Jesus Unmasked: The Truth Will Shock You (18 page)

The list goes on and on:

> Joseph and Jesus were victorious over temptation (Matt. 4:10–11).

> Joseph and Jesus were bound, condemned, and placed in prison (Mark 15:1; Luke 23:20–25).

> Joseph and Jesus were ultimately exalted (Phil. 2:9–11).

While the New Testament never says that Joseph is a “Jesus-type,” it is hard to imagine that he was not.

Adam Is an Anti-type

The first man, Adam, is a type of Jesus, only completely different. An anti-type is a person that is given to be a picture of what the substance is not. Adam is not a type of Christ; he is an anti-type. A type is a comparison; an anti-type is a contrast. Adam and Jesus are contrasted in Romans 5.

Poor Adam

One wonders how long the line in heaven will be to meet the first man, Adam. How many times will he have to say, “I know, I know. I blew it!”

Before we throw a stone at poor old Adam, we might want to put our rocks down for a minute. The Bible makes it clear that you and I would have done no better than Adam at resisting the temptation to eat the forbidden fruit (Rom. 5:12).

Adam was no different than you and me; he was no better and he was no worse. Adam was just a man.

Federal Head

While Adam was a typical fella, he did have one thing we do not: a different role. God made Adam our representative, our federal head. This is not just a Mideastern concoction; you and I have federal heads today.

> Your father represents and speaks for your family. If your father does something shameful, the entire family is tarnished.

> Your governor represents and speaks for your state. He does something dopey and your state is mocked.

> Your president represents and speaks for your country. If your federal head biffs it, the entire nation gets a black eye.

Adam was your federal head and he represented you in the garden. Like it or not (and I lean toward the “not” side), what he did affected all of us.

Therefore, just as through
one man
sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because
all sinned
(Rom. 5:12).

Adam sinned and you and I get credit. Because Adam sinned, you and I are sinners too. But here is a substantial difference: Adam was created perfect and became a sinner, whereas you and I are born sinners and remain sinners.

We are born “in sin” (Ps. 51:3). We die because of our sin (Rom. 6:23).

For until the Law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
Nevertheless
death reigned
from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam,
who is a type
of Him who was to come (Rom. 5:13–14).

That is a pretty tricky verse. Paul is explaining that between the time of Adam and Moses, there was no law, yet people died. Violation of the law is what brings death, but there was no law and yet people died. Why? Because they were in Adam who was their federal head. Adam became a sinner and because we are in Adam, we are sinners from birth, and the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23).

Total Depravity

Humans are conceived in sin (Ps. 51:5). Romans 5 tells us that we are totally depraved. It doesn’t mean that everything we do is depraved, it means that everything about us is fallen and sinful from birth. We are born sinful, and left to our totally depraved selves, we will die and go to hell because of our sin.

Some people say that we go to hell because we don’t believe in Jesus. That is not exactly correct. We go to hell because of our sins. It is the chief and greatest sin to reject Jesus, but that is just one of our many, many sins.

Why Criminals Go to Jail

If you were pulled over for speeding and given a $200 fine that you could not pay, would you be hauled off to jail because you could not pay the fine or because you broke the law? In a sense it is because you cannot pay, but the actual reason for your arrest is because you have committed a crime.

Criminals don’t go to jail because they cannot pay their fine, they go to jail for breaking the law.

If we never broke a law, we would never go to jail. If we never sinned we would not go to hell and we would not need the forgiveness that is found in Jesus. But we do break God’s laws and that is why we go to hell. It also happens to be a violation of God’s law to not believe on His Son.

Sinners go to hell because they sin. Lawbreakers go to hell because they break the laws. Humans do not go to hell because their fines are not paid, they go to hell because they are guilty criminals who have broken God’s laws.

Conversely, Christians go to heaven because their fine has been paid and their sins have been forgiven.

Babies

Perhaps you are wondering about babies. If babies are born sinners and they die, do they go to hell? The answer is a thunderous, “NO!” Babies who die go to heaven. Period.

Perhaps you are thinking that contradicts what you just read. If humans are born sinners and sinners go to hell, then babies, who are born sinners, should go to hell. While that seems logical, there is a piece of missing information that changes that equation.

Babies do not sin against God willfully.

Yes, babies sin, but they do not do it with the knowledge that they are rebelling against God. A child from birth until a certain age commits pretty much every sin imaginable, but he does so without knowledge.

Safe in the Arms of God
is a wonderfully comforting book by Dr. John MacArthur, who lays out the biblical case that babies go to heaven. Here are just ten of the verses he assembled to prove that babies are wicked little sinners who do not have their sins credited to them because they don’t know “their right hand from their left.”

1. In Jonah 4:11, God refers to the children of pagan Nineveh as not “knowing their right hand from their left,” meaning, they don’t know the difference between good and evil.

2. In Ezekiel 16:21, the Lord calls the children of pagans “My children.”

3. In Deuteronomy 1:39, God makes it clear that children “have no knowledge of good and evil.”

4. In Jeremiah 19:4, murdered children of pagans are called “innocents” by God.

5. In Job 3:16–19, Job declares unequivocally that dead infants do not go to hell. They go to heaven.

6. In 2 Samuel 12:23, David proclaims that he will see his dead infant son in heaven.

7. Isaiah 7:16 describes an age where children learn the difference between good and evil.

8. In Matthew 2 and 3, Jesus describes the kingdom of heaven as made up of those who are like “little children.” This analogy only makes sense if little children actually are in heaven.

9. In Matthew 18:3–5, Jesus blessed the little children. Jesus never blessed anyone who was rebelling against Him.

10. Revelation 5:10 tells us that “every tribe and tongue” will be represented in heaven. As many tribes no longer exist, this verse must be describing children as included in the myriad who will be praising God.

Level of Accountability

The Bible is clear — a child is innocent before God, even though they sin, because they have not reached an age where they are accountable to God for their actions. Some people use the term, “age of accountability,” but it is best to use the term, “level of accountability,” as each child matures at different rates.

For many cultures and religions, that approximate age has been associated with puberty. Jewish bar and bat mitzvahs, Lutheran confirmation and African passage ceremonies from boyhood to manhood happen at this time.

Once a child reaches a level where he understands that sin is willful rebellion, in other words, when he knows better, then he is accountable to God. If he dies in his sin having reached a level of accountability, he will be sentenced by God as a guilty criminal. Prior to that level, God welcomes that little one to heaven.

People with Intellectual Disability

God is not mean. God is not eager to send people to hell. God is eager to save; that is why He sent His Son to earth. God saves people who do not have the mental capacity to comprehend the sinfulness of their sin. God takes those who “don’t know their right hand from their left” to heaven, regardless of their age.

Bad News

If you are reading this book, it is likely that you are at a level of accountability to comprehend your sin and guilt. As a child of Adam, you are totally depraved and in terrible trouble, unless a Second Adam comes.

Good News

The first Adam blew it. The Second Adam did not.

But
the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of
the one the many died
, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the
grace of the one Man
, Jesus Christ, abound to the many.
The gift is not like that which came through the
one who sinned
; for on
the one hand
the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on
the other hand
the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification.
For if by the transgression of
the one
, death reigned through
the one
, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through
the One
, Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:15–17).

Did you notice the contrast between Adam and Jesus? Adam sinned and brought death in the world. Jesus died and brought life to us.

Did you notice we are either “in Adam” or we are “in Christ?” We are either dead in our trespasses and sins, or we are alive in Christ.

Did you notice that each man “reigned” over a kingdom? Adam’s kingdom is a reign of death. Jesus reigns over a kingdom of life.

So then as through
one transgression
there resulted
condemnation to all men
, even so through
one act of righteousness
there resulted justification of
life to all men
.
For as through the
one man’s disobedience
the many were made sinners, even so through the
obedience of the One
the many will be made righteous
(Rom. 5:18–19).

More Contrasts

> The old man (Adam) was tested in a perfect garden by the devil and failed (Gen. 3:6). The new man (Christ) was tempted in a barren wilderness by the devil and succeeded (Matt. 4:10–11). Jesus also passed the test of temptation in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matt. 26:38–45).

> The first Adam was made from the earth, but the Last Adam (Christ) came from heaven (1 Cor. 15:47).

The Old Testament is a story of one man’s failure and God’s persistent effort to rescue sinners. The New Testament is a story of one man’s success in God’s persistent effort to rescue sinners. The Old Testament is about the failure of Adam while the New Testament is about the success of Jesus.

The first verse in the Old Testament reads, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Gen. 1:1). The New Testament’s first words are, “In the beginning was the Word” (John 1:1).

The Old Testament begins with a man, Adam, who fails. The New Testament begins with a man, Jesus, who succeeds.

The Old Testament begins with “the book of the generations of Adam” (Gen. 5:1). The New Testament begins with “the record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah” (Matt. 1:1).

The Old Testament ends with the word, “curse” (Mal. 4:6). The last book of the New Testament includes the words, “no more curse” (Rev. 22:3).

The Bible is split into two testaments that tell the stories of two men. Either the authors of this fantastic story conspired to create something this amazing (highly unlikely as they lived at different times and sometimes in different countries), or the Bible is supernaturally inspired. Either the Bible is a grand lie, or it is the truth.

You Are in a Man

The world defines people by gender or skin color, but the Bible testifies there are only two types of people on the planet: those in Adam and those in Christ.

The Bible does not allow for people to be in Buddha, or in Gandhi, or in the Pope, or in Joseph Smith, or in any other religious system. You can only be in Adam or in Jesus.

Whether you know it or not, you are IN one of those two men. You are either IN Adam, the man of sin and death, or you are IN Christ, the man of grace and life.

Who are you in?

Chapter 17 — Jesus Is Places and Things

You have been lisped at.

John Calvin said, “. . . as nurses commonly do with infants, God is wont in measure to lisp in speaking to us.”
1
How has God lisped at us? By teaching us spiritual truths with physical pictures and events.

God created places and things in the Old Testament to teach us about Jesus in the New Testament. These pictures are so simple, even a child can understand them. God graciously babbled at us so we can learn complex truths.

Nation of Israel

When Jesus was born King of the Jews, King Herod was not excited about his pint-sized competition. Herod decided the best way to deal with his tiny rival was to kill him. Nice.

An angel warned Joseph in a dream to vamoose from Israel and hightail it to Egypt and stay put until given the green light to return home.

Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the Child and His mother and
flee to Egypt
, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to
destroy Him
.”

So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for
Egypt
.
He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to
fulfill
what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “
Out of Egypt I called My Son
” (Matt. 2:13–15).

Math

Sorry, you are going to have to do a little math. Matthew 2 tells us that Jesus was “My Son” who was “called out of Egypt” in fulfillment of a prophecy. Which prophecy?

When
Israel
was a youth I loved him,

And out of
Egypt
I called My
son
(Hosea 11:1).

Here comes the math: Jesus was the “son called out of Egypt.” Israel was also called “out of Egypt.” Therefore, Jesus equals Israel.

And you thought you would never use the transitive property of equality.
2

Israel Is a Picture of Jesus

God promised a piece of land to Abraham in the 21st century
b.c
. Centuries passed and still no land was given to the Jews. Instead, the Jews were held as slaves in Egypt for centuries.

In the 15th century, a deliverer named Moses was sent by God to break the chains of bondage and bring God’s chosen people into a land “flowing with milk and honey” — Canaan.

> Both Israel and Jesus were “called out of Egypt” to the land of Israel.

> Israel was tempted in the wilderness for 40 years and failed. Jesus was tempted in the wilderness for 40 days and succeeded.

> Each time Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, He quoted Moses in the wilderness.

> The Jews were brought into the Promised Land by a man named Joshua, the Hebrew name for Jesus. We are brought into the heavenly promised land by Jesus.

> The story of the Jews being delivered from Egypt and brought to the Promised Land is a picture of the redemptive work of Jesus. Just as the Jews were delivered out of slavery to Pharaoh by Moses, we are delivered out of slavery to Satan by Jesus.

Canaan was a land of giant cities and giant men (Num. 14:28). How could an unarmed, untrained, undisciplined people possibly remove such a formidable force and enter this “heaven”? They couldn’t. God had to bring them to paradise.

Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the
Lord
your God
is the one who goes with you
. He will not fail you or forsake you (Deut. 31:6).

The story of Israel is a picture of Jesus and the gospel. The Jews could not enter the Promised Land without God’s help and we can’t enter heaven unless God provides a way. But Israel was not the only place that is a picture of Jesus and His redemptive work.

City of Refuge

Then the
Lord
spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,
then you shall select for yourselves cities to be your
cities of refuge
, that the manslayer who has killed any person unintentionally may flee there.

The cities shall be to you
as a refuge from the avenger
, so that the manslayer will
not die
until he stands before the congregation for trial.
The cities which you are to give shall be your six
cities of refuge
.

You shall give three cities across the Jordan and three cities in the land of Canaan; they are to be
cities of refuge
.
These six cities shall be for refuge for the sons of Israel, and for the alien and for the sojourner among them; that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may
flee there
(
Num. 35:9–14).

What a kind thing for God do to. Living in the 15th century
b.c.
was a rather scary time to live. Even though God gave laws and a court system with judges (but no lawyers!), men would frequently act as vigilantes and take justice into their own hands. To ensure that a man who ACCIDENTALLY killed another man did not go swimming with the fishes, God created six cities of refuge.

The suspected criminal was to run to the nearest city of refuge and lay his hands on a special altar. He was safe there. The pursuing angry mob could not touch him until a trial could be held to determine innocence or guilt (Num. 35:6–34).

We can learn much from this concept.

We Do Not Shoot Abortion Doctors

Yes, abortion doctors are murderers. Yes, they are right near the bottom of the immorality barrel, but we are not to take matters of justice into our own hands and kill them.

The city of refuge tells us that God wants judges to determine the innocence or guilt of a suspected criminal. It is not up to a citizen to execute justice. As horrible as abortion is, we cannot shoot an abortion doctor. That is not our role.

Realms of Authority

Just as in the Old Testament, God has set up realms of authority in the New Testament. There are three:

1. Family: two parents have very great authority over a few.

2. Church: shepherds have some authority over many.

3. Government: authorities have very little authority over everyone.

Notice, the smaller the number of people, the greater the authority; the greater number of people, the less authority.

Each one of these realms has very specific assignments.

1. Parents are to train up their children in the discipline and admonition of the Lord (Eph. 6:1).

2. Shepherds are to feed the flock and protect them from wolves (Eph. 4:11).

3. Government officials are to punish bad guys (Rom. 13:1–7).

Coloring Within the Lines

Any time one of the realms of authority gets involved in one of the other realms, disaster follows. The reason big government programs like welfare or Obamacare cannot and will not work is because taking care of the poor and sick is not the job of the government.

Big government is not a bad idea because it fails. Big government fails because it is not biblical.

That rule also applies to the Church. Any time the Church gets involved with government affairs, bad results will ensue. Why? Because the Church is not the state. God, not Thomas Jefferson, is the One who created the correct definition of “separation of Church and state.”

Yes, Christians can work for the government.

Yes, Christians can and should vote.

Yes, the Church can preach to the government and tell them to behave biblically.

But that is as far as it should go if we are going to color within the lines that God has drawn for us.

As soon as unbelievers start seeing Christians as a political party and not as followers of Jesus Christ, we have stepped over the line.

As soon as unbelievers hate us because of the way we vote, then we have acted more like a political party than Christians.

The world will hate Christians (John 15:18), but the world should hate us because we are followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, not because we are Republicans.

Christians are not called to be the Moral Majority; we are called to make disciples (Matt. 28:19–20). Imposing morality is what the Pharisees did, and Jesus did not take too kindly to them. Unbelievers can’t even be moral without Jesus. To impose morality on unbelievers is like asking a dog to do algebra.

The message of Jesus is not “Be good.” The Christian gospel is “You are not good. You need a Savior who is good.” The Christian gospel is not “Vote this way.” Does that mean we do not participate in the marketplace of ideas or the political arena? Nope. It just means that our predominant message must be the Gospel, not morality.

Jesus wants to be known as a city of refuge, not for His ability to influence the city of Washington.

The Best Lesson

In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have
taken refuge
would have strong encouragement to
take hold
of the hope set before us.
This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the
veil
,
where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a
high priest
forever according to the order of Melchizedek (Heb. 6:17–20).

Jesus Is a Much Better City of Refuge

> Innocent men were to run to the city of refuge. We are not innocent; we are actually guilty.

> The city of refuge was temporary; Jesus is permanent.

> The city of refuge is a thing. Jesus is an actual person with whom we can have a relationship.

God may have been lisping when He gave the Jews cities of refuge, but the lesson is crystal clear in Jesus.

Jacob’s Ladder

He (Jacob) had a dream, and behold, a
ladder
was set on the earth with its top
reaching to heaven
; and behold, the angels of God were
ascending
and
descending
on it (Gen. 28:12).

Either Jacob had too much mutton for dinner, or his dream was actually a picture of the Lamb of God. Jesus said to Nathanael, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God
ascending and descending on the Son of Man
”
(John 1:51).

In Jacob’s dream, an actual ladder came down from heaven so angels could go up and down from heaven to earth. Jesus was telling Nathanael that He was Jacob’s ladder, only better.

Jesus, like the ladder, came down from heaven, but instead of providing a way for angels to get from heaven to earth, Jesus provides a way for man to get from earth to heaven.

Remember, Jesus is the ladder who brings us up to heaven. We do not climb our way to heaven, Jesus brings us there. We are not army recruits who can climb to the top rung. We are dead men who need to be carried completely by Jesus.

Jesus Is Our Surety

In legal terms, a surety is one who promises to pay the debt if the principal cannot or will not pay his debt. In the Old Testament we see many examples of this: Genesis 43:9, 44:32–34; Psalm 119:122; and Proverbs 6:1.

Jesus is
the guarantee (surety) of a better covenant (Heb. 7:22).

> We have more than a financial debt, we have a sin debt.

> Our debt is not with man, but God.

> Jesus does more than pay our fine, He puts righteousness into our account.

> Jesus continues to pay our fine, day after day after day.

God will never un-forgive you. He will never regret accepting you. God will always love you with the same love that He has for His very own Son. Why? Because His very own Son is the surety of the new covenant.

Never, ever worry that God will change His mind about you. He can’t. If you are in Christ, you will forever be loved by the Father because of the work of the Son.

Your Debt

Perhaps you have been trying to climb your way to heaven on the ladder of your own works. Perhaps you have been taught that is what you must do in order to inherit eternal life. Jesus makes it clear, only He can pay your debt and only He can bring you to heaven.

Your efforts don’t even get you to the first rung of the ladder. In fact, your efforts to save yourself only increase your sin debt. God hates self-effort. He has given His only Son to be the surety for you. He is willing to pay your debt, but you must lay down your efforts and trust in Him.