The death of Jesus occurred so he could pay the penalty for our sin-it was a direct legal substitution. But it was also much more than that, he did something to humanity, all of humanity. He also killed all of us, humanity is dead, we are finished, we are no more, we are kaput. It’s over, exit stage right. Extinction of the race from Adam and Eve, the human race has ended, as far as God is concerned.
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
Ephesians 2:5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
also see John 11:21-44
What’s confusing about this is that it was done in advance, it’s like he created a reality in the spiritual world and the physical world is time-delayed, they are out of phase and the physical world is currently catching up. Rather than physically killing everyone in total annihilation like the flood of Noah (like he promised he would not do again) then start over, he just killed Jesus as a single human representative of all of fallen humanity.
To understand this better imagine hypothetically millions of years from now and we go extinct by nuclear war that gets out of hand. All humans are dead and buried and the earth is a wild place of chaos. If there will be a human race again it will need to be an entirely new creation of man OR a resurrection of humanity who had already died. Imagine the new first man (Adam) is Jesus Christ and the new first woman (Eve) is a group of people ‘joined to/ married’ to Jesus Christ.
Actually if you read Ephesians the death of Jesus and the creation of a new humanity through his resurrection was always the plan from before God ever created. It is a spiritual reality that the physical reality is slow to get on board with. He wanted many sons and daughters as a ‘bride’ for his son. As a family but he had to deal with rebellion and sin so he seemed to send Adam and Eve knowing what would happen as a warm-up for what was to come.
The death of Jesus Christ is also the death of humanity.
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- If true, this has many implications for how we are to live our lives, our lives are now to be considered over, our lives are finished, life of Jesus death of Adam. Adam has no future, my future is in relation to Jesus Christ. I don’t get to live out my life, my dreams, my strengths, my desires, my ways. I get to surrender and die and live a meek daily-dying existence, then daily Jesus revives me and lives through me. It is truly Brilliant and the only way to redeem mankind.
- Why did God kill us as a spiritual reality before (perhaps the word before is inappropriate) we die physically? I don’t know yet. It’s like a slow-takeover, until the resurrection, eons of people and finding and discovering him over and over again.
If you are not a Christian today and you are reading this post or watching this video, the gospel of Jesus is not a future appeal to do this or that religiously and make it to heaven. It’s a current appeal and invitation to resurrect, you are not even currently alive, as far as God is concerned, you are currently a corpse. Is Jesus calling your name? like he did to Lazarus after 4 days dead in the tomb? “Hey come forth”, can you hear him? He speaks right now, “wake up oh sleeper of death.” This is no joke we can live again.
