In every book of the New Testament there is reference made to the death of the Son of God. God knew the Redeemer would be needed before Adam and Eve. One cannot help but gasp at the majesty of His understanding, comprehension and love.
The scriptures do not always give vast amounts of detail, but enough is written to clearly reveal the reasons we ought to fear, revere and stand in awe of the Almighty Creator. Some of the most revealing glimpses into His majesty are found in the study of one of the greatest events ever recorded in scripture – the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Let us look at the majesty and wonder of what God has done.
1. Before the foundation of the world, it was determined that Christ would come and die for mankind (I Peter 1:20, Revelation 13:8). Long before God created Adam and Eve, He planned for the Saviour. He took upon Himself the responsibility for the way humans were created, and the fact they would live in a world dominated by Satan.
2. Adam and Eve were encouraged about the Messiah to come. Genesis 3:15 reveals a glimpse of God’s promise even though it was 4,000 years away.
3. The shed blood of Christ, which was to come, was always part of man’s relationship to God in the form of sacrifices. It seems God sacrificed animals for Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:21. Genesis 4:4 shows Abel understood animal sacrifices were pleasing to God. Genesis 8:20 tells us Noah sacrificed clean animals. In the book of Job, and in other places, we see this practice was consistent with those who sought God. Animal sacrifices portrayed the need for the blood of our Saviour to cleanse us from sin.
4. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob (and others) were given the understanding of the promise of the Messiah (Genesis 22:14,18; Genesis 26:4).
5. In Genesis 22:1-18 we read the great lesson God gave Abraham. God brought him to Mount Moriah where Jerusalem was later built. Abraham would have looked for a high point upon which to build his altar to God. This is only speculative, but could this have been Golgotha? Is it only coincidental that Isaac was laid on wood for a blood sacrifice? Christ was also laid on wood, nailed and lifted into position. Could this have been the same day and hour Christ suffered almost 2,000 years later? Would this day have remained important to Abraham and Isaac? The story passed on down to Moses over 400 years later – people did think it important enough to remember.
6 . Job said, “I know that my Redeemer liveth” (Job 19:25). Reference to a Redeemer can be found in various scriptures such as Psalm 19:14 and in the book of Isaiah. Many understood a Redeemer was needed and that animal sacrifices were not enough. These sacrifices only showed the need for blood to be shed for sin. The penalty for sin is death (Romans 6:23).
7. The command for a Passover lamb was specially given to Israel in Exodus 12:6. The blood protected the homes of the Israelites from the death angel. This unique sacrifice was made on Nisan 14.
8. For the next 1,500 years the Passover Lamb was sacrificed in the land of Israel and worship was eventually concentrated on Mount Moriah where Jerusalem stood and where Christ was later sacrificed.
9. God carefully orchestrated the events in Christ’s life to be sure He would die in a certain way, in a certain place, on a certain day and even in a certain hour. Psalm 22, written almost a thousand years before Christ died, details His suffering. In John 12:27 Jesus states, “for this cause came I unto this hour.” God was precise in the timing of this great event. It was done according to His timetable and not that of men.
10. That day – the 14th of Nisan was the same one Israel observed for 1,500 years and that Jewish people observe even today. It is stated in the list of days Almighty God calls His own. In Leviticus 23 God states these are His days. He calls them the feasts of the Lord (verses 2, 4, 37, 44). His language – “My Sabbaths” and “My feasts” – show ownership. These days have great significance to God. Following the theme of the Passover Lamb who was slain before the foundation of the world, strongly underlines the importance of these days to God.
There can be no turning away from the clarity of God’s voice that echoes throughout history about this special event. To close our eyes to this day God has carefully preserved, is to turn away from God Himself. Humans have turned away from God since the time of Adam and Eve. This is His day and not ours. It is His glory revealed in the events He guided from before the foundation of the world. It makes Him God and us mere humans. We are privileged to share in the glory of this event.
How privileged we are to share this profound knowledge. How deeply humbled we ought to feel to grasp a concept that is older than the world. How careful we should be to live by it. Let us be glad and rejoice in this day.
