SEEKING JESUS

Read my amazing true life story about how the forces of good and evil battle for my life and the vision that God has given me. My book, “Possess the Vision,” communicates my supernatural experiences and as a result, provides insight into the realm of the spiritual warfare that is raging for our souls and our purpose. This is a must read for all Christians. Learn more by following this link: Possess-the-Vision-at-Amazon

The Book Cover

Jesus is Victorious on the Cross

This posting is designed to demonstrate how the life and words of Jesus demonstrate that He is the fulfillment of the Golden Altar of Incense found in the Tabernacles Holy Place. If you have not had the opportunity to review our prior postings you may find it desirable to view the following summary: Jesus-Is-The-Golden-Altar-Of-Incense. With that out of the way we can now dig into the subject of this posting.

The spiritual warfare waged between Jesus and the religious leaders of His day culminated when Jesus freely gave up His life on the cross. While it is difficult to understand, this sacrifice of the sinless Son of God was the spiritual sacrifice required to restore what man had lost with the fall of Adam. For Adam had been deceived by the devil into disobeying God and lost his dominion over the earth and his relationship with God.

Adam and Eve in the Garden

The devil being victorious in spiritual warfare took dominion over the earth and everything in it, including man. The following passage from Paul may help clarify this a bit:

For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned; (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)  Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous. Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Rom 5:6-21)

Jesus on the Cross

In other words, men would no longer have to live under the dominion of Satan because Jesus, our advocate, defeated Satan at the cross. His victory in spiritual warfare came from living without sin and not succumbing to the temptation of evil, even in the face of a cruel and painful death. For one sinned and all fell into bondage to the devil, and one died in righteousness so that all could live free inside the loving grace of God. Even those who died prior to the life of Jesus were saved:

But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.” (Now this, “He ascended”; what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? (Ephesians 4:7-9)

That is correct; Jesus went into Hell to set the captives free, as the following passage communicates:

And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. (Matthew 27:50-53)

The Adoration of the Trinity by Albrecht Durer - 1511

Talk about a victory of spiritual warfare! The dead in Hell were raised and appeared to the living. The spiritual victory of Jesus over evil was total. It even included the salvation of the righteous dead. Jesus has all power and authority over the devil, hell and the Lake of Fire and Brimstone. He has power and authority over everything. He is our Golden Altar through which our prayers are transferred to our loving Father in heaven. It is through Jesus and His Holy Spirit that we become empowered for spiritual warfare.

As we have communicated previously, the Golden Altar and all of the other objects inside the Holy Place of the Tabernacle are places of prayer. In our next posting we will look at the prayers of Jesus that enabled this and other victories over evil. Additionally, we will open the subject of how His victory empowers us in ministry.

Until then, may God’s blessings be upon you.