shall die' But if he must be spared, another person must die in his place. The blood of the sinless person will atone for the sin of the offender.

God had from the beginning planned the blood of Jesus to atone for our sins but before it was implemented, God played a number of scripts at one time or the other as foretastes, shadows, forerunners etc. I find these, as acts of mercy by God so that by the time Jesus comes, it should not be difficult for anyone to believe but readily accepts Him with a heart of gratitude.

These forerunners, shadows, foretastes etc that prelude the arrival of Jesus on the earth is what I am starting to discuss today.

Let us pray.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Certain Foretastes & Shadows that revealed how God was to work the Salvation of Man with the Blood of Jesus.

Father God, please open the inner eyes of your people to your truth.

The first story of sacrifice on record was those made by the first set of children, Cain and Abel. Abel's sacrifice was with blood while that of his elder brother was with farm produce. Abel's offering was more pleasing to God (Gen.4:4-5).

The next notable sacrifice representing Christ was recorded in Gen. 22. God asked Abraham, also known as Ibrahim to make a sacrifice with the son of his old age but at the very point when he was to slay the boy, God opened his eyes to a ram, which horns were locked up in the bush (Gen. 22:13). Abraham promptly used the ram for the necessary burnt sacrifice.

The ram represents Christ and that is why Jesus is referred to as 'the Lamb of God' (John 1:29; Revelation 12:11).

Also, the incident happened on Mt. Moriah (Gen.22: 2) and it couldn't have been be a coincidence that this same mount was where Jesus blood was shed for the atonement of the sins of the world. This was why Jesus said He did not come to abolish the law (the laws of Moses) or the prophets (the writings of the Prophets) but to fulfill them (accomplish their purpose) (Matt.5:17).

Let us examine another forerunner, shadow or foretaste of the way God had planned to work out our salvation. It was an incident that occurred in Egypt at about 1450- 1400 BC.

Jacob's (Israel's) descendants had been enslaved in Egypt for 430 years (Ex 12:40-41).

God heard their cry and He decided to rescue them. .

So He charged Moses, a descendant of Levi to lead the escape (Exodus 3:7-10).

But Pharaoh, the king of Egypt would not let them go.

This led Moses with the miraculous hands of God, to disturbthe lives of the Egyptians very much.

He subjected them to series of hardship, plagues and disasters so as to break Pharaoh in order to let them go but Pharaoh would not because God had hardened his heart (Exodus 4:21; 11:10).

Then came the largest and the last onslaught, which broke the camel's back. God decided to kill all the firstborn males of the Egyptians, including all the firstborn of animals but He would spare the Israelites (Exodus 11 &12).

This was how it worked out: Moses, under the directive of God asked each Israelite family to choose a ram or a male goat for a sacrifice, one animal for each household. 4 If a family was too small to eat a whole animal, they were to share with another family in the neighborhood. 5 The animal must be a one-year-old male, either a sheep or a goat, with no defects (Exodus 12).

The whole assembly of the community of Israel was to slaughter their animal at twilight (the going down of the sun). 7 They were to take some of the blood and smear it on the sides and top of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the animal.

On the night, which that was accomplished, the Angel of God passed through the land of Egypt and strike down every firstborn son and firstborn male animal in the land of Egypt 13 But which ever doorposts, there was the blood marking, signifying the houses where the Israelites lived, the plague of death did not touch, for God had vowed; "When I see the blood, I will pass over you" (Exodus 12: 13).

God did exactly what He said He was going to do.

Pharaoh and all his officials and all the people of Egypt woke up during the night, and loud wailing was heard throughout the land of Egypt. There was not a single house where someone had not died.

31 Pharaoh therefore sent for Moses and Aaron promptly in the night. "Get out!" he ordered. "Leave my people-and take the rest of the Israelites with you! Go and worship the LORD as you have requested. 32 Take your flocks and herds, as you said, and be gone (Exodus 12: 30-32)

God at the aftermath mandated them to remember the day and celebrate it as a special festival (ceremony). They were to observe every step of it as it was done the very first time.

God pronounced

"This is a day to remember. Each year, from generation to generation, you must celebrate it as a special festival to the LORD. This is a law for all time" (Exodus 12: 14); A permanent law (Exodus 12: 24) and it was named "Passover sacrifice to the Lord' for He passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and though He struck the Egyptians, he spared our families.'

God henceforth, made the month, which this event took place, the first month of the Jewish calendar year and the day, the 14th of the month.

Israelites observed this yearly festival till the arrival of Jesus.

God intentionally did it as a demonstration of how He was going to save His creation from the doom of hell.

The blood of the animal on the door frames and lintels of the houses of the Israelites, wherein they were saved from the angel of death represents the blood of Christ, which will be shed in future for the salvation of whoever believe in Him.

The episode was a drama or a script of what the blood of Jesus will do for anyone who allows his sins to be washed by His blood that was shed on Mt. Moriah, 1400 years after the Egypt incident. Such a fellow, will be saved from hell.

It was not therefore a coincidence that Jesus was crucified (sacrificed) on a Passover date (St John 19:31-36). It was to make true His words that He has not come to abolish the law (the laws of Moses) or the prophets (the writings of the Prophets) but to fulfill them (accomplish their purpose) (Matt.5:17). And after His shed blood, animal sacrifice becomes irrelevant and of no purpose.

Records abound that Jesus was crucified and His blood was split at a certain Passover celebration eg, St. John 12: 1-8; 13: 1-3; 18: 28-29; 19:13-15; 19:31-37; 19: 32-33 and several others in the books of Matthew, Mark and Luke.

But why should it be the blood of Jesus to atone for our sins? Why not continue with the use of animal blood? Paul explained in Galatians 3:19 that it was designed to last only until the coming of the child who was promised.

The writer of the book of Hebrews also explained in chapter 10:

The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves.

The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship. 2 If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshipers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared. 4 For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

5 That is why, when Christ[a] came into the world, he said to God, "You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings.

But you have given me a body to offer.

6 You were not pleased with burnt offerings or other offerings for sin.

7 Then I said, 'Look, I have come to do your will, O God- as is written about me in the Scriptures.'"[b]

God canceled the first covenant in order to put the second into effect. 10 For God's will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time (Heb.10: 1-10).

You that are hearing me or reading this piece, will you ignore these facts?

You may want to tell me that the stories are for the Jews. You are wrong. God only chose Abraham and His seed through who He plans to save the world. And He can only use one person. Reason it along yourself.

27 And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes the judgment, 28 so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins again, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him (Heb.9 27-28).

Let me repeat my position concerning Jesus, which I always say, to help anyone who has difficulties believing Him.

  1. No one else in history has ever declared boldly as Jesus did when He said "I am the way, the truth and the life, no one can come unto the father but by me (John 14:6).

  2. No one in history ever said as Jesus said "I and the father are one (John 10:30).

  3. No one ever said "Before Abraham was I am" (John 8: 58). Remember that Abraham lived 1,700 years before He was born, yet He said "Before Abraham was I am"

In fact He claimed so many other things that no one else ever claimed in history.

He did so many miracles that no one ever did in the history of man-kind, which time does not permit to list here.

My position, which I always say is this:

"I believe in Jesus now and if after we get to heaven and it is no longer the name I need, I will have lost nothing rather than ignore Him here on earth, get to the gate of heaven and it is the visa I need by which time it will have become late. It will be a great regret.

In future, I will continue with other dramas that were played, which heralded the coming of Christ. They were foretastes shadows, forerunners etc of Christ.

They depicted the method by which Jesus was going to bring about our salvation, so that we can live with God after physical death rather than go to hell.

NEWS SECTIONS