77. THE FOUNDATION OF SALVATIONDid Jesus die, or was he taken to heaven without seeing death?
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Some people say that Jesus never really died. They say that he only appeared to die and was then taken up to heaven. Have you ever heard that? What do you think the truth is? How can you know? What do the scriptures say about this? Is it really that important? To help us understand the answer to these questions let's start with a story about an elderly gentlemen and the inheritance he left behind.
Erol had a silver beard that reached down below his collar. He was seldom seen without his skullcap on. Although he had been injured in the Korean con ict he didn't even walk with a hobble. Over the 82 years of his life he had garnered deep respect in his village for his wisdom and fairness. Everyone could say that he was perfectly upright in all his business arrangements, even with his will.
Erol had three sons and three daughters, but not all from the same wife. He had a son and a daughter from his first wife who died of cancer at an early age. The other children came from his second wife who had passed on just a year earlier. As Erol could see his own time coming, he thought about the transfer of his estate to his children. He knew that the children would never agree on how the estate should be divided up, so he wanted to do the job himself and avoid all the fighting that would ensue. In Turkey there aren't any court cases as long and difficult as an inheritance case.
With this in mind, he wondered how he could divide his properties into equal portions. Some of his land parcels were larger and more valuable than the others. Some were fields and two parcels had houses on them. It wasn't a fortune but it was something. He had inherited some of the land from his father. Erol had 7 siblings and when his father's property was divided among them, it didn't leave very much for farming. Over his lifetime, Erol had acquired other properties, mostly when villagers died and children who had moved to the cities sold off the inheritance.
Erol knew that all the children wanted the biggest and best field. It would be a shame to sell it and have it go out of the family. But there seemed to be no other equitable way to divide the property. Erol decided to have everything sold, and after the taxes were paid each child would get an equal share.
So Erol went to a lawyer and had a will drawn up with all the details about how the properties would be sold and the money distributed. They then went to the notary and had everything recorded legally. In addition, Erol had had a physical and psychological exam to show that he was capable of creating such a will. Then Erol asked the lawyer to do something a little strange.
Erol said to the lawyer,
"I want you to take a video of me explaining how I want the property sold and the money divided between the kids. The will should carry the legal clout necessary to get the job done. But I know my children. They will say that someone coerced me or that the will is a fake. I want them to see me on film, explaining with my mouth how my estates should be liquidated."
The lawyer agreed and he videoed Erol explaining what he wanted to do with the properties.
Time passed, Erol died, and the children came to the village for the burial. But no sooner had the children arrived, they started arguing over who would get the large field. The oldest son Cem said,
"I heard dad say many times in the presence of my wife that he wanted me to have that field."
His wife confirmed what her husband said.
A daughter spoke up, "I know that daddy made a will. We need to find that will. Dad never said anything about giving the big field to Cem."
After the funeral the will was found at the lawyer's office. In spite of it being officially recorded by the municipality, Cem took the issue to court. He insisted that the other children forced his father to change the will and that it was not valid. Cem said to the judge,
"My father wanted me to have the big field. I am the oldest son and it belongs to me. My brothers and sisters must have coerced him when I wasn't around."
The dispute continued until the lawyer produced the video of Erol saying what he wanted done. The judge watched it and said,
"I have a written will in my hand sealed by a notary and witnessed by the lawyer. To claim that it was done under coercion or changed is just a big story (saçmalık). It isn't believable. You yourselves have seen the testimony of Erol Bey himself. What need have we of other evidence? The will stands as written. The properties will be sold and the net income distributed evenly among the children as Erol wanted. Case closed."
The issue in the court case was settled on the testimony of several witnesses: namely the notary and the lawyer. But the most
influential witness was the video that Erol had made. His testimony erased any doubt that he had been coerced into doing something he didn't want or that someone had changed his will. A lot of people have opinions or suspicions about certain aspects of the Bible. One of those is whether Jesus really died. But there really is no room for doubt on this subject because Jesus himself spoke about it on more than one occasion. Although his statements are recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, let's start by reading Mark chapter 8 verses 31 and 32:
31 And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke this word openly.
Up to this point in Jesus' ministry he had not told his disciples about his suffering and death. You remember that Jesus had told Nicodemus,
"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."63
Hundreds of years earlier when the Israelites were passing through the desert, snakes attacked them. In the midst of that dilemma, God commanded Moses to put a snake on a wooden pole and lift it up. Whoever looked at it would live. Likewise, the ones who did not look died. Jesus told Nicodemus that the Messiah, that is Jesus, would be lifted up in the same manner. This was actually the first time he hinted at his death. Those who looked to Jesus for healing would find it, even unto eternal life. But the disciples had not heard this conversation. They were still expecting that Jesus would set up a powerful kingdom here on earth and reign as a great king.
When Jesus told the disciples that he would suffer and die, Peter didn’t want to accept it. He wanted to protect his beloved teacher from harm. Let’s read Peter's words and Jesus' response in Matthew chapter 16 verses 22 and 23:
22 Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!" 23 But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."
Peter's words were not in harmony with the kingdom that Jesus had come to establish. Jesus came to establish a kingdom based
on self-sacrifice, which could only be realized through his own personal suffering.
In the wilderness, Satan tried to discourage Jesus from this mission with enticing words. He tried to convince Jesus that he could establish the kingdom without humiliation and suffering. Satan even offered to give Jesus all the kingdoms of this world. But there was a hitch. Jesus had to bow down and worship him. Of course, Jesus refused.
Once again, Jesus saw Satan’s attempt to hinder God’s plan. But this time Satan was craftier, he was working through Peter by capitalizing on his emotion and enticing him to speak out loud. Jesus' response was not directed at Peter as much as it was to Satan who had instigated him to speak. Peter's mind was on earthly glory and therefore was easily in uenced by Satan's suggestions. Let's continue reading the story in Mark chapter 8 verses 34-38:
34 When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 35 "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it. 36 "For what will it pro t a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? 37 "Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."
Jesus used the metaphor of the cross and spoke about losing your life for his sake. The cross was a symbol of Rome's power. It was the most cruel and humiliating death that man could imagine. Criminals were required to carry their own cross to the place of execution. After being tied or nailed to its beams, they were lifted up, and would sometimes hang for days until they slowly died. Therefore, when the cross was about to be placed on the convicted person's shoulders they would often resist with desperate violence.
But Jesus painted a different picture. He told the disciples that if they wanted to really follow him they must willingly take up the cross and bear it. He was calling them to a life of humiliation, even death if necessary, for his sake. A more complete picture of self- renunciation could not have been shown to the disciples.
Self-sacrificing love is the foundation of the kingdom of God. In God's plan, life is all about reciprocity. Everything gives and receives. Trees give us oxygen and recycle our carbon dioxide. We give love and receive trust and respect. But Satan challenged God's great order of the universe. He desired to receive and not give. This world is filled with the results of the outworking of this principle, the principle of the supremacy of self. People are mystified at the horrible crimes they read about in the newspaper.
"How could human beings do such cruel things?" they ask.
Crimes are simply the result of selfishness ruling the human heart. God is trying to reveal to all intelligent creatures His own character in contrast to the character of Satan. In the great controversy between Christ and Satan the question has arisen,
"Is there self-sacrifice with God?"
On the cross Jesus would demonstrate self-sacrificing love to every human being. How would he do that? Well he would not die for his own sin because Jesus was sinless. Do you remember Isaiah’s prophecy about the Messiah? It said,
"Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors."64
He who had no sin would bear other people’s sins and intercede on their behalf. If that isn't self-sacrificing love, what is? Where do you think he will do that? That is right, on the cross!
“Then is there no reward for the righteous?” some might ask.
Indeed there is. The righteous can look forward to the resurrection and eternal life. Of course we can’t fully understand what that eternal kingdom will be like, but we can imagine. Until then we will have to wait patiently. For now, the principles of the kingdom must be established in the hearts of all who will enter there. The disciples did not understand this and resisted it. The cross was before Jesus. He knew it and was headed that way. He did not want his disciples to lose their faith when it happened because it would be an almost indescribable disappointment.
The disciples, if they had known the scriptures, would have understood these things. But they had been blinded by the false teachings of the religious leaders. Let this be a lesson for us. Just because someone is a teacher does not mean they interpret the scriptures correctly. Just because someone has an opinion, whether traditional or modern, does not mean it is right. We must know the sacred writings for ourselves. In the great judgment, everyone will answer for himself or herself. You will not be able make an excuse for breaking God's law by saying,
"Our teachers told us we were not obligated to keep the law."
Every sheep hangs from its own leg!
In the Bible’s opening chapters, we see that the price for sin must be paid. It is a foundational truth upon which the whole Bible rests. Before Adam and Eve ever-sinned God warned them of the punishment for disobedience,
"But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."65
Sin carries the penalty of death. But interestingly, when Adam and Eve sinned and deserved death, there was also a promise of hope. God said that the seed of the woman (Eve) would crush Satan's head. If you look closely in the same verse, it also says that Satan would bruise the heel of the woman's seed.66 In other words, the savior’s victory would be at the expense of his suffering.
Abel offered sacrifice to God, as did Abraham and the other patriarchs. The entire system of worship that was given to the Israelites by God was based on sacrifices. These sacrifices made a direct correlation between sin and death. They taught that the penalty of sin is death and it must be paid. But who could pay it and live again? Only someone who was sinless himself and had no debt to pay. This is the only way he could be raised to life again. The scriptures have always pointed to a redeemer, savior, and sacrifice who would conquer death by coming back to life.
On Mt. Moriah God stopped Abraham from sacrificing his son. Abraham had told his son,
"My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering."67
And God did provide a substitute. A ram was caught in the thicket. When John the Baptist saw Jesus coming he said,
"Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" 68
Yes, Jesus would be the sacrificial lamb. He was the one all those sacrifices pointed to. He was the only sinless person who could ful ll the law's requirements. Do you remember what the prophet Daniel said about the Messiah? He said,
"And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself." 69
Yes, the Bible says that the Messiah would be "cut off".
The same words were used to describe the Messiah in Isaiah chapter 53 verses 8-10:
8 He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken. 9 And they made His grave with the wicked -- But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth. 10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.
We read the predictions in the Old Testament that a savior would come, suffer, and die for the sins that we have committed. He would be cut off from the land of the living and they would make his grave with the rich at his death. What could be plainer? The Messiah would offer his life as a sin offering.
Some people would like to doubt the testimony of so many witnesses just as Erol's children wanted to doubt the testimony of the lawyer and the notary. People think that the scriptures were changed. How does someone make changes to the prophet's writings when thousands of copies were in existence in at least three languages that we know of: Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek? These copies were spread out from India to Northern Africa and to Ireland. All of which agree 100% that Jesus would die and be raised up. Could someone change their copy of the scriptures and convince all the people who had copies of that scripture to go along with their ideas and change their documents as well? Not to mention that they would have to change the eyewitness accounts of everyone who witnessed Jesus' death. Like the judge in Erol's inheritance case said in regard to his will being changed:
"It is just a story. It isn't believable."
It also isn't believable that all those copies of the scriptures were changed to suit the doctrinal ideas of a few and that they were able to deceive all the people into thinking that theirs were the originals. It just isn't possible. When the children in our story doubted the authenticity of the witnesses, the judge allowed Erol himself to speak. After his testimony there was no doubt. Jesus said very plainly to his disciples,
"The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And after He is killed, He will rise the third day."70
Could he have spoken more clearly? Jesus did not say that he would appear to be killed. He said he would be killed. He said it himself. What need do we have for other witnesses?
Dilara was 17 years old, always on the honor roll at school, and a lover of animals. When it was time for her to go to college, her father Necat wanted to offer a sacrifice to protect his daughter from any potential evil and to secure her success.
Dilara's father brought the animal home and tied it up to a fence in the yard. When Dilara looked at the sheep, her heart melted at the thought of killing it. Throughout her whole life when sacrifices were made she tried to stay a good distance away from the actual killing. But this time she was expected to be there.
The time came and they went to Dilara's uncle's house where there was a pen, drain, and water hose.
"Daddy, why don't we just give it away as a gift instead of killing it?" asked Dilara.
Her father looked at her questioningly.
"Dilara, how can you have a sacrifice without killing the animal? That is the whole purpose of the sacrifice. It is to kill the animal."
Dilara looked at her father with sad eyes. Necat said,
"Is there a marriage without the engagement? Is there a circumcision party without the circumcision?"
Is there salvation without the payment of the sin penalty? Can there be a savior without sacrifice? The whole purpose was for Jesus to come and die. Otherwise it defeats the meaning and foreshadowing of all the sacrifices beforehand. We can know that Jesus died because the Old Testament prophets predicted it. Then Jesus himself said it would happen. Is it important? If Jesus didn't die on that cross then the sin penalty was not paid and every human has to suffer his/her natural fate and pay the penalty for his/her own sin, death without resurrection. But there is great news. Jesus didn't just say he would die. He said he would rise from the dead. He would overcome death and the grave, so that when we die there can be a resurrection. What could be better news?
Discussion Questions
1. Why did Erol go to a lawyer to establish a written and legal will? Why didn't he just tell the children what he wanted and leave the
matter in their hands?
2. Why did Erol's oldest son deny the validity of the will?
3. Why do you think someone would want to deny the witnesses concerning Jesus' dying on a cross?
4. When Jesus said that those who would save their life would lose it, what do you think he meant?
5. Are you ready to lose your life for Jesus' sake?
63 John 3:14, 15
64 Isaiah 53:12
65 Genesis 2:17
66 Genesis 3:15
67 Genesis 22:18
68 John 1:29
69 Daniel 9:26
70 Mark 9:31
Erol had a silver beard that reached down below his collar. He was seldom seen without his skullcap on. Although he had been injured in the Korean con ict he didn't even walk with a hobble. Over the 82 years of his life he had garnered deep respect in his village for his wisdom and fairness. Everyone could say that he was perfectly upright in all his business arrangements, even with his will.
Erol had three sons and three daughters, but not all from the same wife. He had a son and a daughter from his first wife who died of cancer at an early age. The other children came from his second wife who had passed on just a year earlier. As Erol could see his own time coming, he thought about the transfer of his estate to his children. He knew that the children would never agree on how the estate should be divided up, so he wanted to do the job himself and avoid all the fighting that would ensue. In Turkey there aren't any court cases as long and difficult as an inheritance case.
With this in mind, he wondered how he could divide his properties into equal portions. Some of his land parcels were larger and more valuable than the others. Some were fields and two parcels had houses on them. It wasn't a fortune but it was something. He had inherited some of the land from his father. Erol had 7 siblings and when his father's property was divided among them, it didn't leave very much for farming. Over his lifetime, Erol had acquired other properties, mostly when villagers died and children who had moved to the cities sold off the inheritance.
Erol knew that all the children wanted the biggest and best field. It would be a shame to sell it and have it go out of the family. But there seemed to be no other equitable way to divide the property. Erol decided to have everything sold, and after the taxes were paid each child would get an equal share.
So Erol went to a lawyer and had a will drawn up with all the details about how the properties would be sold and the money distributed. They then went to the notary and had everything recorded legally. In addition, Erol had had a physical and psychological exam to show that he was capable of creating such a will. Then Erol asked the lawyer to do something a little strange.
Erol said to the lawyer,
"I want you to take a video of me explaining how I want the property sold and the money divided between the kids. The will should carry the legal clout necessary to get the job done. But I know my children. They will say that someone coerced me or that the will is a fake. I want them to see me on film, explaining with my mouth how my estates should be liquidated."
The lawyer agreed and he videoed Erol explaining what he wanted to do with the properties.
Time passed, Erol died, and the children came to the village for the burial. But no sooner had the children arrived, they started arguing over who would get the large field. The oldest son Cem said,
"I heard dad say many times in the presence of my wife that he wanted me to have that field."
His wife confirmed what her husband said.
A daughter spoke up, "I know that daddy made a will. We need to find that will. Dad never said anything about giving the big field to Cem."
After the funeral the will was found at the lawyer's office. In spite of it being officially recorded by the municipality, Cem took the issue to court. He insisted that the other children forced his father to change the will and that it was not valid. Cem said to the judge,
"My father wanted me to have the big field. I am the oldest son and it belongs to me. My brothers and sisters must have coerced him when I wasn't around."
The dispute continued until the lawyer produced the video of Erol saying what he wanted done. The judge watched it and said,
"I have a written will in my hand sealed by a notary and witnessed by the lawyer. To claim that it was done under coercion or changed is just a big story (saçmalık). It isn't believable. You yourselves have seen the testimony of Erol Bey himself. What need have we of other evidence? The will stands as written. The properties will be sold and the net income distributed evenly among the children as Erol wanted. Case closed."
The issue in the court case was settled on the testimony of several witnesses: namely the notary and the lawyer. But the most
influential witness was the video that Erol had made. His testimony erased any doubt that he had been coerced into doing something he didn't want or that someone had changed his will. A lot of people have opinions or suspicions about certain aspects of the Bible. One of those is whether Jesus really died. But there really is no room for doubt on this subject because Jesus himself spoke about it on more than one occasion. Although his statements are recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, let's start by reading Mark chapter 8 verses 31 and 32:
31 And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke this word openly.
Up to this point in Jesus' ministry he had not told his disciples about his suffering and death. You remember that Jesus had told Nicodemus,
"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."63
Hundreds of years earlier when the Israelites were passing through the desert, snakes attacked them. In the midst of that dilemma, God commanded Moses to put a snake on a wooden pole and lift it up. Whoever looked at it would live. Likewise, the ones who did not look died. Jesus told Nicodemus that the Messiah, that is Jesus, would be lifted up in the same manner. This was actually the first time he hinted at his death. Those who looked to Jesus for healing would find it, even unto eternal life. But the disciples had not heard this conversation. They were still expecting that Jesus would set up a powerful kingdom here on earth and reign as a great king.
When Jesus told the disciples that he would suffer and die, Peter didn’t want to accept it. He wanted to protect his beloved teacher from harm. Let’s read Peter's words and Jesus' response in Matthew chapter 16 verses 22 and 23:
22 Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!" 23 But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."
Peter's words were not in harmony with the kingdom that Jesus had come to establish. Jesus came to establish a kingdom based
on self-sacrifice, which could only be realized through his own personal suffering.
In the wilderness, Satan tried to discourage Jesus from this mission with enticing words. He tried to convince Jesus that he could establish the kingdom without humiliation and suffering. Satan even offered to give Jesus all the kingdoms of this world. But there was a hitch. Jesus had to bow down and worship him. Of course, Jesus refused.
Once again, Jesus saw Satan’s attempt to hinder God’s plan. But this time Satan was craftier, he was working through Peter by capitalizing on his emotion and enticing him to speak out loud. Jesus' response was not directed at Peter as much as it was to Satan who had instigated him to speak. Peter's mind was on earthly glory and therefore was easily in uenced by Satan's suggestions. Let's continue reading the story in Mark chapter 8 verses 34-38:
34 When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 35 "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it. 36 "For what will it pro t a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? 37 "Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."
Jesus used the metaphor of the cross and spoke about losing your life for his sake. The cross was a symbol of Rome's power. It was the most cruel and humiliating death that man could imagine. Criminals were required to carry their own cross to the place of execution. After being tied or nailed to its beams, they were lifted up, and would sometimes hang for days until they slowly died. Therefore, when the cross was about to be placed on the convicted person's shoulders they would often resist with desperate violence.
But Jesus painted a different picture. He told the disciples that if they wanted to really follow him they must willingly take up the cross and bear it. He was calling them to a life of humiliation, even death if necessary, for his sake. A more complete picture of self- renunciation could not have been shown to the disciples.
Self-sacrificing love is the foundation of the kingdom of God. In God's plan, life is all about reciprocity. Everything gives and receives. Trees give us oxygen and recycle our carbon dioxide. We give love and receive trust and respect. But Satan challenged God's great order of the universe. He desired to receive and not give. This world is filled with the results of the outworking of this principle, the principle of the supremacy of self. People are mystified at the horrible crimes they read about in the newspaper.
"How could human beings do such cruel things?" they ask.
Crimes are simply the result of selfishness ruling the human heart. God is trying to reveal to all intelligent creatures His own character in contrast to the character of Satan. In the great controversy between Christ and Satan the question has arisen,
"Is there self-sacrifice with God?"
On the cross Jesus would demonstrate self-sacrificing love to every human being. How would he do that? Well he would not die for his own sin because Jesus was sinless. Do you remember Isaiah’s prophecy about the Messiah? It said,
"Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors."64
He who had no sin would bear other people’s sins and intercede on their behalf. If that isn't self-sacrificing love, what is? Where do you think he will do that? That is right, on the cross!
“Then is there no reward for the righteous?” some might ask.
Indeed there is. The righteous can look forward to the resurrection and eternal life. Of course we can’t fully understand what that eternal kingdom will be like, but we can imagine. Until then we will have to wait patiently. For now, the principles of the kingdom must be established in the hearts of all who will enter there. The disciples did not understand this and resisted it. The cross was before Jesus. He knew it and was headed that way. He did not want his disciples to lose their faith when it happened because it would be an almost indescribable disappointment.
The disciples, if they had known the scriptures, would have understood these things. But they had been blinded by the false teachings of the religious leaders. Let this be a lesson for us. Just because someone is a teacher does not mean they interpret the scriptures correctly. Just because someone has an opinion, whether traditional or modern, does not mean it is right. We must know the sacred writings for ourselves. In the great judgment, everyone will answer for himself or herself. You will not be able make an excuse for breaking God's law by saying,
"Our teachers told us we were not obligated to keep the law."
Every sheep hangs from its own leg!
In the Bible’s opening chapters, we see that the price for sin must be paid. It is a foundational truth upon which the whole Bible rests. Before Adam and Eve ever-sinned God warned them of the punishment for disobedience,
"But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."65
Sin carries the penalty of death. But interestingly, when Adam and Eve sinned and deserved death, there was also a promise of hope. God said that the seed of the woman (Eve) would crush Satan's head. If you look closely in the same verse, it also says that Satan would bruise the heel of the woman's seed.66 In other words, the savior’s victory would be at the expense of his suffering.
Abel offered sacrifice to God, as did Abraham and the other patriarchs. The entire system of worship that was given to the Israelites by God was based on sacrifices. These sacrifices made a direct correlation between sin and death. They taught that the penalty of sin is death and it must be paid. But who could pay it and live again? Only someone who was sinless himself and had no debt to pay. This is the only way he could be raised to life again. The scriptures have always pointed to a redeemer, savior, and sacrifice who would conquer death by coming back to life.
On Mt. Moriah God stopped Abraham from sacrificing his son. Abraham had told his son,
"My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering."67
And God did provide a substitute. A ram was caught in the thicket. When John the Baptist saw Jesus coming he said,
"Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" 68
Yes, Jesus would be the sacrificial lamb. He was the one all those sacrifices pointed to. He was the only sinless person who could ful ll the law's requirements. Do you remember what the prophet Daniel said about the Messiah? He said,
"And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself." 69
Yes, the Bible says that the Messiah would be "cut off".
The same words were used to describe the Messiah in Isaiah chapter 53 verses 8-10:
8 He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken. 9 And they made His grave with the wicked -- But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth. 10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.
We read the predictions in the Old Testament that a savior would come, suffer, and die for the sins that we have committed. He would be cut off from the land of the living and they would make his grave with the rich at his death. What could be plainer? The Messiah would offer his life as a sin offering.
Some people would like to doubt the testimony of so many witnesses just as Erol's children wanted to doubt the testimony of the lawyer and the notary. People think that the scriptures were changed. How does someone make changes to the prophet's writings when thousands of copies were in existence in at least three languages that we know of: Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek? These copies were spread out from India to Northern Africa and to Ireland. All of which agree 100% that Jesus would die and be raised up. Could someone change their copy of the scriptures and convince all the people who had copies of that scripture to go along with their ideas and change their documents as well? Not to mention that they would have to change the eyewitness accounts of everyone who witnessed Jesus' death. Like the judge in Erol's inheritance case said in regard to his will being changed:
"It is just a story. It isn't believable."
It also isn't believable that all those copies of the scriptures were changed to suit the doctrinal ideas of a few and that they were able to deceive all the people into thinking that theirs were the originals. It just isn't possible. When the children in our story doubted the authenticity of the witnesses, the judge allowed Erol himself to speak. After his testimony there was no doubt. Jesus said very plainly to his disciples,
"The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And after He is killed, He will rise the third day."70
Could he have spoken more clearly? Jesus did not say that he would appear to be killed. He said he would be killed. He said it himself. What need do we have for other witnesses?
Dilara was 17 years old, always on the honor roll at school, and a lover of animals. When it was time for her to go to college, her father Necat wanted to offer a sacrifice to protect his daughter from any potential evil and to secure her success.
Dilara's father brought the animal home and tied it up to a fence in the yard. When Dilara looked at the sheep, her heart melted at the thought of killing it. Throughout her whole life when sacrifices were made she tried to stay a good distance away from the actual killing. But this time she was expected to be there.
The time came and they went to Dilara's uncle's house where there was a pen, drain, and water hose.
"Daddy, why don't we just give it away as a gift instead of killing it?" asked Dilara.
Her father looked at her questioningly.
"Dilara, how can you have a sacrifice without killing the animal? That is the whole purpose of the sacrifice. It is to kill the animal."
Dilara looked at her father with sad eyes. Necat said,
"Is there a marriage without the engagement? Is there a circumcision party without the circumcision?"
Is there salvation without the payment of the sin penalty? Can there be a savior without sacrifice? The whole purpose was for Jesus to come and die. Otherwise it defeats the meaning and foreshadowing of all the sacrifices beforehand. We can know that Jesus died because the Old Testament prophets predicted it. Then Jesus himself said it would happen. Is it important? If Jesus didn't die on that cross then the sin penalty was not paid and every human has to suffer his/her natural fate and pay the penalty for his/her own sin, death without resurrection. But there is great news. Jesus didn't just say he would die. He said he would rise from the dead. He would overcome death and the grave, so that when we die there can be a resurrection. What could be better news?
Discussion Questions
1. Why did Erol go to a lawyer to establish a written and legal will? Why didn't he just tell the children what he wanted and leave the
matter in their hands?
2. Why did Erol's oldest son deny the validity of the will?
3. Why do you think someone would want to deny the witnesses concerning Jesus' dying on a cross?
4. When Jesus said that those who would save their life would lose it, what do you think he meant?
5. Are you ready to lose your life for Jesus' sake?
63 John 3:14, 15
64 Isaiah 53:12
65 Genesis 2:17
66 Genesis 3:15
67 Genesis 22:18
68 John 1:29
69 Daniel 9:26
70 Mark 9:31