Tag Archives: the fall of mankind

The Journey to Death

Posted on April 15, 2021 by expressyourself4him

On any given day on earth, 360,000 children are born while 151,600 individuals pass away. As one journey begins, many others come to an end, often without a warning. While Jesus spoke of his destiny of dying on a cross, his disciples didn’t believe him. These 12 men pictured Jesus as an earthly king of the Jews, about to come to power shortly after Palm Sunday. When this didn’t happen as imagined, Peter was devastated, returning to his life as a fisherman, John 21:1-6.

And those who passed by kept reviling Him and reproaching Him abusively in harsh and insolent language, wagging their heads and saying, Aha! You Who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30 Now rescue Yourself [from death], coming down from the cross! – Mark 15:29-30.

In Jesus’ final hours on a cross, most of the people who stopped by criticized and mocked him. Luke’s account includes words spoken by the criminals hanging on either side of Jesus. One of these criminals was selfish, wanting Jesus to save himself before saving him as well. The other criminal was humble, feeling unworthy, pointing out that Jesus had done nothing wrong. Touched by this man’s words, Jesus spoke of paradise, a place beyond death.

So also the chief priests, with the scribes, made sport of Him to one another, saying, He rescued others [from death]; Himself He is unable to rescue. 32 Let the Christ (the Messiah), the King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see [it] and trust in and rely on Him and adhere to Him! Those who were crucified with Him also reviled and reproached Him [speaking abusively, harshly, and insolently], Mark 15:31-32.

There are 48 verses in the Bible that reference Jesus’ death. Meanwhile, 11 Old Testament prophecies point to Jesus’ necessary journey to death. Due to Adam and Eve’s original sin, the fall of mankind, a second Adam was necessary to seek and to save that which was lost, Luke 19:10. This is what the apostle Paul refers to in Romans 5:12-14. This is what the Bible means by Jesus’ journey to the cross to fulfill God’s will. Rejoice in this completed mission, especially since Easter Sunday has now passed.

by Jay Mankus

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Evil Functions Best When No One Believes in It

Posted on July 20, 2020 by expressyourself4him

According to the Bible, a crafty serpent brought evil to the earth, Genesis 3:1-7. The oldest recorded book describes a fallen angel who roams throughout the earth, Job 1:6-9. An Old Testament prophet writes about the day Lucifer was kicked out of heaven, Isaiah 14:12-15. Another prophet highlights the beauty of this anointed cherub prior to his fall from grace, Ezekiel 28:13-15. As time goes by, more and more residents of earth refer to Lucifer or Satan as a fairy tale, a fictional character or part of mythology.

You believe that God is one; you do well. So do the demons believe and shudder [in terror and horror such as make a man’s hair stand on end and contract the surface of his skin]! – James 2:19

As long as the source of evil in the Bible remains merely a figment of your imagination, this is the way the Devil likes it and wants it to be. When good things happen in life, most people credit accomplishments, blessings and rewards as a sign of hard work. However, when bad things develop in the form of defeat, hardships and trials, questions are raised upward toward God. The more people blame God for their problems on earth, evil functions best, disguised by ungodly beliefs.

But He gives us more and more grace (power of the Holy Spirit, to meet this evil tendency and all others fully). That is why He says, God sets Himself against the proud and haughty, but gives grace [continually] to the lowly (those who are humble enough to receive it). 7 So be subject to God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him], and he will flee from you, James 4:6-7.

Since the fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden, all human being are born into a sinful nature. The earthly brother of Jesus refers to this inner desire as an evil tendency. The apostle Paul devotes an entire chapter to this internal tug of war, Romans 7:15-18. Unless you become open to the power of the Holy Spirit via a personal relationship with Jesus, Romans 10:9-10, evil will continue to ravage souls. Part of any spiritual awakening involves recognizing the bad, evil and sinful habits within you. Until evil is associated with the Devil, powers of darkness will continue to fly under the radar.

by Jay Mankus

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