Jesus - Our Final Atonement
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The Scriptures tell us that there is only one person throughout history Who is qualified to atone for man's sins and reconcile him back to God. That person is Jesus Christ, Who became man's prophet, priest, and king. As prophet, Jesus teaches us the will of God. As priest, Jesus saves us from the penalty of death, and as king, He must live in our hearts and rule over our lives. Jesus Christ - He is our final atonement for sin.
Jesus as Prophet
Jesus was the one written about by Moses to the Jewish people to look for
as the Messiah. His prophecies are foretold throughout the Torah and the Tanakh (Old Testament).[Deut 18:15-20]
According to John 12:50, Jesus Himself stated that He spoke what His Father told Him, and what His Father said, He spoke out to others. Jesus spoke His Father's words in the synagogues, market places, and wherever God led Him to speak Truth - the truths of the Word of God. Jesus became that prophet of God, manifesting His Father's truth to mankind, just as Moses proclaimed.
Personal Application Today: As a prophet of God, Jesus manifested the truths of the Word of God to His generation, which then was spread through His disciples, later written down and given to us generations later. We can trust, even today, that what Jesus spoke came from God and given to us. We can live by those words.
Jesus as High Priest
The Levitical high priest system
As a forerunner to Jesus as the true High Priest, God originally set up a complex High Priest system for the Jewish people for the forgiveness of sins. That system required a high priest, coming out of the tribe of Levi (sons of Aaron), who came to God once a year to offer blood sacrifices for the forgiveness of the people. Because the high priest, as God's representative for the Jewish people, and a sinful man, he had to be washed clean before entering into the presence of a holy God in the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle of God. This had to be done on a continual basis so that man could be "atoned" for his continual sin.
The Old Testament is filled with types and shadows of the Messiah to come
The foretelling of a new high priest
Under the Mosaic Law, one man could not hold both titles of high priest and king. King David, however, foretold there would be a change in the priesthood - from the Aaronic order to "after the order" of Melchizedek. Melchizedek was a high priest and king over Salem (old Jerusalem) during the time of Abraham. While not necessary a godly man, Melchizedek was a powerful well-known historical figure who held down those two titles at once - something no one else had ever done (Click here for article on Melchizedek). Jesus, it was prophesied, would become a High Priest and King "after the order of Melchizedek," however, unlike Melchizedek, His office would last forever. [Psm 110:1-4]
Jeremiah the prophet prophesied that the Messiah, the one who would become the permanent high priest, would come out of the house of Judah [Jer 31:31]. God would be providing a new covenant which He had made with "their fathers." In other words, the Levitical priesthood would be replaced.
The Levitical priesthood was a type and shadow of the forthcoming Christ
Jesus - the new High Priest of all mankind
Everyone is born with a sin nature and needs to offer a blood sacrifice to God for his sin. In the fullness of time, however, God remedied that situation by sending His Son down to earth as a human, but without sin, to become sin on behalf of not only the Jewish people, but all of mankind. When Jesus shed His blood on the cross of Calvary, He became the "once and for all" sacrifice for the sins of man. No longer were animal sacrifices needed on a continual basis. As Jesus cried out on the cross, "it is finished." The work of redemption was complete. Man could now come to God through Jesus Christ. He became the mediator between God and man.
Jesus became that perfect sinless High Priest for us, just as prophesied throughout the Old Testament Scriptures.
Jesus - Our eternal High Priest
God sent His Son Jesus to earth to die for the sins of mankind. In His death, Jesus presented His blood as a sacrifice in the heavenly Temple before the throne of God. At that point, He became the "all sufficient" sacrifice for mankind and became our High Priest forever. Jesus Christ now functions as our High Priest before a holy God. He is the one who stands in the gap between God and man. He is man's mediator before God. [Heb 7:26-27]What Jesus did was render the ancient Levitical sacrificial system obsolete. That old system then was no longer available as a means of access to God because Jesus' sacrifice replaced it. Jesus' priesthood is forever.
Acting as our High Priest, Jesus now sits on the throne at the right hand of God in the heavenly Temple interceding for His people. He continually pleads our case before God - interceding for us - His body here on earth.
Christian Myth: There are Christian persuasions that teach various ways to get to heaven. One is that you must be a good person, based on one's own merits to get to God. Another is that we need to go to a priest today to receive forgiveness of sins. Both of those myths are lies that have filtered down through the Church for generations. The Bible teaches that to go to heaven - to get to God - we must believe and trust that Jesus is our substitute for sin. He paid the penalty for our sins. Our eternal salvation rests on that principle. If that were not the case, then Jesus' shed blood would have been in vain, and we would be relying on an obsolute Levitical system that was only meant for the Jewish people or our own merits, which hold no value at all to a holy God. We must accept Jesus as the one Who died for the sins of mankind, and for us individually to receive forgiveness of sin, we must come come through Him, and accept and trust what the Bible says is Truth.
Practical application today: As believers, we never have to fear that God will reject us. We are no longer under an impersonal system of relating to God through human priests, sacrifices, rituals, etc., because Jesus paid the sin penalty with His shed blood. We now have a relationship with a personal God at anytime and any place, and He wants a personal fellowship with each one of His children. As such, our relationship with God then can become deeper and more personal because we can always trust that God accepts us today through what Christ has done for us.
Jesus as King
When God created man, He set up a theocratic kingship government. In other words, it was God's original intent that He should reign as Sovereign over mankind as King and Lord in the earth. He did, however, set up His system based on man's willingness to be God's subjects, wanting His rulership to be one of the heart. He gave them the choice. Man, however, through Satan's schemes, chose against God's Kingship and Lordship, sinning at the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Man fell to sin and Satan became the god of this world. He had another king.
As God continued to deal with the sins of fallen man, He chose a people - the Jewish people to belong to Him. His intent was to make them a holy nation. (Ex 19:5-6). As time continued, however, the Jewish people wanted a physical king like the other nations around them. Again, God allowed man to continue to fall in his sin, giving kingship to Saul and later King David. David, however, was a man after God's own heart and knew Who the King really was and that there was a greater Kingdom coming (Psm 47:7-8). The Israelite people were disobedient and unfaithful to God, and as a result, their physical kingdom began to crumble away. Despite their unfaithfulness, God was still faithful to them, promising them a new and greater Kingdom that would never be destroyed. This kingdom would be done through His Son.
The Old Testament prophesied a King would be coming over God's people through the voices of Isaiah (Is 9:6 -7), Daniel (Dan 2:44), Micah (Mic 5:2), and Zephaniah (Zeph 3:14-15). The angel, Gabriel, told Mary prior to His birth that He would be the king of the Jews.
Zechariah prophesied the king is coming and Jesus walked that out when He was hailed king by the people a week before He was crucified.
God is true to His promise of a King, true to His intent that the King over mankind should be Himself. Jesus Christ was that "seed of David", the coming King, sent by God, as God, to restore God's kingship over mankind. (Matt. 1:1; Acts 13:23; Rom. 1:3,4; Rev. 22:16).
The angel, Gabriel, told Mary prior to the birth of Jesus Who He would become. John the Baptist proclaimed the coming Kingdom
Jesus even began His ministry by proclaiming the coming Kingdom. While He stood before Pilate, he accused Jesus of being the King of the Jews. ,
The Kingdom of God is probably the central theme of Jesus' preaching. "The kingdom of God has come upon you" (Matthew 12:28; Luke 11:20). He used many parables concerning the "kingdom."
The chief accusations against Jesus as His arrest and trial was that He claimed to be "king".
"Pilate therefore entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus, and said to Him, 'You are the King of the Jews?' Jesus answered, 'Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?' Pilate answered, 'I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priets delivered You up to me; what have You done?' Jesus answered, 'My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting, that I might not be delivered up to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.' Pilate therefore said to Him, 'So You are a king?' Jesus answered, 'You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Every one who is of the truth hears My voice.'" (John 18:33-37)
They put purple robes of royalty on Him, put on a crown of thorns and gave Him a mock sceptre to ridicule His kingship:
"Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged Him. And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and arrayed Him in a purple robe; and they began to come up to Him, and say, 'Hail, King of the Jews!' and to give Him blows in the face." (John 19:1-3)
Pilate presented the battered Jesus, saying, "Behold your King!" (John 19:14). The superscription on the cross read, "Jesus, King of the Jews" (Matt 27:37; Mk 15:26; Lk 23:38)
"And Pilate wrote an inscription also, and put it on the cross. And it was written, 'JESUS THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS.' Therefore this inscription many of the Jews read, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and in Greek. And so the chief priests of the Jews were saying to Pilate, 'Do not write, 'The King of the Jews'; but that He said, 'I am King of the Jews,' Pilate answered, 'What I have written I have written.'" (John 19:19-22)
The Jewish leaders wanted it changed, to read "He claimed to be 'King of the Jews'". But it was written in three languages and remained written just as God intended. That superscription represented the "finale" for any hope of a Judaic, Israelitish kingdom and king. It exploded any expectation for a continued physical, Davidic kingdom. The crux of the difference in the expectations is displayed on the cross! Jesus was not a physical King of the Jews alone; He was the spiritual King of God's spiritual kingdom among all men.
From the cross Jesus exclaimed, "It is finished" (John 19:30) "Accomplished! Completed! Brought to fruition! I have established My kingdom!" By dying He won the battle, the spiritual battle with Satan. He is the Theocratic King, the Divine King, who has conquered sin, death and Satan to establish His spiritual kingdom. The cross is His victorious battle; the resurrection is His coronation; Pentecost was the inauguration of the kingdom.
In the first sermon of the church on Pentecost, Peter declared that David had prophesied of "his seed seated upon the throne" (Acts 2:30), and that by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, God had done just that raised up Jesus to be Lord and King!
The preaching of the early church was of the "king, Jesus" (Acts 17:7); they were preaching concerning "the kingdom of God" (Acts 19:8; 20:25; 28:31), and that "through much tribulation we enter into the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22). This latter statement indicates that the kingdom of God is not a "utopia"; it is a spiritual reality with continued physical hindrances here on earth, until consummated in the heavenly continuation of the kingdom.
God used the physical kingdom of Israel in the Old Testament to pictorially portray the spiritual Kingdom that He intended to restore through His Son, Jesus Christ in the new covenant. "God is Spirit" (John 4:24) His kingdom, His reign and rule and lordship is spiritual.
The Jewish people in Jesus' day couldn't seem to see that. A servant-king, a despised king, a rejected king, a suffering king, a crucified King did not fit their proud, self-centered expectations. They were looking for a physical conquering King to wipe out the Romans and set up an earthly kingdom of David. Their conceptions of the Messiah as King were rooted only in the natural and physical. Their Messianic expectations were particularistic, materialistic, nationalistic, racist and wrong! They were looking for a national, Judaic, Israelitish kingdom, which included racial supremacism. Jesus and His message did not fit their system. Inherent in the message of Christianity is that Jewish particularism is ended! (Matt 8:11; 21:41; Lk14:24) -- it was only intended to be illustrative anyway illustrative of a people "set apart" to function as intended. The kingdom of God is universal ALL mankind can be restored to God's intent, by allowing God in Christ to rule and control in their lives.
Christ gave Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 16:19), and Peter used the keys to open the kingdom, first to the Jews (Acts 2) and then to the Gentiles (Acts 10). God's purpose was no longer limited to a nationalist, racialistic group of people. God's kingdom in Christ is universal the restoration of all fallen men.
"For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call upon Him; for 'Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord wil be saved.'" (Romans 10:12; cf. Ephesians 2:14-16)
What is the "kingdom of God" that God made available in Jesus Christ? It is a present, universal, spiritual and eternal kingdom. The primary meaning of the word "kingdom" is not "realm" or "territory", but "reign, rule and authority." It is not a physical residential kingdom with a specific and limited location, for the rule and reign of God cannot be thus limited. It is not a natural kingdom, but a spiritual kingdom the lordship of Christ in the hearts of his people; His authority guiding and directing their lives. It is not a visible kingdom of outward observation:
"Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, 'The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or 'There it is!' For behold, the kingdom of God is within you." (Luke 17:20,21)
It is not physical:
"the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." (Romans 14:17)
It is not of this earthly world:
"My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting, that I might not be delivered up to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm." (John 18:36)
(Some would attempt to interpret Jesus' words as meaning "not of this world-system," but such fails to account for the context.) It is a kingdom that can only be entered by spiritual new birth:
"Jesus answered and said to him, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.' .... "Jesus answered, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.'" (John 3:3,5)
"Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:3)
Jesus would not allow the people to force him into their mold to be a natural, physical King:
"Jesus therefore perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force, to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone." (John 6:15)
Today, many people still want to impose that upon Him. They believe He came to sit on old King David's earthly, natural throne in Jerusalem, and that somehow He failed to achieve His Father's goal of making Him a political ruler. They imply that Jesus Christ came at His first advent as a political revolutionary seeking to overthrow the estabished political rule in Israel. They indicate that He offered a kingdom to the Jews, but they rejected it, so He withdrew the offer, postponed what he came for, and went to "Plan B" died on the Cross, establishing a parenthetical mystery kingdom until His second Coming. At His second advent they believe He will acomplish what He failed to do the first time, that is to become the Priest-King in Jerusalem.
This is the premise of the theory that is called "pre-millennialism." But I, personally, can find no biblical basis for the expectation of a physical kingdom here on earth a one thousand year millenial kingdom. In fact, such an expectation seems to be contrary to everything the Scripture says about the Kingdom. The kingdom is not limited in duration to a thousand years, but is eternal; the kingdom is not physical, but spiritual; the kingdom is not Jewish, but universal.
Neither did Jesus come to re-establish the old Davidic kingdom and thereby bring "good government" to the world; to reform society by enforcing high and moral and ethical standards. This is the premise of what is called "post-millennialism; reconstructionism; or theonomy." The premises of both pre-millennialism and post-millennialism blind Christian believers to the present spiritual reality of the kingdom of God. Both miss the point of Jesus' statement, "My kingdom is not of this world." this physical world - (John 18:36). So many Christians today are as deceived about the Kingship of Jesus as were the Jews of Jesus' day. It is no wonder that they are not shouting "Hosanna!", nor allowing Jesus to reign in their lives in godliness.
The kingdom, or authority, or rule of God is a spiritual reality in this present age, and it will appear in its final, perfected form in the eternity of the new heavens and new earth when Christ returns. The kingdom was established by Christ at His first advent, but only to those with eyes to see, spiritually. When He comes again, the whole world will see the power and glory of that present spiritual and eternal kingdom. There is the "already" sense of the kingdom and the "not yet" sense of the same eternal kingdom.
Jesus is King. He is King "after the order of Melchisedec...King of Righteousness... King of Peace." (Hebrews 6:20-7:2) "His throne is forever." (Hebrews 1:8) He is "King of Kings and Lord of Lords" (Revelation 17:14).
Christians are "a kingdom of priests" as was God's intent (Exodus 19:5,6). We are a "royal priesthood, holy nation" (I Peter 2:9; Rev. 1:6; 5:10). Christians have been transferred into the kingdom of Christ:
"For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." (Colossians 1:13,14)
Jesus is King for Christians right now. But Christians must never cease to learn the lessons of the Old Testament which were illustrative examples for us (I Cor. 10:11,12): Watch out for the Babylonians who try to carry off spiritual Israelites (Christians) into their false religious systems of idolatry with false pastoral kings. Watch out for the Babylonians with their false moral systems where ethical rules and regulations reign supreme. Watch out for the Babylonians and their false eschatalogical systems with far-out fantasies of what to expect in the physical future. As Christians we have all that God has to give us right now in Jesus Christ. "God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 1:3).
Christians are still like those persons present at the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. We are still shouting, chanting, singing "Hosanna" to the King. We "sing unto the Lord" (Isa. 12:5; Ps 98:1; Zech 2:10; Ps. 137:3).
Is Jesus Christ reigning as sovereign in your life? ...as King? ...as Lord? Is Jesus Christ King in the kingdom of your heart? Are we prepared to let Jesus Christ reign and rule over the collective kingdom of His church? Are we praying evangelistically that Jesus Christ might reign as King over all peoples? These are the questions we must ask ourselves individually and collectively, as we understand that "Jesus Is King."
The condition for His effective Kingship/Lordship in our lives is still that of faith - our receptivity of His activity. The condition is still the obedience of listening to what the Lord Jesus Christ Jesus as King wants to do in our lives, individually and collectively.
Jesus is King and we can still shout, "Hosanna!"
The word "king" is used symbolically in the Bible to signify someone who possesses supreme power. While Jesus was hailed by the local people as people on what we know of as Palm Sunday, a week before He was crucified, Jesus now reigns in heaven next to His Father God as king. According to Heb 8:1 Jesus sits today at the right hand of the Father in the heavenly throne room. There will be a day, coming soon, when He will return to earth as the conquering King. And when He comes, He will defeat God's enemies and establish His Kingdom here on Earth.
Revelation 19:16 is the main passage where "King of kings" is mentioned in relation to Jesus Christ. "On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS." This verse is speaking of the future time when Jesus Christ will return to earth to set up His kingdom. All will proclaim, "Jesus is King!"
King of kings and Lord of lords is a victorious title. It signifies sovereignty over all kings and all lords. Everyone will be in submission to Him, King Jesus! No matter what person in history is the most victorious king or ruler on the earth, Jesus Christ is the King of kings!
Jesus is "the King of Glory" (Psm 24:7-10) He is Prophet, Priest, and King. HIs prophetic ministry is finished. His priestly ministry is ongoing, and His royal ministry lies ahead.
Only Jesus Christ solves fallen humity's dilemma. Because of sin, we are estranged from God. But God sent Jess to be the propitiation, or satisfaction, for our sins. While we were still sinners, God sent Jesus to die for us so that He might welcome us into His Kingdom (Rom 5:8)
Jesus is our only hope. He is the only way. And since God went to all the trouble of sending Him and having Him live here for 33 years and die in our placed to make atonement for our sins, is God not justfied in saying, "Friend, this IS the only way?" God has that right, and that is what He clearly communicates in Scripture.
Either we agree with Him, or we spend eternity outside of His presence. Jesus the the sole Mediator between God and man, and we must put our faith in Him as Saviour and Lord.
As a footnote to understanding that Jesus in the King of Kings,
Jesus is the King of Kings
(click to view video)
End Notes
1. Stein, Stan. Israel My Glory, Vol 67, Number 5. Sept/Oct 2009
2. ourladystears.blogspot.com/