Resurrection Life of Jesus Church

ATTRIBUTES OF GOD
Love is an attribute of God and the core aspect of His character. It defines who He is and what causes Him to judge sin at the other end of the spectrum. The attributes of love, holiness, righteousness, justice, and wrath are in harmony with each other.

This is an important distinction because if God only focused on love, then an evil unrepentant man like Adolf Hitler would have nothing to worry about and would be just as welcome in heaven as John the Baptist.

Conversely, if God focused solely on wrath and punished us every time we did something wrong, none of us would stand a chance, because we sin every day. There would be no hope of heaven.

Our heavenly Father looks upon humanity as a parent. He loves us unconditionally and disciplines us when necessary because He doesn’t tolerate sin. Psalm 103:8-14

It is important to note that God does not force Himself on anyone. The God-man could have overpowered everyone He met. What would that have accomplished? Certainly, it would have provided proof that He was the Kabbalistic messiah. No, He went about doing good and living humbly, patiently waiting for the time when He would fulfill His destiny and painfully redeem mankind on the cross.

A WARNING
God warned the prophet Ezekiel what He was going to do to His chosen people who sinned willfully, loved the rebellion, and refused to repent. Ezekiel 7:1-9

When Lucifer rebelled against God and fomented a war to dethrone God in eternity past, Michael the archangel was commissioned to lead an army that defeated Lucifer and subdued his forces. Revelation 12:7-12

The wrath of God was kindled against Lucifer and his fallen angels to the point that the Lord created a special place of torment known as the Lake of Fire. This is where Lucifer and his minions will spend eternity. Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10

This is also the destination for humans who failed to place their faith in the Messiah prior to the cross (Old Testament) and after the cross (New Testament). Anyone down through the ages that did not repent will suffer the same fate. verses 11-15

WRATH OF GOD
Sin was the far-reaching consequence of mankind when Adam and Eve rebelled against Jesus in the Garden of Eden. Romans 3:23

The human race is under the wrath of God. Fortunately, the Godhead opened a way for mankind to avoid His wrath when God the Son agreed to be incarnated and pay for our sins with His holy and precious blood. 2 Corinthians 5:17-19

It costs us nothing, but God the Father had to watch God the Son mocked, scourged, and crucified. Once the God-man was nailed to the cross, God the Father transferred every sin from Adam to the last man onto Jesus.

Jesus never sinned, but He was made sinful by God the Father, to become the vilest person on earth. Then God the Father judged God the Son and released His full wrath while Jesus hung on the cross. verses 20-21

DARKNESS AT NOON
In order to hide the horrific punishment being meted out, the sun was supernaturally blocked off over Jesus and Judea became pitch black at noon. Matthew 27:45; Mark 15:33; Luke 23:44-45a

This unnatural darkness was prophesied by Amos:

“And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord GOD, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day.” (Amos 8:9)

The Light of the world hung on the cross and then there was an unnatural, miraculous darkness in the middle of the day. Such an event should have made everyone in attendance take note that something odd was going on. John 1:4-5, 9-10

God was in the process of proving His righteousness, having been accused by Lucifer at his trial. The sin debt of mankind had to be settled since Lucifer and his minions are paying for their own sins. Romans 3:20-26

The immense suffering Jesus endured when He was scourged and crucified was nothing in comparison to the wrath poured out while hanging from the cross.

God the Father’s pent-up fury at sin slammed into God the Son like a spiritual freight train and the onslaught lasted for three hours until the divine wrath was expended.

Jesus would not have survived this onslaught if He was a mere mortal.

The God-man cried out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” when God the Father severed the communication link between the two due to sin. Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34

“To the chief Musician upon Aijeleth Shahar, A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?” (Psalms 22:1)

Jesus took our place and redeemed us from the curse of the Mosaic law.
“Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.” (Galatians 3:13)

“And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree:

His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.” (Deuteronomy 21:22-23)

The onlookers thought Jesus was crying out for Elijah, who was expected to appear as the forerunner of the Messiah. It certainly wasn’t the Roman soldiers, who were ignorant of Elias, but it was a continuation of the ridicule for the man who stubbornly kept the pretense of being the Messiah, or so they thought. Matthew 27:47; Mark 15:35

Jesus had already confided to the disciples that John the Baptist was Elias. Matthew 17:10-13

The prophetic words of Jesus continued to be fulfilled.

“…the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death,

And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.” (Matthew 20:18-19)