THE ETERNAL PURPOSE OF GOD
Jesus explained to some disciples after his death and resurrection that the Scriptures had foretold these very things. “And he said to them, These are the things which I told you about, while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled. The things which were written in the Law of Moses, and in the Prophets, and in the Psalms concerning me had to be fulfilled. Then he opened their understanding so they could understand the scriptures. And he said to them, It was written just as it happened, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day” (Lk. 24:44-46).
The Bible is a book about the cross from beginning to end. The fact that Jesus would suffer for the sins of his people was something which the prophets had foretold repeatedly. The emphasis of both the Old and New Testaments is the cross of Christ.
Some say that Jesus came to establish an earthly kingdom but wound up dying on a cross. That is not true. To uphold this theory, some even claim that the Old Testament prophets did not foretell his sufferings because, if they did, then it must be admitted that Jesus came to die for our sins, not to set up an earthly kingdom. But they certainly did predict his sufferings.
The Old Testament foretold the death of Christ (Isa. 53:6-10; Dan. 9:26; Zech. 13:7). God had foreordained that Christ would die, and so it was always in the plan of God (Isa. 53:6,10; Acts 2:23). Man’s redemption required a sacrifice, and the death of Christ was the only sacrifice which was or could have been sufficient (Matt. 20:28; Lk. 24:46; Acts 17:3; John 10:17-18). God accepted Christ’s payment for our sins, and this is how we know we are saved (Matt. 20:28; Rom. 5:8-10; Eph. 5:2; Rom. 4:25; 1 Thess. 5:10).
Jesus himself predicted his own death on the cross (Matt. 20:18-19; John 12:32-33). As believers we should recognize that his entrance into the world was for the purpose of dying as a sacrifice for sins. He was literally born to die. He did not come to establish an earthly kingdom and never wanted to establish an earthly kingdom. He still does not want to establish an earthly kingdom and never will.
By simply accepting the fact that the cross is taught from Genesis to Revelation, we will be able to understand that mankind’s salvation from sin has been God’s plan all along. Those who would teach or imply that the cross was an afterthought or an accident are dead wrong. Many believe that Christ intended to set up an earthly throne, but was rejected by the Jews and died on a cross. But the Bible teaches that the cross of Christ was the eternal purpose of God (Eph. 3:11).
Dewayne Dunaway
