The Harp of God: Proof Conclusive That Millions Now Living Will Never Die
John Stuart Mill · en
[539]If there is to be no restoration of mankind to original
perfection, then God's promise made to Abraham is meaningless and must
fail, because the express purpose of that promise is the blessing of all
the families of the earth; and that blessing is life. (Genesis 12:3;
22:18; 28:14; Romans 6:23) Not only did Jehovah make this promise to
Abraham, but he bound the promise with his oath; and by these two things
(his word and his oath, both of which are unchangeable) it is impossible
for the promise to fail; but in due time it must be carried out.--Hebrews
6:17,18.
[540]Beyond question, the Scriptures show that Jesus, who in his
prehuman existence was the Logos, left the heavenly courts, his life
being transferred from spirit to human plane, took upon him the nature
and form of man, and became Jesus for the very purpose of saving the
people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21) He came that man might have life.
(John 10:10) He came and gave his life as a ransom, that others might
live. (Matthew 20:28) He was rich and for our sakes became poor, that we
through his poverty might become rich. (2 Corinthians 8:9) When he was
born as a man, the angels of heaven announced glad tidings of great joy
which shall be unto all people, because the purpose of his birth was to
redeem mankind and to restore to them that which had been lost. (Luke
2:9-11) If there is to be no restoration of man to his original state,
then all these purposes of God in sending his beloved Son to earth must
fail. We know that God's word cannot fail.
[541]It was the perfect man Adam who had sinned and by his sin lost the
right to life and the blessings incident to a perfect human life. The
only means provided for satisfying that judgment and releasing mankind
was by substituting another perfect human life. The substitution of
that one perfect human life for the other is called in the Scriptures
the ransom-sacrifice. God made the specific promise that he would ransom
man from the power of the grave, and that he would redeem him from
death. (Hosea 13:14) In keeping with this promise, his Word declares
that 'Jesus, by the grace of God, tasted death for every man'. (Hebrews
2:9) "There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man
Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due
time."--1 Timothy 2:5,6.