Regarding Some Common Questions About the Ransom

[John 12.24to28]

Why didn't Jehovah just forgive Adam and Eve?

 

Adam and Eve weren't little kids. They were adults. They had perfect adult minds. The Bible doesn't say how long they had lived when they sinned. It could have been decades. We don't know. What we do know is that they never apologized. They never asked to have the situation fixed. They didn't care. They didn't want Jehovah. They didn't care that the kids would die. They didn't care. They just didn't want to respect any boundaries - they wanted to do their own thing even if it was rude and hurt other people. Jehovah couldn't just let them keep living forever, because then they'd keep hurting other people forever, and the world would be even more violent than it is today. Jehovah was kind enough to let them live several hundred years, for our sakes, so that we could be born and have a chance anyway, even though Adam and Eve didn't want us. Jehovah wanted us.

 

Three days isn't that long to be separated from someone. How can it be said that it was such a huge sacrifice?

 

Jesus was the firstborn of creation. He had been with Jehovah for countless eons of time. The group of angels in heaven is called figuratively God's "wife". Jesus came to earth for 33 1/2 years. Imagine your mate, kid, and best friend being gone for 33 1/2 years, and that's more like the sacrifice Jehovah made. It wasn't just the 3 days that Jesus was dead. Additionally, imagine watching your kid have to be born into a world where the ruler of the world was intent on attempting to murder that child/adult at any given opportunity. Imagine putting that child's care into the hands of imperfect people who had only been alive a couple of decades. Imagine not being there in person to talk to that child/adult as they are growing up in the world that you created with them and for them.

 

"All other things have been created through him and for him."

 

Why did Jesus have to come anyway?

 

You've got a tree. The root is rotting. The tree is still alive, but it's just a matter of time until it falls over. It's like Jesus came to be the replacement for the roots. All humans descend from God. We were meant to all be alive, the family is meant to be connected to God through Adam. That is how the headship of Adam is supposed to work. He should have been here still as the oldest, wisest, most experienced father for all of us. When Adam was removed from the equation (because of his own choice), someone had to fill that spot. We're not meant to live and die, one generation after another, without our original human family head. We're meant to all be alive, the complete family tree, at the same time.

 

"Remain in union with me, and I will remain in union with you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, neither can you unless you remain in union with me."

 

"So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living person.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit."

 

Jesus died to be fit for Adam's spot. Jesus acted as the family head. He took the lead. In order to take that spot, he had to understand what it's like to suffer and die, otherwise he couldn't fill the role. He had to take the lead in everything in order to be the head. Since all humans since Adam's time have died, the only way Jesus would be fit to be head is if he also knew what it is like to die. Otherwise he couldn't relate to them all the way. Now he can.

 

What does it matter? How is this knowledge practical for today?

 

The attention Jehovah and Jesus gave to the issue shows that it is very important to them what happens to the human family. Sending the oldest and highest angel to take Adam's place shows how close the universal family is. Imagine a family where the youngest child has a need and the oldest kid volunteers to fill that need. The oldest kids are actively concerned for the well being of the little ones. Humans were not just disposable to Jehovah or our older brothers, the angels. Each human is a direct reflection of Jehovah, one of his kids, just like the angels are his kids. Knowing how much He values each of us as individuals, as His children, helps us to realize that He will never leave us and is not far off from each one of us. We have a place in the universal family. Also, it helps us to understand Jesus' words "I will be with you in Paradise". It's literal, not figurative. He'll be here.

 

"“Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his people. And God himself will be with them.  And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away."

 

Why is it taking so long to apply the ransom benefits? Why do we have to wait?

 

Kids can't learn calculus in a day. First they have to learn how to count. Much of humankind won't even follow Jehovah's basic directions, like don't stick body parts in places they don't belong. Some people don't even believe God exists. Why would He be educating everyone on the deeper things at this point, with people so prone to rebel against Him? And yet, He does educate us. 

 

There were issues in heaven that we only know a little bit about. The angel who became Satan made many false accusations. We only know about the ones recorded in the Bible. Surely when we are older, we will learn more about what else happened between those bad angels and Our Father. Age appropriate. Jehovah tells us what we need to know. If He isn't telling us everything right now, well, He must have a good reason. He tells us enough. He said if we keep reading the Bible, we will have what we need. If we need answers to our questions that bad, and we keep reading the Bible while asking Jehovah to give us understanding, He will answer that prayer in a way that satisfies our request.

 

Six thousand years or so isn't that long, considering how long it took God to make the universe. Six thousand years or so isn't that long compared to how long we're going to live. It feels long to us right now. When we were five, the summer felt really long. Things change as you get older.

 

Why couldn't God just fix Adam's children without Jesus coming? Isn't Jehovah God?

 

A computer code works within a certain system. The systems God put in place for the universe are balanced, and everything takes work to get a result. It took work for God to make Adam - it wasn't just some quick "poof!" thing. Imagine God like a craftsman, an artist, an engineer, building each of the types of cells necessary, composing the interplay of all the organs and nerves and parts, in a way that reflects how Jehovah operates - an image of Jehovah in human form. Imagine designing the brain with components for memory, joy, learning, motion... Jehovah put so much work into designing us. It took time and effort. Today on a device, a designer can zoom in and work on details on a photograph and then zoom back out. Imagine Jehovah doing something similar when designing the tiny parts in the body. Imagine Jehovah's hands working. We have hands because they reflect Jehovah the Spirit. He is Our Father. Then He leaned over and breathed into Adam's mouth, the very first breath. He was so close to His Human Son.

 

These things took work. They took time. Jehovah placed us in time. Time is a loving provision of Jehovah. We don't understand everything about what time really is, but in His wisdom, Jehovah is letting us see it's okay for time to go by during this trial. If He says it's okay, then it will be okay. Jehovah is bigger than time. He knows what He's doing. He is worthy of our trust. Kids don't always understand everything their parents are doing and why. Jehovah is a good parent, so He does explain things to us. We know enough about Him to stay faithful to Him.

[Pudgy]

My question is:

Who is your target audience for all the above?

There is only about six people reading this blog, and they all know this stuff.

[John 12.24to28]

12 minutes ago, Pudgy said:

know

 

"Know" as in believe or "know" as in heard before.

[John 12.24to28]

15 minutes ago, Pudgy said:

Who is your target

 

"But one man shot his bow at random, and he struck the king of Israel between the joints of his coat of mail."

 

I guess whoever gets "hit" with it.

[Pudgy]

Knock yourself out.

[John 12.24to28]

25 minutes ago, Pudgy said:

There is only about six people reading this blog

 

Does @boyle count as five of the six?

[Pudgy]

Oh…. I have been meaning to ask someone, how do you close out a thread from more comments?

[John 12.24to28]

The same way you open one after it's locked.

[John 12.24to28]

23 minutes ago, Pudgy said:

how do you close out a thread from more comments?

(...for those who don't know, it's the "Moderation Actions" below the "Submit Reply" button on the screen of the original poster for all those who do not have moderator privileges in general.)

[John 12.24to28]

(How do you explain color to someone who was born blind? How do you explain music to someone born deaf? How do you explain love to someone born outside of the garden?)

 

What else did Jesus and Jehovah sacrifice?

 

When Jesus was dead for three days, he could sleep peacefully. While Jehovah missed Him more immensely than we could imagine, Jehovah's heart could rest a bit in the knowledge that His Son was not suffering.

 

For 33 1/2 years, Jesus lived among the blind and deaf.

 

(Can you imagine watching your kid live among an entire population of blind and deaf people for 33 1/2 years? That was a sacrifice for both Jesus and Jehovah.)

 

The people driving the nation were blind and deaf. The people with the weapons were blind and deaf. The people making decisions that affected others were blind and deaf.

 

In what way? They couldn't see Jehovah. They didn't think about how He was there all the time, He could see what was going on, He was close. They didn't hear Jehovah's voice and let it guide them so they'd make good decisions. When Adam and Eve unplugged from Jehovah, they lost that spiritual sight and spiritual hearing. They didn't want it. They rejected it. 

 

Just as braille and sign language are used to make due for the blind and the deaf, so the Law and the Prophets were used to reach the people, to compensate temporarily for communication purposes. Today those communications are compiled for us in the Bible.

 

"So they said to Moses: “You speak with us, and we will listen, but do not let God speak with us, for fear that we will die.”"

 

"Then a voice came out of heaven: “I have glorified it and will glorify it again.” The crowd that was standing there heard it and began to say that it had thundered. Others said: “An angel has spoken to him.”  Jesus answered: “This voice has occurred, not for my sake, but for your sakes.""

 

When Jesus was on earth, he knew how close God was because he had seen it from heaven. He knew. The rest of the people didn't know because they were blind and deaf.

 

"Listen, you who are deaf; 

Look and see, you who are blind.  

Who is blind except my servant, 

So deaf as the messenger I send?  

Who is so blind as the one rewarded, 

So blind as the servant of Jehovah?"

 

Though we are born spiritually blind, Jehovah lets us "see" spiritually by means of the spirit, a force which includes comprehension of higher matters through love and goodness and peace. Jehovah lets us "hear" spiritually by means understanding His word along with His spirit of love and faith. When people try to read the Bible without asking God for that spirit of love and understanding, then they are like a blind person pretending to read the page and making stuff up. When people claim to understand the words of the Bible but they are going through the motions without their hearts involved, that is like a deaf person claiming to hear something they never heard.

 

A blind and deaf person can understand by means of touch. It's called "tactile signing". Jesus came to provide something tangible that explains Jehovah, since we are all so blind and so deaf. God had Jesus described in His Word so we could "feel" him. When we read the Bible and ask God to help us "see" and "hear" Jesus words as they really are, not as some book of imperfect men, not as myths, but as that communication from the One who has been with us the whole time, then we can really begin to understand what Jesus' sacrifice was about.

 

"If you men had known me, you would have known my Father also; from this moment on you know him and have seen him.” Philip said to him: “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him: “Even after I have been with you men for such a long time, Philip, have you not come to know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father also. How is it you say, ‘Show us the Father’?  Do you not believe that I am in union with the Father and the Father is in union with me? The things I say to you I do not speak of my own originality, but the Father who remains in union with me is doing his works.  Believe me that I am in union with the Father and the Father is in union with me; otherwise, believe because of the works themselves."

 

Jehovah gave Jesus all the words. Jehovah was right next to Jesus, but the disciples couldn't see Jehovah. Jehovah didn't materialize a body, but He didn't have to - Jesus knew how Jehovah did things. After His baptism, Jesus was aware that Jehovah was right there next to Him the entire time, as if standing right next to Him. Jesus had been in heaven with Jehovah. Heaven is higher than earth, but it's not far away.

 

"And he made out of one man every nation of men to dwell on the entire surface of the earth, and he decreed the appointed times and the set limits of where men would dwell,  so that they would seek God, if they might grope for him and really find him, although, in fact, he is not far off from each one of us.  For by him we have life and move and exist, even as some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also his children.'"

 

The sacrifice Jehovah has gone through has included being close to His kids all these years while they don't even see Him and hear Him. He is a Father to an entire earth of blind and deaf kids. He loves them so incredibly much, and He is healing their sight and hearing in time. He's trying to help them comprehend it.

 

"Now they put in at Beth·saʹi·da. Here people brought him a blind man, and they pleaded with him to touch him.  And he took the blind man by the hand and brought him outside the village. After spitting on his eyes, he laid his hands on him and asked him: “Do you see anything?”  The man looked up and said: “I see people, but they look like trees walking about.”  Again he laid his hands on the man’s eyes, and the man saw clearly. His sight was restored, and he could see everything distinctly."

 

Jehovah will heal our sight and hearing at the appointed time. And then everything will be crystal clear. The sacrifice is so we can go back to the garden and see and hear Jehovah again.

[John 12.24to28]

"Every vision becomes for you like the words of a sealed book.

When they give it to someone who can read, saying: “Read this out loud, please,” he will say: “I cannot, for it is sealed up.”  

And when they give the book to someone who cannot read, saying: “Read this, please,” he will say: “I cannot read at all.”

Jehovah says: “This people approach me with their mouth

And they honor me with their lips,

But their heart is far removed from me;

And their fear of me is based on commands of men that they have been taught.  

Therefore, I am the One who will again do wonderful things with this people,

With wonder upon wonder;

And the wisdom of their wise men will perish,

And the understanding of their discreet men will be hidden.”

 

 

 

 

Jehovah will heal the blind and the deaf. Praise Jehovah.

[John 12.24to28]

"He bends his bow and makes it ready."

 

@boyle, @Pudgy, aren't you going to come out to play? I thought you liked archery games! 😄

 

 

 

Jehovah is the One who Created all the Beautiful Things.

He has Arms of Steel.

He is Strong Enough to Bend the Bow.

(He never misses the target.) Praise Jehovah.

 

"Jehovah will be seen over them, 

And his arrow will go out like lightning."