The Good News!

The world is broken. Human beings are damaged – mentally, emotionally, physically. We are harming this beautiful planet. We frequently hurt other people. We experience our own failures and disappointments and often aren’t happy and don’t feel good about ourselves. The world is full of pain and suffering; broken relationships; hatred; injustice; war; murder; crimes. Why?

The Word of God tells us that we live in fallen world that is satanically controlled and in rebellion against God and under a curse – because at the beginning of human history, Adam and Eve, who were real people, rebelled against the Creator – who is a real and good and wise and powerful Person. By listening to the Satanic Adversary, who is real and a fallen angel, and eating from the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which the Supreme Being warned them not to do, Adam and Eve joined the rebellion of the fallen angels.

The consequences of the Fall of Man were dramatic and immediate. Adam and Eve were alienated from the Creator. Their relationship with God was ruined; and every aspect of who they were was damaged. Their bodies, their souls, their wills, their minds, their spirits, the way they felt about themselves – were harmed, damaged, ruined, spoiled, corrupted.

The consequences of Adam and Eve’s rebellion was a ruined relationship with God; a damaged relationship to a fallen creation, because when Adam and Eve fell, the universe fell with them; a damaged relationship with other human beings; the ruination of human nature; domination by the Satan and the demons; and a destiny of death – the First Death – physical death, followed by the even worse Second Death – Gehenna, Hell, the Lake of Fire – which, like Heaven, is a real place.

The consequences of the sin of our first parents was transmitted to all of their descendants. That ruination of body, soul, will, mind, spirit; that damaged relationship to God and creation and other human beings; that loss of eternal life – all of it was passed on like a horrible disease, infecting all of us.

Because of our alienation from a God who is perfect and holy, and because of our fallen, sinful, rebellious human nature, there is not enough we can ever do on our own to end this alienation from God or its many tragic consequences. We can never be good enough or religious enough; we can never keep enough laws, or have our good deeds outweigh our bad deeds to end our alienation from the Creator or overcome the real and deadly forces of Satan, sin, the sin nature and death. No amount of laws, law-keeping, good deeds or human effort can ever be enough.

But the Good News is that the good and merciful Creator God did not leave us in that horrible and hopeless condition. God the Father sent the Redeemer, the One who is able to get us out of every aspect of this horrible situation. The Son of God, who is one with the Father in nature, yet distinct from the Father as a Person, was sent on a great rescue mission. The Son of God left Heaven, came to this planet, and became a human being. The Messiah was born into the royal family of the Chosen People. The young carpenter from Nazareth became our greatest rabbi, and lived a unique and perfect and sinless life.

Rabbi Yeshua did great miracles, demonstrating He was sent by God, and then did the greatest thing of all. He allowed Himself to be put to death on a cross. But death could not claim or hold this perfect, sinless Man. God the Father raised His Son from the dead and transformed His body. The death and resurrection of the Redeemer makes it possible for fallen human beings, spiritually dead in their trespasses and sins, to have all their sins, rebellious acts and transgressions forgiven and their alienation from God ended. They are redeemed from sin.

Those who know that God the Father and Messiah the Son are real, and transfer their loyalties to the Three-In-One God are removed from the control of the dark kingdom of Satan and the demons. They become citizens of the Kingdom of God. They belong to the Father and the Son. They are redeemed from the kingdom of darkness. They may experience the First Death – physical death, but they will not experience the Second Death. They will live forever as the honorable and eternal sons and daughters of God in the New Heavens, the New Earth and the New Jerusalem. They are redeemed from death.

And they are given a whole, new nature. They are born again; transformed; renewed; recreated; new creatures. And they are given the Holy Spirit of God, to live in them and guide them and empower their new nature to live in a way that honors God. They are redeemed from their old, fallen nature.

This is the Good News. This the Gospel. Before you leave this world, this is what you need to know and understand and respond to if you want to live forever. It is my prayer that you do!