June 6: SACRED OBJECT LESSON: THE RESCUE OF MAN

And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: “Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!” Then the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever. Revelation 5:13-14

The closing verses of the glorious inauguration scene described in Revelation chapters 4 and 5 contain strikingly similar wording as the fourth commandment: For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them… (Exodus 20:11). Jesus is worshiped as the Creator, a role that is the very expression of love. One of the many facets of His love is utter humility. Although He is the Creator of all, including humanity, when He entered humanity as a man, He walked among us so humbly that He, more often than not, was unrecognized. He was demonstrating that the Almighty God who is over all desires to walk among His creatures. In showing us what God is like, a sacred object lesson was put before the entire universe, in order that other heavenly beings could gain a deeper understanding of their Creator, for He wants to also walk among them.

His choice to become a man and reach to the lowest pit in order to lift up fallen mankind was not an afterthought. No, indeed! This plan was firmly in place before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4). This world is a stage upon which the great controversy which began in heaven will be brought to a final end.* In the playing out of the tragic loss and destruction wrought by sin, both the redeemed and the unfallen are blessed by the sacred object lesson. It has been said that redeemed man will experience the deepest gratitude of all, however, and the depth of man’s love for the Savior will be far greater than if he had never fallen.

In reaching the end of the coronation and enthronement scene of these two chapters, it must be noted that we once again see the tension between “already” and “not yet”. Christ has most definitely been inaugurated into His priestly and royal ministry. But we still see rebellion all around us, and it is only getting worse. Nevertheless, the horror of the rebellion will have an effect on many individuals that causes them to reach toward God. And when they do, they will find the Lord already reaching down to raise them out of the pit of sadness and gloom.

Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. 1 Corinthians 15:24-26

*1 Corinthians 4:9; Nahum 1:9