Questions to Consider...

...Where did sin originate?
...What other reason might God have for choosing to die for Sin?
...And what besides Man needed cleansing from the stain of Sin?
...What relevance to heavenly architecture did both Moses'
        tabernacle, and the Temples on Mount Moriah have?
...When Jesus said, "It is finished," what specifically was finished?
...Were our sins wiped clean at that moment? At the Cross?
        or somewhere else?
...Why did He say to Mary outside the Tomb, "Do not touch me"?
...How does all this speak of Jesus' purpose in putting on human
        flesh?

Where did sin originate? Many will immediately shout, "the Garden of Eden!" Some would be more specific and shout out, "they ate what they shouldn't've!" And they would all be wrong. Sin did not originate with Eve, as some would say, or Adam, as yet others would say.

So where did Sin originate? Anyone?

Very good! Yes, Sin originated with Satan.

How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

Isaiah 14:12-14

Heaven was stained with sin long before Adam "ate what he shouldn't've." Think about that... there was sin in Heaven, before the very throne of God, BEFORE the event that cast Man out of the garden.

So why is this important? Well, let's look at the next question.

What other reason might God have for choosing to die for Sin? Everyone knows, or should know, that God's primary purpose [in terms of what was most needful for mankind] in taking on mortal flesh and allowing Himself to be killed was so that His blood could redeem mankind. Redeem... to buy back. But there was another equally important reason for Christ to die, and that was to redeem the heavens as well. To restore to pristine holiness ALL of God's creation. Man's sin alone was not all that needed cleansing. The heavens needed cleansing... NEED cleansing. Earth needs cleansing... And that is still to come.

How many reading this know that the Wilderness Tabernacle of Moses, as well as both Temples of Old Testament history are the exact likenesses of heavenly architecture? What existed in the Tabernacle and Temples had a duplicate in heaven. The point being, just as the High Priest had to enter the Holy of Holies once a year to sprinkle blood upon the mercy seat for the remission of Israel's sins, so too did the Holy of Holies in heaven require the sprinkling of blood.

Ask yourself, "When the High Priest kills the sacrifice upon the altar, is that where the process ends?" Of course not. As I just pointed out, the blood must be sprinkled upon the mercy seat... THAT is where the transaction is made. Not upon the altar. The Altar is where sacrifice is made, but not where transaction is made. So when Jesus said, "It is finished," what specifically was finished? Everything His mortal flesh was destined to do; namely, to die upon a Roman cross. The Sacrifice was made, and all the minutiae prophecy had laid out.

But what about Salvation? Were our sins wiped clean at that moment? At the Cross? Or somewhere else? The answer, in a nutshell, is "No." Our sins were not wiped clean at THAT moment... upon the cross. Mechanically speaking; they were as good as wiped clean, but one bit of work yet remained. Where our sins were finally wiped clean was in heaven itself before the throne of God.

Jesus said to Mary Magdalene on the morning of His resurrection,

Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

--John 20:17

Later that same day Jesus invited His disciples to touch Him and assure themselves that He was indeed alive, and not an apparition. So why tell Mary not to touch Him, but hours later invite touching?

...for I am not yet ascended to my Father...

Why is this significant?

The significance lies in the role of the High Priest. As High Priest, Jesus had to remain unstained by sin between the altar [the Cross] and the Holy of Holies [before the throne of God in heaven]. Just as Caiaphas was to cleanse and robe himself in special garments and remain "clean" of anything that defiles, so too had Jesus-- OUR High Priest.

Caiaphas, on the way to the Holy of Holies after having made the sacrifice, could never have entered in if anything unclean touched him in transit. He would have had to start all over again. Naturally, no one "unclean" would have been present in the Temple to disrupt the High Priest's highest order of business. Jesus therefore warned Mary Magdalene not to touch Him; He had not yet ascended to His father... to sprinkled the blood of His sacrifice upon the Mercy Seat of God in heaven. For that is where the transaction was to be made.

When Jesus finished the work of His sacrifice, he bought redemption not only for mankind, but for the heavens... the universe... and the earth as well. God is in the business of restoration. So when you look ahead to what you believe is in store for us as believers in the world to come, remember this: Heaven is not some pie in the sky destination. It is right here on earth. God's throne will be here on earth. He will live here with us. This world will be restored to what it was before Satan coerced Eve to eat, and Eve coerced Adam to sin. The world was perfect then, and God called it good. It will be good again.

Heaven will not be ethereal. It will be tangible. And perfect. Redeemed... bought back... and restored to its original glory. As will Man. You, me, and everyone else who has relied upon Jesus alone for salvation.

He is coming soon. Take a good look at yourself and consider your end. Everyone has sinned, everyone needs a savior. If you have not trusted the Lord for salvation, I urge you to do it now. No one is promised tomorrow. All you have to do, in your own words, is admit to God that you are a sinner and that you cannot save yourself. Tell Him you believe Jesus died for your sins, and that you believe He rose again. You know what you've done in your flesh... he knows too. Just be honest with Him. Then find yourself a Bible believing church. Pray to Him everyday and read His word, and do the things it tells you. Do THAT and you'll grow strong in your walk with God. Your life will not be without conflict or trial; the world will not suddenly love you, but you will be saved and spared the judgments that are coming very soon.

And in a day to come we will meet in the Golden City. The New Jerusalem.


UPDATE: Additions & Clarifications, Monday April 21, 2008

It is true that the blood holds paramount importance to the salvation of believers. Applied to the hearts of sinners, the blood of Jesus/God cleanses even the very blackest of souls of every sin; past, present, and future. But there is another reason for the blood.

The blood of the lamb was not just for the people of Israel who, having sacrificed their lambs and painted their lintels and posts with its blood, and staying IN-doors, could not see the blood-- it was on the outside! Yes, the blood was there to spare them the judgment of God, but the blood was there for another equally important reason.

And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.

--Exodus 12:13

"When I see the blood..." The blood was for a token for God to see. And this token was free to anyone who chose to accept it. More than a few Egyptians ALSO performed the sacrifice and painted their lintels and posts with the blood of unblemished lambs, roasting it indoors [rather than boiling, as Egyptians were wont to do], and eating it all while shod and ready to move.

This is a picture of what Christ did for us. God gave the Israelites the Passover and Jesus gave Christians Communion; same ritual, yet perfected in the Last Supper. But there is something deeper here as well.

"...when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.

The blood of Christ protects us from the plagues that are coming to this earth. God does not allow His people, the righteous, to suffer when he judges the nations; He spared Noah and his family; He spared Lot and his family. Likewise also He will spare us, as promised, from the judgments of the Tribulation.

Look up. Be ready. He is coming very very soon.