In Genesis 3, we see the first prophecy of a way out of the sin had befallen the earth.
In Genesis 7 we see the first act of salvation for those who fear the Lord.
In just five short chapters, we see God’s love, God’s concern, God’s judgement over sin, and God’s offer to escape that judgement. These four concepts would be repeated throughout Scripture, even to the end of the book of Revelation itself. The whole of Psalm 119 by a man after God’s own heart, otherwise known to us as King David, speaks of these four concepts frequently. God’s judgement is not about inflicting needless hardship on humanity, rather His judgement is always aimed at cleansing sin from our lives to make us holy and acceptable before Him. Those who submit to His righteous judgements discover life and godliness, while those who resist discover death in all it’s iterations resulting ultimately in eternal separation from God.
Is it God’s desire that mankind would be alienated from Him forever??? The answer we hear resoundingly throughout Scripture is a very loud NO!!! Sin must be punished, but God has, even from the beginning of recorded time, given us a way to turn from our sin and seek salvation from that punishment’s eternal effects. The first act of salvation for humanity came at the time of the Great Flood, an event so cataclysmic in nature that people groups around the world have legends about a Great Flood. . . And so they should, as they all came from Noah’s descendents, who would tell of this event from generation to generation. As with all oral traditions, details change from one group to another, but they all agree that a massive flood covered the earth and killed all living things except for those who were hidden away in a really big boat. Science has difficulty conceiving of a flood of that magnitude and scholars debate the reality of this event ever having occurred in spite of the fossil evidence overwhelmingly available the world over.
No, it is not God’s desire that mankind be lost to sin forever, and be forever separated from Him in the process. Because of God the Father sending God the Son to us as the sacrificial lamb who would take away the sin of the world, the final offer of escape from God’s wrath against sin has been presented. This offer of salvation has been extended to mankind for the past 2100+ years and will continue to be extended up to the day that Christ returns for His Bride ahead of His physical return to earth.
King David was light years ahead of his time when he wrote such verses as:
Psalms 18:2 The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
Psalms 91:2-9 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. 3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. 4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. 5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; 6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. 7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. 8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. 9 Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;
Psalms 61:2-4 From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. 3 For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. 4 I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah.
Christ would later be called the helmet of Salvation:
Ephesians 6:10-17 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
When you consider Who Christ is; The Way, The Truth, The Life; when you understand that it is when we are wearing His Robe of Righteousness that God the Father can look on us and accept us, when you see Christ as being the buckler spoken of by King David, you see this passage here in Ephesians in a whole new light.
What began with the Ark has finished with Christ. Praise the Lord for providing a way for mankind to escape the judgement of sin!
