| Highlights of DAWN | August 1984 |
Jesus, the Savior of Mankind
“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” —John 3:14-16
EVERY day, the news media report happenings in the world which are both perplexing and disheartening, events that cause those who are knowledgeable concerning the Word of God to long for the early establishment of Christ’s kingdom on earth. We hear of the abject poverty, starvation, illness, and general despair which prevail in many of the underdeveloped nations of the world. And even in the more developed nations, some of these same conditions exist, aggravating the more pressing problems such as crime, drug abuse, inequality, injustice, and the threat of war. When will these age-old tragic human sufferings cease? When will Christ’s kingdom come? How well the Scriptures describe the subconscious hopelessness which the world feels, having little prospect of relief from these sorrows! “We know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.”—Rom. 8:22
We can trace these groanings of man back to the disobedience in the Garden of Eden. Adam’s sin not only brought the penalty of death upon all, but also the attendant dying process. And the curse upon man has rendered him, to a great extent, ineffective in mastering the environment of the earth. This has resulted in the uncontrolled natural phenomena which frequently bring woe and unhappiness to many people. Even in those occurrences of nature which we would normally count as blessings, the curse is often found lurking in the background.
A recent article in a scientific journal, entitled, “The Rains in Africa—a Mixed Blessing,” highlighted this situation when it related how the blessing of rain can also be a curse to millions of people. There is a large area of tropical Africa which does not receive rain for many months at a stretch; indeed, some portions of that continent are even now suffering from a prolonged and devastating drought. The article reported that even if this year produces an unusually wet season, it will not compensate for the accumulated deficit of water and food over the past few years. However, any rain that falls will provide an opportunity for rural Africans to begin to plow, plant, and harvest grain and other crops now in very short supply.
The refreshing, life-sustaining benefits of rain remind us of God’s promise to Israel: “The Lord shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand.” (Deut. 28:12) Rain is sorely needed by man and is generally a blessing, and is so viewed by the people of Africa. What is sometimes overlooked, however, is the fact that the rainy season is also the time when a variety of waterborne parasitic diseases strike millions of Africans. The following is a quotation from the article mentioned above:
“The most common of these diseases is malaria, which claims an estimated two hundred million new victims a year worldwide and which is spreading faster in Africa than anywhere else. Malaria is transmitted by mosquitoes that breed in the standing water left by the rains. ‘African mosquitoes can breed in as little water as it takes to fill a shoeprint or an old tire’, said Dr. James D. Shepperd, the regional health officer for the United States Agency for International Development. ‘They can live anywhere’.
“In West Africa, Dr. Shepperd added, fifty percent or more of the rural population is expected to become sick with malaria during this coming rainy season. ‘That means’, he said, ‘that half the work force is likely to be incapable of putting in a solid day’s labor’.”
Another waterborne parasite that afflicts the people of Africa is the guinea worm. In its larval form, the worm infects a crustacean about the size of the head of a pin, known as a cyclops. The aforementioned article continues:
“Cyclops live in ponds, wells, and other common rural sources of drinking water. Once swallowed by humans, [they] … migrate to the abdominal and thoracic cavities where they mature … and [move] down to the lower limbs of the victim. At the end of a year, … the worm [causes] painful, burning blisters. An infected person will often try to relieve the burning by immersing the sore in water, [but this simply starts] the cyclops-to-man cycle all over again. More than a century ago. Gustav Nachtigal, a Prussian physician who was the first European to explore much of West Africa, encountered the guinea worm in what is now central Chad. ‘No efficacious remedy against it has been found’, he wrote in his journal.”
Two other parasites attack Africa’s rural work force: the bilharzia, which lives in snails found in rice paddies and causes severe damage to the bladder; and one transmitted by small, black flies which multiply under a person’s skin and eventually penetrate the eyes, causing blindness.
Some relief from these bizarre and dreadful diseases could be obtained with careful spending of limited health dollars from international aid organizations. However, the world does not have enough money or health facilities or medical skill to cope with these diseases and all the other health problems of our dying race. What is needed is a far more comprehensive and permanent cure not only from deadly disease, but from death itself.
An incident that befell Israel when traveling through the wilderness provides an excellent illustration of how an eventual cure for death and all its attendant ills will be accomplished, not by man, but by the wisdom and power of God. This incident is recorded in Numbers 21:4-9: “They journeyed from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread. And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against thee; pray unto the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that everyone that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass [copper], and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.”
Jesus alluded to this account when he said to Nicodemus, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:14,15) Jesus, of course, was prophesying concerning his own death, and particularly how it would come about—by hanging upon a cross. Those who now look to him, recognizing his redemptive death, are redeemed from the bite of the curse of sin and death, even as those Israelites of old were saved from sure death inflicted by the bite of the serpent. During this Gospel Age there are not many who have been called to avail themselves of this great privilege. But eventually everyone in the world will have an opportunity for salvation through Christ. This promise was referred to by Jesus in the oft-quoted and well-known verse, “God so loved the world.” This opening phrase indicates that the interest of the entire world of mankind was uppermost in the mind of God when he gave his Son to be lifted up, put to death, as man’s Redeemer. “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”—John 3:16
Many sincere Christians believe that the appropriate time to accept Jesus relates only to this present Gospel Age, and that if any do not believe now, they will be condemned. If this were true, then one would have to conclude that a great portion of humanity is unsaved, and the words of Jesus have failed of their purpose: “God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved:” (John 3:17) How glad we are to know that God’s plans do not fail, and that these words speak of a wider opportunity of salvation for all than that which now exists.
Israel’s experiences in the wilderness were especially designed by God to illustrate those of the world of mankind. The Israelites bitten by the serpents typified all of Adam’s family affected by his fall into sin. The serpent has been a symbol associated with Satan, the great adversary of God, from the time he beguiled mother Eve in the Garden of Eden. This symbol has been used throughout the Scriptures to describe Satan as the source of sin and evil.
The serpent of copper fashioned by Moses pictures our Lord Jesus, who as a perfect man took the sinner’s place. Thus, he who knew no sin, who was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners (Heb. 7:26), by his crucifixion—being lifted on the pole—bore the penalty of the curse for all transgressors. This is the testimony of the Scriptures: “He made him who knew no sin [offered himself] to be a sin offering for us.”—II Cor. 5:21, Wilson’s Emphatic Diaglott
Copper is one of the noble metals of our earth, and is used in the Bible to represent perfect humanity. Thus, the serpent made of copper represented Jesus, a perfect man, who was offered as a ransom to redeem the human family from the sentence of death imposed upon them through father Adam’s disobedience. “As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” (I Cor. 15:22) Students of the Word of God are aware that Jesus truly is the only means whereby men can find salvation. The Apostle Peter confirmed this fact; speaking of Jesus, he said, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”—Acts 4:12
But how are all the people who have lived upon earth to learn about Jesus? Christian people will admit that many millions, perhaps billions, have not even heard of Jesus. This was especially true prior to the first advent of our Lord, and since that time large segments of the earth’s population either have not heard his name, or if they have, do not comprehend its meaning. Our confidence in the Scriptures gives assurance, however, that God intends that all shall hear and know, and that he has reserved a time when this intention shall be brought to fruition. For “they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord,” in the millennial kingdom soon to be established.—Jer. 31:34
When the fiery serpents invaded the camp of Israel, the people began to recognize this as a punishment from the Lord that had come upon them because they had sinned in murmuring against God and Moses. They pleaded with Moses to intervene on their behalf, asking that this terrifying evil be removed. So Moses prayed for them. In answer, the Lord instructed Moses to make the serpent of copper for the victims to look upon. Illustrated here is the fact that not only was it necessary that Jesus Christ die for our sins, but to be saved we must understand and exercise faith in the ransoming merit of his great atonement sacrifice. “Whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”—John 3:14,15
As Jesus approached the time of his death shortly after his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, a very interesting conversation took place between himself and a rather large crowd of people that had gathered around. This is recorded in John 12:27-36. Jesus is the first to speak: “Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him. Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes. Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. The people answered him, We have heard out of the Law that Christ abideth forever: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of man? Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed and did hide himself from them.”
In this conversation we note that Jesus used the same expression as he had with Nicodemus, that of being lifted up. The Apostle John tells us that this was used to indicate the manner of his death. But the crowd was confused by these words. Since many people believed that Jesus was the Messiah, or the Anointed One, they said to Jesus that this could not be true of Christ, because they knew that “Christ [the Messiah] abideth forever.” They could not understand the need for his death. It was not until later that some of them were enlightened with the knowledge that the death of Jesus had become the means whereby he is able to draw all men unto himself; by his death Jesus purchased the entire human race. However, he has not yet used this ransom price for all men; first, a church class has to be completed.
For centuries, God has been drawing to his Son those whom he has selected to be associated with Jesus as joint-heirs in his kingdom. When this work is complete, Jesus will fulfill the words written in John 12:32. Those who will indeed “look unto him” shall be saved, when the knowledge of the glory of the Lord fills the earth as the waters cover the sea.—Hab. 2:14
The severe and peculiar illnesses in Africa will disappear when the curse on the earth is removed. The blessing of rain will be a true blessing, providing health, prosperity, and abundance for all, as intended by God. As Israel pictured the world of mankind when the fiery serpents were sent among them, so also the blessings promised to Israel for keeping God’s commandments will apply to the world in Christ’s kingdom.
An example of such promised blessings is found in Leviticus 26:3-13: “If ye walk in my statues, and keep my commandments, and do them; then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time: and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely.”
And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid: and I will rid evil beasts out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land. For I will have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and establish my covenant with you. And ye shall eat old store, and bring forth the old because of the new.”
“And I will set my Tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people. I am the Lord your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that ye should not be their bondmen; and I have broken the bands of your yoke, and made you go upright.”
We note, in particular, the blessing of rain mentioned in verses four and five, and contrast these with conditions that will prevail for those not keeping God’s commandments, as expressed in the following verses:
“I also will do this unto you: I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. And your strength shall be spent in vain: for your land shall not yield her increase, neither shall the trees of the land yield their fruits.”—Lev. 26:16,20
When Israel was delivered from Egypt, the Lord was producing a beautiful drama enacting a symbolic view of the future deliverance of the world from Satan’s kingdom. God said, “If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee.”—Exod. 15:26
Thus, with the establishment of Christ’s kingdom will come the blessings of life and the healing of all diseases. And then the people will echo the words of David, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with loving-kindness and tender mercies; who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”—Ps. 103:2-5
Then too, it will be known that all of these benefits will have come to man and are theirs because Jesus, who knew no sin, was willing to take the sinner’s place and be made a sin offering for us. As prophesied in an ancient time by Isaiah the prophet, “With his stripes we are healed.”—Isa. 53:5
We who are now privileged to look unto Jesus should follow faithfully in his footsteps, contemplating as he did the future glory of inviting all mankind to look upon his sacrifice, and to live forever!