The How and Why of Christ’s Suffering Part 4: In the Garden

The suffering Jesus suffered was so great that it caused blood to come from every pore like sweat and, thus, the necessity of an angel being sent to strengthen him. You and I would have died if we had undergone such an ordeal.

Many, who have no wish to understand, mock this sacrifice from an unjust God, saying they couldn’t believe in such a cruel God. Jesus wasn’t forced into this. He did it of his own free will and choice from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8), which means he was chosen to do this work even before Adam and Eve were placed on the earth.

He did this great intercession that we all might have the opportunity to return to the presence of God, even as he did. His great love for us was the motivating factor for this great sacrifice. Thus, he not only becomes our Savior, he becomes our God, even as we read in John 1:1-3, being God with God from the very beginning.

As to the cruelty of the cross, this was simply the cruel way the Romans disposed of those who rebelled against them. They murdered hundreds of people in this manner, often lining roads with their impaled dead bodies and/or heads so that all might see that it wasn’t a good idea to rebel against Mother Rome. As to why Jesus was killed in this cruel manner, I believe it had to do with the way the Jews presented Christ to the Romans—as an insurgent, if I remember correctly.

I’m not sure I did an adequate job of explaining this great and mysterious sacrifice, but hopefully it will give all Christians who read this something to think about.

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The Importance of the Foundation of the World

What does the scriptures mean when they talk about the foundation of the world? Is not the foundation of the world the beginning of the world, even as the foundation of a house is the beginning of a house? It’s important to realize this because there are a number of scriptural references of existence BEFORE the foundation of the world. Here are a few:

7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.

8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.

What does it mean, “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world”?

First of all, we know that this “Lamb” refers to Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Would any doubt that? Second, this would indicate that the “Lamb”, or Christ, existed at the time of the foundation of the world; or, in other words, at the beginning of the world. And this we know from John 1:1-5, 14. In this case, Jesus Christ was known as the Word.

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2 The same was in the beginning with God.

3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

By this we know that the Word, or the Lamb, was God “In the beginning”, or we might say, from the foundation of the world. So, at this point we at least know that God, meaning the Word or the Lamb, was in the beginning “with God”, meaning the Father. So we know that Jesus existed in a spirit form before the world was formed. We don’t know in what form the Father existed at this time, or ever, for that matter, at least from the Bible. But we know that he was there “in the beginning” with Jesus, who was the “only begotten of the Father”, meaning as pertaining to this earth.

Let us look at Revelation 1:8 for another reference to the foundation of the world.

8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

From this we learn that there will be those on earth “whose names were . . . written in the book of life from the foundation of the world”. That would indicate that these, at least, were with Christ and the Father “in the beginning”, or, in other words, from foundation of the world. After all, where else would they be but with Christ and the Father?

That would also indicate that these existed as spirit bodies, for what else would they be? Is it not an accepted fact among thinking people that we are not our bodies but we are that which inhabit our bodies and make them operate, albeit at a unconscious level? And when our spirits leave these bodies, our bodies die and are interred into the ground. And by this we can also say that those whose names are NOT written in the book of life from the foundation of the world also existed in spirit form “in the beginning”. In other words, we ALL existed in the beginning with the Father and his Only Begotten, Jesus Christ.

From Job 38:4-7 we read:

4 Where was thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou has understanding.

5 Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? Or who hath stretched the line upon it?

6 Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? Or who laid the corner stone thereof;

7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

From this we learn that the sons of God were present at the laying of the corner stone of the earth; or, in other worlds, at the foundation of the earth. We can assume that the daughters of God were also present. Why wouldn’t they? Wouldn’t they also be as joyous as the sons of God? Could the “stars” be a symbolic reference to the daughters of God? Certainly they would have more reason to be joyous and break into song than the actual stars of heaven over the impending creation of the earth. And, they ARE mentioned in the same breath as the sons of God. Regardless, that’s what I choose to believe.

And of course we have that great statement in Jeremiah 1: 5 spoken by God:

5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

From this we learn that not only did Jeremiah exist before this life but that God knew him PERSONALLY! And ordained him to be a prophet before he ever came to earth! And if God knew Jeremiah personally, do you not think that he knew each of us personally as well? Of course he did. Why wouldn’t he?

One of the important things we can take away from all this is that, if we existed before we were born, and we did, then we will surely exist after our bodies are laid to rest. Jesus Christ is the perfect example of that, as illustrated in the New Testament when he rose from the dead in a transformed and perfect body. So, when you have lost or will lose loved ones to the “other side”, you can be sure that you will have the opportunity to see them again after you yourself have gone the way of all those before you.

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