Imagine that the president of the United States is raising a teenage girl, and she's a friend of the family who was orphaned. She's a sweet girl and he would like to adopt her because he loves her as his own daughter.

While traveling overseas on vacation with friends, she's captured by a rebel nation who hates America. The rebels brainwash her and force her to commit crimes, and their goal is to hurt the president as much as possible.

The president's adult son makes an offer to the president that he will give his life to the rebels as a ransom (even though the rebels never demanded a ransom), and the president accepts this offer and gives his son to the rebels. This is the president's only child, who happens to be a high-ranking military officer, so the rebels are ecstatic to have him as their prisoner in order to humiliate and execute him. They set the girl free and torture and execute the son.

However, the girl is a victim of Stockholm syndrome , so she has developed a psychological alliance with the rebels and continues to commit crimes with them even though she's no longer their prisoner. When the president learns that she will single-handedly carry out a mass bombing attack on civilians in America, he has no choice but to order her stopped by any means necessary, even if it results in her death. That's not what he wants, but he has no other options.

Before the attack she has a change of heart, and she turns herself in to the authorities and agrees to use her knowledge of the rebels to help fight them. When the president's advisors and military leaders are convinced that her repentance and willingness to help are genuine, the president grants her a full pardon and adopts her as his daughter.

• The devil rules his own kingdom, and he took the human race captive to do his bidding. Through Adam's sin, the devil usurped control over the world.

• As the devil's captives, the human race became slaves to sin.

• The devil did not demand a ransom. However, Jesus made an offer to the Father that He would lay down His life by giving it to the devil as a ransom so that humans would be set free from the devil's domain, and the Father accepted this offer:

  "just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:28)
  
  "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." (John 3:16-17)
  [Notice that God the Father gave His Son and sent His Son to be a ransom, just as in the above illustration.]
  
  "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." (John 10:11)
  
  "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me - just as the Father knows me and I know the Father - and lay down my life for the sheep." (John 10:14-15)
  
  "The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life - only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father." (John 10:17-18)
  [Notice that Jesus was not forced or required to lay down His life, so no one demanded a ransom. He made the offer of His own accord to the Father, who accepted the offer and gave the commandment sending Jesus into the world to be a ransom as in John 3:16-17, above.]
  
  "He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all - how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?" (Romans 8:32)
  [Again, God the Father accepted Jesus' offer and sent Jesus into the world to be a ransom.]
  
  "Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father" (Galatians 1:3-4)
  [Again, God the Father accepted Jesus' offer and sent Jesus into the world to be a ransom.]
  
  "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)
  
  "and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." (Ephesians 5:2)
  [Our sacrifices are fragrant offerings to God (Romans 12:1, Philippians 4:18, Hebrews 13:16).]
  
  "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word" (Ephesians 5:25-26)
  
  "For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time." (1 Timothy 2:5-6)
  
  "while we wait for the blessed hope - the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good." (Titus 2:13-14)
  
  "The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance - now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant." (Hebrews 9:13-15)
  [Again, Jesus was not forced or required to lay down His life, so no one demanded a ransom. He made the offer of His own accord to the Father, who accepted the offer and sent Jesus into the world to be a ransom.]

  As the above passages show, we're told that Jesus voluntarily laid down His life and gave His life and offered His life to ransom us. We're also told that the Father gave His Son and sent His Son to be a ransom. Jesus was not forced or required in any way to give Himself to ransom us because we're told that He offered Himself of His own accord, so there was no ransom demand by anyone. The devil would have been ecstatic to accept this ransom because being able to humiliate Jesus and put Him to death would have appeared to be the best way for the devil to hurt God. Jesus was our Ransom, not our Substitute.

• God was not holding humans captive, so He did not want or need a ransom; the devil is the one who held us captive and agreed to a ransom.

• The human race has been set free from captivity to the devil, but most people are still brainwashed to be enemies of God, even though they don't realize it. They're committing crimes against God, and those crimes will be punished in due time unless they receive salvation. Either we take the punishment ourselves and have eternal death, or we receive salvation (forgiveness of our sins) through Jesus and have eternal life.

• When people turn to Jesus as their Savior (i.e., they have a change of heart toward Jesus, which is the meaning of the word "repentance") then they receive salvation, which means that they receive a full pardon for all of their sins and they're adopted into God's family. This is how people are allowed into heaven. To learn exactly how to receive salvation and be allowed into heaven, and how to have the assurance of your salvation, see my article called How to Receive Salvation.

"God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?" (Numbers 23:19)

"By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear." (Isaiah 45:23)

"Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." (2 Peter 1:20-21)

"One day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them. The LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?" Satan answered the LORD, "From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it." Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil." "Does Job fear God for nothing?" Satan replied. "Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face." The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger." Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD." (Job 1:6-12)

"On another day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them to present himself before him. And the LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?" Satan answered the LORD, "From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it." Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason." "Skin for skin!" Satan replied. "A man will give all he has for his own life. But now stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face." The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life."" (Job 2:1-6)

"Micaiah continued, "Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne with all the multitudes of heaven standing around him on his right and on his left. And the LORD said, 'Who will entice Ahab into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?' "One suggested this, and another that. Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the LORD and said, 'I will entice him.' "'By what means?' the LORD asked. "'I will go out and be a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,' he said. "'You will succeed in enticing him,' said the LORD. 'Go and do it.' "So now the LORD has put a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours. The LORD has decreed disaster for you."" (1 Kings 22:19-23)

"Now the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him. Saul's attendants said to him, "See, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you." (1 Samuel 16:14-15)

"The next day an evil spirit from God came forcefully on Saul. He was prophesying in his house, while David was playing the lyre, as he usually did. Saul had a spear in his hand" (1 Samuel 18:10)

"But an evil spirit from the LORD came on Saul as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand. While David was playing the lyre" (1 Samuel 19:9)

"The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you reside in my land as foreigners and strangers. Throughout the land that you hold as a possession, you must provide for the redemption of the land. If one of your fellow Israelites becomes poor and sells some of their property, their nearest relative is to come and redeem what they have sold." (Leviticus 25:23-25)

"Then God said, "Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground."" (Genesis 1:26-28)

"If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand?" (Matthew 12:26)

"The devil led him [Jesus] up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me [Jesus didn't deny this], and I can give it to anyone I want to. So if you worship me, it will all be yours." Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'"" (Luke 4:5-8)

"I [Jesus] will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me" (John 14:30)

"The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." (2 Corinthians 4:4)

"As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient." (Ephesians 2:1-2)

"For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves" (Colossians 1:13)

"Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death - that is, the devil - and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death." (Hebrews 2:14-15)

"We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one." (1 John 5:19)

"The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die."" (Genesis 2:15-17)

"Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'" "You will not certainly die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves." (Genesis 3:1-7)

"So the LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." To the woman he said, "I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you." To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat from it,' Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return."" (Genesis 3:14-19)

"And the LORD God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever." So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life." (Genesis 3:22-24)

"See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob." (Deuteronomy 30:15-20)

"And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner." (1 Timothy 2:14)

"Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come. But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous." (Romans 5:14-19)

"For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive." (1 Corinthians 15:22)

"Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread." Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone.'" The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. If you worship me, it will all be yours." Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'" The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down from here. For it is written: 'He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.' Jesus answered, "It is said: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time." (Luke 4:1-13)

"For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone." (Psalm 91:11-12)

"For who knows a person's thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit." (1 Corinthians 2:11-14)

• Jesus said that God deliberately hides information from some people:

  "At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children."" (Matthew 11:25)

• Jesus said that knowledge of the Father and of the Son is deliberately hidden from some people:

  "All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." (Matthew 11:27)

• While Jesus was training the apostles, they didn't always understand what He meant because the information was deliberately hidden from them:

  ""Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you: The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men." But they did not understand what this meant. It was hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it, and they were afraid to ask him about it." (Luke 9:44-45)
  
  ""He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again." The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about." (Luke 18:32-34)

  After Jesus was resurrected, He opened their minds so that they could understand what He had told them earlier:

  "He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms." Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures." (Luke 24:44-45)

  This is an example of God deliberately hiding information until the proper time.

• The prophet Daniel was given visions and information concerning the end-times, but he didn't understand them. Instead of explaining all of the prophecies, the angel told Daniel that some of the information will be hidden until the time of the end:

  "I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, "My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?" He replied, "Go your way, Daniel, because the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end."" (Daniel 12:8-9 NKJV)

  Once again we see God deliberately hiding information until the proper time. We're now living in "the time of the end" (Daniel 12:8-9, above), and the understanding of the prophecies that were given to Daniel (and given elsewhere in the Bible) is no longer hidden by being "closed up and sealed" because many of those prophecies are being fulfilled right in front our eyes (see my article called End-Times Prophecies Are Coming to Pass Right before Our Eyes).

• Many people assume that Jesus spoke in parables in order to make spiritual truths easy for the common person to understand. However, this is a wrong assumption. Jesus specifically said that He spoke in parables so that people would not understand His meaning. It was God's purpose to deliberately hide information so that only those who had "ears to hear" would be able to understand Jesus' parables:

  ""Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown." When he said this, he called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." His disciples asked him what this parable meant. He said, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, 'though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.'"" (Luke 8:8-10)

  The purpose of Jesus' parables was so that spiritual truths would be clear to some people but would be hidden from other people.
  
  In addition to parables, the Bible is also filled with other forms of figurative speech (similes, metaphors, personifications, hyperbole, allusions, symbolism, etc.) that can obscure meanings and require interpretation:

  "Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father." (John 16:25)
  
  "Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them." (John 10:6)
  
  "These things are being taken figuratively: The women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar." (Galatians 4:24)

  Here we see God deliberately hiding spiritual truths through the use of parables and other figurative language.

"Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him. He asked them, "What are you discussing together as you walk along?" They stood still, their faces downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, "Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?" "What things?" he asked. "About Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning but didn't find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus." He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself." (Luke 24:13-27)

"He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms." Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures." (Luke 24:44-45)

"and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you - even Jesus. Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. For Moses said, 'The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from their people.' Indeed, beginning with Samuel, all the prophets who have spoken have foretold these days. And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, 'Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.'" (Acts 3:20-25)

"All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name." (Acts 10:43)

"As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. "This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah," he said." (Acts 17:2-3)

"But God has helped me to this very day; so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen - that the Messiah would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would bring the message of light to his own people and to the Gentiles." (Acts 26:22-23)

"Now to him who is able to establish you in accordance with my gospel, the message I proclaim about Jesus Christ, in keeping with the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from faith" (Romans 16:25-26)

"We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we declare God's wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." (1 Corinthians 2:6-8)

"In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment - to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ." (Ephesians 1:7-10)

"For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles - Surely you have heard about the administration of God's grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of his power. Although I am less than the least of all the Lord's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Ephesians 3:1-11)

"I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness - the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord's people." (Colossians 1:25-26)

"Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things." (1 Peter 1:10-12)

"His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. "We are your slaves," they said. But Joseph said to them, "Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives."" (Genesis 50:18-20)

"Moses said to the LORD, "Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue." The LORD said to him, "Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say." But Moses said, "Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else." Then the LORD's anger burned against Moses and he said, "What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and he will be glad to see you. You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him."" (Exodus 4:10-16)

"This is what the LORD says - your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb: I am the LORD, the Maker of all things, who stretches out the heavens, who spreads out the earth by myself, who foils the signs of false prophets and makes fools of diviners, who overthrows the learning of the wise and turns it into nonsense, who carries out the words of his servants and fulfills the predictions of his messengers, who says of Jerusalem, 'It shall be inhabited,' of the towns of Judah, 'They shall be rebuilt,' and of their ruins, 'I will restore them,' who says to the watery deep, 'Be dry, and I will dry up your streams,' who says of Cyrus, 'He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please; he will say of Jerusalem, "Let it be rebuilt," and of the temple, "Let its foundations be laid."'" (Isaiah 44:24-28)

""For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."" (Isaiah 55:8-11)

"From the time your ancestors left Egypt until now, day after day, again and again I sent you my servants the prophets." (Jeremiah 7:25)

"And though the LORD has sent all his servants the prophets to you again and again, you have not listened or paid any attention." (Jeremiah 25:4)

"The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been determined must take place." (Daniel 11:36)

"When a trumpet sounds in a city, do not the people tremble? When disaster comes to a city, has not the LORD caused it? Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets." (Amos 3:6-7)

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished." (Matthew 5:17-18)

"I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done - by the power of signs and wonders, through the power of the Spirit of God. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ." (Romans 15:18-19)

"But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets." (Revelation 10:7)

"Then the angel said to me, "The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages. The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to hand over to the beast their royal authority, until God's words are fulfilled."" (Revelation 17:15-17)

"The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, "This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat. The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast. Do not eat the meat raw or boiled in water, but roast it over a fire - with the head, legs and internal organs. Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it. This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the LORD's Passover. On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt."" (Exodus 12:1-13)

"For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life. Therefore I say to the Israelites, "None of you may eat blood, nor may any foreigner residing among you eat blood. Any Israelite or any foreigner residing among you who hunts any animal or bird that may be eaten must drain out the blood and cover it with earth, because the life of every creature is its blood. That is why I have said to the Israelites, "You must not eat the blood of any creature, because the life of every creature is its blood; anyone who eats it must be cut off.""" (Leviticus 17:11-14)

"This is how Aaron is to enter the Most Holy Place:...Aaron is to offer the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household...He is to cast lots for the two goats - one lot for the LORD and the other for the scapegoat. Aaron shall bring the goat whose lot falls to the LORD and sacrifice it for a sin offering. But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD to be used for making atonement by sending it into the wilderness as a scapegoat...He is to take some of the bull's blood and with his finger sprinkle it on the front of the atonement cover; then he shall sprinkle some of it with his finger seven times before the atonement cover. He shall then slaughter the goat for the sin offering for the people and take its blood behind the curtain and do with it as he did with the bull's blood: He shall sprinkle it on the atonement cover and in front of it. In this way he will make atonement for the Most Holy Place because of the uncleanness and rebellion of the Israelites, whatever their sins have been...He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites - all their sins - and put them on the goat's head. He shall send the goat away into the wilderness in the care of someone appointed for the task. The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a remote place; and the man shall release it in the wilderness." (Leviticus 16:3-22)

"The name of a supernatural being mentioned in connection with the ritual of the Day of Atonement (Lev. xvi.). After Satan, for whom he was in some degree a preparation, Azazel enjoys the distinction of being the most mysterious extrahuman character in sacred literature...Far from involving the recognition of Azazel as a deity, the sending of the goat was, as stated by Nahmanides, a symbolic expression of the idea that the people's sins and their evil consequences were to be sent back to the spirit of desolation and ruin, the source of all impurity. The very fact that the two goats were presented before Yhwh before the one was sacrificed and the other sent into the wilderness, was proof that Azazel was not ranked with Yhwh, but regarded simply as the personification of wickedness in contrast with the righteous government of Yhwh." (Jewish Encyclopedia )

"If any member of the community sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the LORD's commands, when they realize their guilt and the sin they have committed becomes known, they must bring as their offering for the sin they committed a female goat without defect. They are to lay their hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it at the place of the burnt offering. Then the priest is to take some of the blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. They shall remove all the fat, just as the fat is removed from the fellowship offering, and the priest shall burn it on the altar as an aroma pleasing to the LORD. In this way the priest will make atonement for them, and they will be forgiven." (Leviticus 4:27-31)

"What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?" (Romans 6:1-2)

"Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his." (Romans 6:3-5)

"For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin - because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him." (Romans 6:6-8)

"Knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:9-11 NKJV)

"Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another - to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God." (Romans 7:4 NKJV)

"For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh" (Romans 8:3)

"For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live." (Romans 8:13 NKJV)

"For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again." (2 Corinthians 5:14-15)

"For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity." (Ephesians 2:14-16 NKJV)

"Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules" (Colossians 2:20)

"Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry." (Colossians 3:2-5 NKJV)

"Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him" (2 Timothy 2:11)

"who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness - by whose stripes you were healed." (1 Peter 2:24 NKJV)

a number of Bible commentaries

"God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood - to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished" (Romans 3:25 NIV)

"whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed" (Romans 3:25 NKJV)

"whom God did set forth a mercy seat, through the faith in his blood, for the shewing forth of His righteousness, because of the passing over of the bygone sins in the forbearance of God" (Romans 3:25 YLT)

"whom God set forth to be a propitiation, through faith, in his blood, to show his righteousness because of the passing over of the sins done aforetime, in the forbearance of God" (Romans 3:25 ASV)

"Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished [naga] by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment [musar] that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed." (Isaiah 53:4-5 NIV)

"Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken [naga], Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement [musar] for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed." (Isaiah 53:4-5 NKJV)

"Surely our sicknesses he hath borne, And our pains - he hath carried them, And we - we have esteemed him plagued [naga], Smitten of God, and afflicted. And he is pierced for our transgressions, Bruised for our iniquities, The chastisement [musar] of our peace is on him, And by his bruise there is healing to us." (Isaiah 53:4-5 YLT)

"Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken [naga], smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement [musar] of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." (Isaiah 53:4-5 ASV)

"properly to touch, that is, lay the hand upon (for any purpose; euphemistically, to lie with a woman); by implication to reach (figuratively to arrive, acquire); violently, to strike (punish, defeat, destroy, etc.): - beat, (X be able to) bring (down), cast, come (nigh), draw near (nigh), get up, happen, join, near, plague, reach (up), smite, strike, touch." (Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionary)

"to touch, to reach, to strike." (The Complete Word Study Dictionary of the Old and New Testaments, Dr. Spiros Zodhiates)

"properly chastisement; figuratively reproof, warning or instruction; also restraint: - bond, chastening ([-eth]), chastisement, check, correction, discipline, doctrine, instruction, rebuke." (Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionary)

"instruction, discipline" (The Complete Word Study Dictionary of the Old and New Testaments, Dr. Spiros Zodhiates)

"literally, the correction inflicted by a parent on children for their good (Heb 12:5-8, Heb 12:10, Heb 12:11). Not punishment strictly; for this can have place only where there is guilt, which He had not; but He took on Himself the chastisement whereby the peace (reconciliation with our Father; Rom 5:1; Eph 2:14, Eph 2:15, Eph 2:17) of the children of God was to be effected (Heb 2:14)." (Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary, Isaiah 53:5, emphasis added)

"It is properly that which corrects, whether it be by admonition, counsel, punishment, or suffering. Here it cannot properly mean punishment - for there is no punishment where there is no guilt, and the Redeemer had done no sin; but it means that he took upon himself the sufferings which would secure the peace of those for whom he died - those which, if they could have been endured by themselves, would have effected their peace with God. The word peace means evidently their peace with God; reconciliation with their Creator." (Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible, Isaiah 53:5, emphasis added)

"Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come." (Romans 5:14)

"But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!" (Romans 5:15)

"Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification." (Romans 5:16)

"For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!" (Romans 5:17)

"Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people." (Romans 5:18)

"For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous." (Romans 5:19)

"For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man." (1 Corinthians 15:21)

"For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive." (1 Corinthians 15:22)

"We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished [nega]." (Isaiah 53:6-8)

"A masculine noun meaning a blemish, a mark, a stroke, a plague. This word comes from the verb naga (H5060), meaning to touch or to strike, and is best understood as a blemish that has been created by touching or striking. In the majority of instances, it described a blemish inflicted by leprosy or a skin disease that the priest was to discern (used over sixty times in Lev. 13-14). It also referred to a physical injury inflicted by another person (Deut 17:8; Deut 21:5; Isa 53:8)" (The Complete Word Study Dictionary of the Old and New Testaments, Dr. Spiros Zodhiates, nega, emphasis added)

"By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who among them considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people to whom the stroke [nega] was due?" (Isaiah 53:8 ASV)

"He was taken from oppression and from judgment; and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living; for the transgression of my people was he stricken [nega]." (Isaiah 53:8 Darby)

"He was taken away because of oppression and judgment; and who considered His fate? For He was cut off from the land of the living; He was struck [nega] because of my people's rebellion." (Isaiah 53:8 HCSB)

"He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken [nega]." (Isaiah 53:8 KJV)

"By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off from the land of the living For the wrongdoing of my people, to whom the blow [nega] was due?" (Isaiah 53:8 NASB)

"He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken [nega]." (Isaiah 53:8 NKJV)

"By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken [nega] for the transgression of my people?" (Isaiah 53:8 RSV)

"By restraint and by judgment he hath been taken, And of his generation who doth meditate, That he hath been cut off from the land of the living? By the transgression of My people he is plagued [nega]" (Isaiah 53:8 YLT)

paqad:

"A verb meaning to attend, to visit, and to search out. The word refers to someone (usually God) paying attention to persons, either to do them good (Gen 50:24-25; Exo 3:16; 1Sa 2:21; Jer 23:2); or to bring punishment or harm" (The Complete Word Study Dictionary of the Old and New Testaments, Dr. Spiros Zodhiates, paqad)

yakah:

"A verb meaning to argue, to convince, to convict, to judge, to reprove...The word may also refer to physical circumstances being used to reprove sin (2Sa 7:14; Hab 1:12)." (The Complete Word Study Dictionary of the Old and New Testaments, Dr. Spiros Zodhiates, yakah)

"I will punish [paqad] their sin with the rod, their iniquity with flogging [nega]" (Psalm 89:32)

"I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish [yakah] him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings [nega] inflicted by human hands." (2 Samuel 7:14)

"From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" (which means "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"). When some of those standing there heard this, they said, "He's calling Elijah." Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. The rest said, "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to save him." And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit." (Matthew 27:45-50)

"Remez is Hebrew for a hint. Stern (1999:12) defines this method the following way: "a word, phrase or other element in the text hints at a truth not conveyed by the p'shat." Jesus or the gospel writers used remez to hint at Old Testament passages, especially messianic passages to claim, affirm or prove Jesus's Messiahship." (Rabbinical Methods of Instruction )

"Another method Jesus used was alluding, or hinting to, his scriptures. He would use a distinctive word or phrase from a passage in the Old Testament as a way of alluding to all of it.
This was common in his time. In Medieval times this technique was called Remez." (Jesus' Rabbinic Teaching Style )

"For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for [huper] the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit" (1 Peter 3:18 NKJV)

"For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for [huper] us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps" (1 Peter 2:21 NKJV)

"Therefore, since Christ suffered for [huper] us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin" (1 Peter 4:1 NKJV)

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Holman Bible Dictionary

Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned...Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come. But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ! Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous (Romans 5:12, 14-19)

For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. (1 Corinthians 15:21-22 NKJV)

And so it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. (1 Corinthians 15:45-47 NKJV)

• All people are sinners because of one man, the first Adam, who committed one sin and brought condemnation and death to the world by his disobedience. (As we've seen, Jesus is the only exception to this because of the virgin birth.)

• All people can receive forgiveness of sins because of one man, the second Adam, who took on one sin and brought justification and life to the world by His sacrifice.

• To atone for sin by putting it to death on the cross. Jesus had human blood but without any sin, and therefore He was able to be the perfect sacrifice for sin. This corrected our broken relationship with God.

• To ransom and redeem us by offering His life so that humans would be set free from the devil's domain.

• To disarm the devil and destroy his work.

• To fulfill the Law of Moses and the prophets, including all of the atonement rituals. Jesus fulfilled and canceled the Old Covenant and the Law of Moses.

• To initiate the New Covenant and the Law of Christ.

• To destroy the barrier between Jews and Gentiles (non-Jews), enabling Gentiles to share in the spiritual blessings that God promised to Abraham and his descendants through Isaac and Jacob (i.e., the Jews).

• To enter the heavenly tabernacle or sanctuary or Most Holy Place and purify it with His blood, which made it possible for righteous people to enter into heaven.

• To descend to hades and take the righteous captives in paradise up to heaven with Him (after He purified the heavenly tabernacle or sanctuary or Most Holy Place with His blood).

• To pay the purchase price for the earth and its people as our kinsman-redeemer (just as Jeremiah acted as a kinsman-redeemer for his cousin Hanamel).

• To restore dominion and rule over the earth to humans. After Jesus returns at the Second Coming, He will set up a kingdom on earth, and then humans will once again take their place as the rightful rulers over the earth (see the End-Times Prophecies menu on my home page).

• To make it possible for people to receive the indwelling Holy Spirit because Jesus said that He must "go away" to the Father before the Holy Spirit could be received by people. As we'll see in Part Three, Jesus went to the Father twice on the day He was resurrected and returned to the earth that evening.

• To fulfill three of the seven Feasts of Israel, because Bible scholars point out that Jesus was crucified on Passover, He was buried on the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and He was resurrected on the Feast of First Fruits (see my article called The Rapture of the Church - Part Four).

• To pay the bride-price and establish a new covenant with the bride (analogous to the marriage covenant in the Jewish marriage system of the first century) as the first step in the marriage between Christ and the Church (see my article called The Rapture of the Church - Part Seven).

• To purchase physical healing for all humans (chapter 3 in the free PDF of my book called "Divine Healing Absolutely Is for Today" shows that physical healing is in the Atonement).

• 05/16/2024 - Added a discussion of 1 Peter 3:18 in the section called "Sin was put to death, not punished."

• 05/14/2024 - Added a comment about 2 Samuel 24:1-17 and 1 Chronicles 21:1-17 in the section called "God's domain and the devil's domain."

• 04/19/2024 - Slightly modified the 5th bullet point in the section called "An illustration of a ransom." Slightly modified the 4th bullet point in the section called "Prophecies." Slightly modified the section called "Sin was put to death, not punished." Slightly modified the 7th bullet point in the Conclusion section.

• 12/31/2023 - Slightly modified the section called "The virgin birth." Modified the 4th bullet point in the section called "Prophecies."

• 09/22/2023 - Slightly modified the section called "An illustration of a ransom."

• 05/17/2023 - Modified the definition of sin in the section called "The root of all sin."

• 04/07/2023 - Added more information under "An illustration of a ransom."

• 01/10/2023 - Changed the passages in a couple of places which show that Jesus was our sin offering. Added a link to my article called "Our Lives Are Not Predestined" in the section called "Sin Was Put to Death, Not Punished."

• 01/02/2023 - Added a discussion of Isaiah 53:8 in the section called "Sin Was Put to Death, Not Punished."

• 12/14/2022 - Slightly modified the section called "Why Does God's Wrath Remain on Non-Christians?"

• 09/25/2022 - Moved the section called "What Happens When We Receive Salvation?" to my article called How to Receive Salvation.

• 07/28/2022 - Modified the section called "Why Was Jesus' Blood Able to Atone for Our Sins?" Modified the section called "Sin Was Put to Death, Not Punished." Modified the section called "Why Does God's Wrath Remain on Non-Christians?"

• 07/23/2022 - Modified my closing statement.

• 04/26/2022 - Deleted the section called "Why the Long Delay?" because that information is in my article called End-Times Prophecies Are Coming to Pass Right before Our Eyes (see sign #20). Renamed the "Summary" section to "Conclusion" and deleted the unnecessary summary paragraphs.

• 04/14/2022 - Changed the title of my book because I discovered a couple of existing books with "Healing Is for Today" in their names.

• 03/25/2022 - Changed the heading of the first section from "Jesus Was Our Substitute, but Not in the Way That Most People Think" to "Jesus Was Not Our Substitute." Modified several places to say that He gave His life as a ransom, but He was not our Substitute.

• 12/02/2021 - Modified the section called "Why the Long Delay?"

• 11/03/2021 - Made the font size a bit bigger and added a fish symbol as a favicon (which is displayed in the browser tab).

• 09/08/2021 - Added a comment that the first-century Jewish leaders should have seen that the prophecies for confirming the arrival of the long-awaited Messiah were being fulfilled by Jesus.

• 05/07/2021 - Modified the sections called "Sin Was Put to Death, Not Punished" and "The Root of All Sin" based on the free PDF of my book called "Divine Healing Absolutely Is for Today."

• 04/23/2021 - Modified the definition of "sin."

• 12/19/2020 - Added more information in the section called "The Virgin Birth."

• 10/22/2020 - Modified the explanation of how sin was transferred onto Jesus in the section called "Sin Was Put to Death, Not Punished."

• 08/30/2020 - Modified the definition of sin in the section called "Why Does God's Wrath Remain on Non-Christians?"

• 07/22/2020 - New article.