1. Introductory – the Ransom for All

1. The purpose of this study is to introduce you to the subject of the Ransom for All. Most of what you read now will be repeated in greater detail in future studies. We are endeavoring to “whet your appetite” so that you will delve into God’s Word and learn of His GREAT love for all mankind. Unless otherwise indicated, we will quote from the New International Version of the Bible for all of these Ransom studies.

2. God’s love for humanity is beautifully expressed in Isa. 2:2: “In the last days the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it.” Mountains represent kingdoms, while hills represent lesser kingdoms, and “all nations” are “all the families of the earth” (Gen. 12:1-3; 22:18) that will be blessed by the “seed” of Abraham, which is Christ Jesus.

3. Prior to their fall, Adam and Eve had everything perfect in the paradise God provided for them, called the Garden of Eden (Gen. 1:26-28). He made them rulers, and they could have lived forever. God made only one requirement of them, that they obey one simple law. There was a tree in the middle of the garden called “the tree of knowledge of good and evil,” and God told them not to eat the fruit of that tree (Gen. 2:17). In order to forever enjoy their perfect life, all they had to do was obey this commandment.

4. God didn’t want robots; He wanted mankind to serve Him out of love. This is why He gave Adam and Eve the ability to choose, when He created them. He told them they would die if they ate the fruit of that tree. This should have been a reminder to them that He was in authority.

5. The first lie recorded in the Bible was when Satan told Eve she would not die if she ate from the forbidden tree (Gen. 3:4). This was like telling her that God had lied to them. Eve believed Satan’s lie and ate the fruit, and then Adam also ate it (Gen. 3:6,7).

6. As a result of disobeying God’s command, Adam and Eve lost their paradise home, their perfect life, and eventually their lives, fulfilling God’s sentence, “By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return” (Gen. 3:19). They could have lived forever had they obeyed God. Death was the penalty for disobeying Him. Since we are all children of Adam and Eve, we too have all been dying every since. “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin ... death came to all men, because all sinned” (Rom. 5:12).

7. Genesis 5:5 shows the death penalty was carried out in Adam’s case. Death and sin settled over the earth like a dark cloud, and has hovered over us ever since Adam and Eve made that first mistake.

8. We find many promises in the Bible that mankind will not always be under the curse of death, and we will refer to them further on in these studies. The first ray of hope that a Savior would be provided to defeat Sa-tan’s goal is found in Gen. 3:15, where God indirectly put the curse on him: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head and you will strike his heel.” This blessed promise is shown more clearly in Gen. 12:1-3 and 22:18. Gal. 3:16 tells us Jesus Christ became the “seed” (offspring) who would bring about that blessing. God allowed the good man, Job, to see hope beyond the grave, which you will read about in the next study.

9. Jeremiah told us in 31:29,30 that we will not always be paying for the sins of our fathers: “In those days people will no longer say, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge. In-stead, everyone will die for his own sin; whoever eats sour grapes - his own teeth will be set on edge.” This is not so now, but it will be true when that glorious day comes in Christ’s kingdom. Hallelujah!

10. Briefly, we have shown that even though we are now in an age of wrath, we are also in an age of hope be-cause of the gracious provision God has made for man’s disobedience to Him. Greater still is the fact that this provision is for EVERYONE! “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the WHOLE WORLD” (1 John 2:2).

1. As you learned earlier in this study, Adam, by his action, disobeyed God’s just law. Adam was sentenced to death, and the death penalty was carried out. God had to do this because He could not change His own just laws. Because of Adam and Eve’s sin, sorrow and misery came into the world.

2. God knew beforehand everything that would happen. Therefore, in His wonderful plan, a way was opened for Him to remove the curse of sin and death from the human race without having to violate His own just laws. Further on in this study, you will learn that Jesus Christ was that way.

3. For a long time the nation of Israel offered animal sacrifices to God to cover over their sins. The blood of the animals was offered to make an “atonement” for the people (Lev. 17:11). The word atone means to ap-pease or satisfy one who has been wronged, which in this case was God. According to Lev. 4, the animals that Israel used in its sacrifices were “without spot or blemish.” They had to be as close to perfect as possi-ble. The blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat by the High Priest (Lev. 16:14). The mercy seat was the only place appointed by God from which Israel could once again receive His mercy.

4. According to Hebrews 10:1-4, the sacrifices offered by ancient Israel did not take away the sins of the peo-ple ... “if it could, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” What was needed was a life for a life. In Exodus 21:24 we find that God’s just law required an equal penalty to match each crime. Israel’s sacrifices did not perfect those who drew near to worship (Heb. 10:1). A perfect life was lost to sin in Eden, and ONLY another perfect human life offered as a sacrifice could meet God’s law and lift the penalty of death from humanity.

5. Hebrews 10:1 also tells us that Israel’s sacrifices were “only a shadow of the good things that are coming - not the realities themselves.” That shadow (or picture) found its fulfillment in Jesus Christ. He was the re-ality, as you will soon see.

6. Jesus, indeed, was the high priest who met our needs, “one who was holy, blameless, pure, set part from sinners” (Heb. 7:26). According to 1 Peter 1:18,19, he was “a lamb without blemish or defect.” His sacri-fice was foretold long beforehand by Isaiah in 53:7&8: “He was led like a lamb to the slaughter - cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken.”

7. The sacrifice of Jesus’ perfect human life could and DID offer to God a sacrifice equal to the perfect life lost in Eden. John the Baptist saw Jesus as “the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29)! Jesus did that by shedding his blood on the cross. Heb. 9:22 tells us that “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness,” no remission of sins possible. In 1 John 1:7 we read, “the blood of Jesus pu-rifies us from every sin.” His blood spilled out symbolized his perfect human life sacrificed on our behalf, “for the life of a creature is in the blood” (Lev. 17:11).

8. The word ransom means a corresponding or equal price. Jesus’ perfect life corresponded exactly to the per-fect life of Adam that was lost through sin. “For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive” (1 Cor. 15:22), in that our Lord’s sacrifice of his perfect human life satisfied God’s just law. “For 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 Tim. 2:5,6 KJV).

9. Yes, because of Adam’s sin, death followed and has been with mankind ever since; but, PRAISE GOD, we are now offered life through Jesus, since ALL will be made alive! Notice the great opposites contrast-ed in the preceding verses: DEATH through Adam and LIFE through Christ. By remaining perfect until his death, Jesus became the “last Adam.” He is called this in 1 Cor. 15:45.

10. According to 1 John 2:2, Jesus is the “propitiation for our sins.” (KJV) The NIV says he is “the atoning sacrifice,” because “propitiation” means “atonement.” Jesus is the source of that atonement, a restoration to God’s favor. Since he fulfilled the shadow of good things to come, it is now through him, our mercy seat, that we obtain God’s mercy when we fall short.

11. Earlier in this study we learned that Jesus became our high priest through whom we approach God. The high priests who performed all the sacrifices for ancient Israel could NEVER be compared to him! Their sacrifices, though offered every year, never saved Israel from death, but Heb. 10:10 declares that Jesus of-fered himself up but “ONCE FOR ALL!” If you have a Bible, study also the next 11 verses of this chapter. “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens (gone into heaven), Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are, yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Heb. 4:14-16).

12. We learned from studying 1 Tim. 2:5,6 and 1 Cor. 15:22 how the ransom (corresponding price) Jesus paid is for ALL!. What does the word all mean to you? The amazing promises of the Bible offer hope to all the people now living, who have ever lived, or who will live on this planet; otherwise, it CANNOT be said that Jesus died for ALL!

13. While it was Jesus alone who paid the price, there is a select group of people who will be with him to bless all the families of the earth. If you understand the meaning of the word church, it will help you to better understand the ransom for all. It comes from the Greek word ekklesia and means “a calling out.” On the three times Jesus used this word (Matt. 16:18; 18:17), he was speaking of a group of people who were called out of the world to be of the church. Those who will be part of the overcoming church are those who serve and obey God in faith unto death (Rev. 2:10). The church is NOT a “building” as many think.

14. Only a few of the billions of people who have lived on this earth are accepting God’s call to understand the Gospel message - only as many as God is calling (Acts 2:39). According to 2 Peter 1:4, the church (those

being called out) will escape the corruption that is upon the world. The “god of this world,” Satan (2 Cor. 4:4), has blinded the minds of those who do not believe in Jesus.

15. Those being called out of the world are told to keep themselves “unspotted from the world” (James 1:27 KJV). Jesus will present them “without stain or wrinkle or any blemish, but holy and blameless” (Eph. 5:27). It is wonderful that God loves each one of us so much that He sent His Son to die on the cross. This doesn’t just enable us to escape the death penalty placed on Adam, but by accepting Jesus as the Lord of our lives and allowing him to direct our lives, we can become his bride and reign with him as a kingdom of priests on this earth during that glorious age soon to begin!

16. All believers, whether they be Jew or Gentile, are called to ONE hope (1 Cor. 12:13; Eph. 4:4). In Exodus 19:4-6 the nation of Israel was told they would be God’s “treasured possession - a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” - if they fully obeyed Him. Since they were the first to receive God’s promises, Jesus went first to them with his message (Matt. 15:24), but most of the Jews rejected him (John 1:11). The kingdom was then taken away from them, as prophesied by our Lord in Matt. 21:43, and given to the Gentiles. Ac-cordingly, almost the same promise given to the Israelites in Exodus 19:4-6 was then given to the church: “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God” (1 Peter 2:9,10).

17. The destiny of the church is far greater than merely to be with Jesus as inactive members in heaven. God would not have given them titles if He didn’t also have a position of authority for them. They will be giv-en “authority over the nations” to “rule” (Rev. 2:26,27). When the church becomes the “bride,” it will be made unto God “kings and priests ... and they will reign on the earth” (Rev. 5:10). They not only will judge the world but even angels (1 Cor. 6:2,3). All who overcome will sit with Christ ON his throne, not as mere worshipers before the throne (Rev. 3:21).

18. In future studies, you will learn why those of the church who remain faithful until death will rule on the earth, as well as the length of their rule. The point we hope you understand now is that God has a GREATER plan for those “called out” than He does for the world. They are called out of the world to one day rule and judge it! God, however, DOES have a plan for ALL the people of earth (as you will see lat-er); but it is NOT a plan of gloom and doom as some religious leaders would have you think!

1. At the end of Lesson No. 1, we quoted 1 John 2:2, which shows that Jesus did not die only for the sins of the church but also for the sins of the whole world. Since he DID die for all, EVERYONE must have the opportunity of benefiting by his death. Although all humanity was lost because of sin, God’s wonderful plan offers hope and salvation for all humanity, not just a chosen few.

2. “Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved” (Joel 2:32; Rom. 10:13). It is clear from this verse that in order to receive the salvation offered to everyone, one must first call on the name of the Lord. According to John 17:3, we must also know Jesus in order to gain life. The only way to really know him is by reading God’s Word. “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17 KJV). In verses 14 and 15 of this chapter, it also states that there must be a “preacher” in order for one to be able to hear. Since Jesus died as a ransom for ALL, and one must hear and come to know him in order to benefit from that ransom, it is essential that everyone who ever lived be given the opportunity of gaining that knowledge about him. Otherwise, dear student, these scriptures would be meaningless!

3. Concerning this present age, in Is. 60:2 it is written that darkness covers the people of earth. This is be-cause the god of this world, Satan, has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the truth (2 Cor. 4:4). Since Satan is responsible for their unbelief, we cannot blame them that the gospel of Christ has not yet shone through to them. This darkness has covered the earth ever since Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden. God’s truth has penetrated the vail of darkness to enlighten those who are called out (the church); but the rest of the people in the world still remain in darkness.

4. As a result of the darkness, and by inheritance, all are born into sin. “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me” (Psa. 51:5). Because of Adam’s sin, all people were made sinners (Rom. 5:19), and sin was passed down from generation to generation.

5. We are assured in Isa. 25:6-8 that one day God will “destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations. He will swallow up death forever.” How wonderful is that promise! It is that dark-ness (the shroud) that has kept people in ignorance of the true God; and praise God, one day it will be lift-ed!

6. Before Adam and Eve sinned, they knew God. There was no darkness hanging over the earth like a dark cloud, obscuring the knowledge of God. However, because of Satan, darkness has remained ever since. The text quoted in the previous paragraph presents a picture of how it will be when this earth is made new and that darkness is finally removed forevermore. The death that will be swallowed up is the Adamic death, passed down by inheritance through the generations.

7. By comparing verses 1-3 with 7 and 8 of Rev. 20, we find that the nations of earth are to be freed from Sa-tan’s influence for a thousand years. He will not be able to blind the people during that period of Christ’s reign over the earth. Speaking of the same period of time, Isaiah 11:9 states that the knowledge of God will cover the earth.

8. According to Rom. 5:17,18, people die because sin has been passed down through the generations; but through Jesus’ sacrifice “there resulted justification of life to all men” (NAS). This means that all people everywhere must have the opportunity of hearing about our Lord Jesus. “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for ALL the people” (Luke 2:10). “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29)! “The scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: ALL nations will be blessed through you” (Gal. 3:8). Compare this to Gen. 12:3, l8:18 and 22:18. Notice the word ALL in these verses harmonizes with 1 John 2:2, that Jesus did not die for the church only, but also for the whole world!

9. Although people continue to die because of inherited sin, God has promised a soon-coming day when Satan will be restrained from deceiving the nations. Then, when the darkness is removed, the knowledge of God will cover the earth, and all the people will have an opportunity to learn about the TRUE GOD (Habak. 2:14). In lesson #1 of this study, we read how Jeremiah, writing about this same future day, said a time would come when we would no longer die for the sins of our fathers (Jer. 31:29,30). All this will take place; but at the present time only those called to be of God’s true church are being transformed to the like-ness of Christ (Rom. 12:2). All people will eventually have the opportunity to hear about Christ and allow him to mold their lives in order to gain everlasting life on the earth, once they are no longer blinded by Sa-tan.

10. To understand more clearly the point we are making, please read Acts 3:19-23 if you have a Bible. Keep in mind that these verses were written after our Lord’s first advent and after his return to heaven. Notice how the heavens have received Jesus until his return in the future. When he does return, the restitution of all things spoken of by God’s prophets will begin. At that time “Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from among his people.” This is one more proof that EVERYONE will have an oppor-tunity to learn the truth!

11. Now, dear student, are you beginning to understand how Christ’s death was indeed a ransom for all? The church, whose members have been called out of the world, is now having its opportunity to gain everlasting life; but the world’s opportunity must wait until Jesus begins to reign with his bride. Then ALL shall know him, “from the least of them to the greatest” (Heb. 8:11; Jer. 31:33,34).

1. In the first lesson, we learned how paradise was lost. In this lesson, we will show how wonderful it will be on earth when that paradise condition is restored! This promise will become a reality because the “ransom for ALL” was paid by Jesus! Then is when a “bride”, with “the Spirit” (Jesus), will say, “Come...take the water of life freely. (Rev. 22:17 KJV).

2. Notice that in the scripture just quoted, it is Jesus and his bride (the body of Christ that will be composed of the faithful members of the church of the present age) who will offer “the water of life freely” to “whoso-ever will” (the world). This prophecy will not be fulfilled until after the full number of his “body” is com-plete and united with him as his bride, and this age we are now living in has ended.

3. The “water of life” mentioned above is first found in Rev. 21:6. Then, in Rev. 22:1-3 we read, “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the na-tions. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.” Noteworthy from this text is the fact that the “leaves of the tree” will heal the na-tions at the same time the water of life is offered. This prophecy of healing the nations has not yet been ful-filled for the world. It therefore is evident that the water of life has not yet been offered to the world.

4. Because of sin passed down from Adam, people are still dying every day. They are born into sin and strug-gle against it all their lives. In the verses just quoted, we read how “no longer will there be any curse!” The curse of death, finally removed, will grant the people an opportunity of everlasting life, free of the sins of the fathers.

5. The “bride” who offers the water of life to the world is first mentioned in Rev. 19:7, where it is stated that “the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.” Her marriage to the Lamb will mean Christ’s body is complete, and the earthly course of the church will have ended. Following the mar-riage, Rev. 21:2,9,10 presents a picture of the bride as the New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven. In verse 4 we read that “there will be no more death,” showing how the curse of Adamic death will be no more.

6. In the previous lesson, we touched briefly on Acts 3:19-23. The word restitution is used in the KJV to de-scribe the time “for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.” “Resti-

tution” means to restore something to its original condition. A close study of what God’s holy prophets wrote reveals to us how the perfect conditions on earth which once existed in Eden are the things which are to be restored.

7. We read how, because of disobedience by Adam and Eve, God cursed the ground (Gen. 3:17,18). Compare these verses with God’s promises in Psa. 67:4-6: “Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us.” This text shows that the curse of the land is removed at the same time the people of the world are judged righteously by God. The land will be restored to its Edenic conditions.

8. We have wars because sin entered into the world. When God is exalted in the earth, He will make wars to cease (Psa. 46:9,10). Micah 4:3 also bears this out. God will restore Edenic peace to the earth.

9. The hope of the church is to reign with Christ on earth; but in Psa. 37:11,29 a hope is offered to others be-sides the church who will live forever on the earth. “Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb shout for joy...” (Isa. 35:5-10). Although Adam and Eve lost perfect health, that, too, will be restored to the people.

10. According to Isa. 65:21,22, each person will build his own house, without the worry that someone might take it away. People will also benefit from their own labor, without having to share it with those who will not work.

11. Evil in today’s world is enthroned and righteousness is ridiculed. In Christ’s coming Kingdom, however, this situation will be reversed. Righteousness will be exalted and evil will be destroyed. “Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance. In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted” (Psa. 89:15,16 KJV).

12. When God’s “judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness” (Isa. 26:9 KJV). This certainly is not happening at this time. It is so much easier for the world to cheat, lie and steal, etc. Such are the products of sin which mankind has inherited; but, praise God, when righteousness is re-stored to the earth and Satan is removed, people will find it easier to be good than bad, to do right instead of wrong!

13. In summary, we recall how Adam and Eve had an opportunity of everlasting life on the earth when they were in Eden. However, because of disobedience, sin and death entered into the human realm and were passed down from generation to generation. Through the life, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, paradise conditions will once again be restored to the earth. Death, sickness and suffering will be removed. People of all nations will have the opportunity of gaining everlasting life. During the time of res-toration, when Jesus and his bride are reigning over the people of earth, paradise will have been regained by the people.

END OF STUDY