The character of God was proclaimed to Moses on Mount Sinai: “And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty” (Exodus 34:6, 7). It was impossible for God to clear the guilty. Yet, His heart of mercy and love could not let the human race die without hope of restoration to their original state. How was this possible? “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other” (Psalm 85:10).

This is the essence of the plan of salvation! The penalty for sin, which is death, had to be paid; therefore a substitute had to take the place of man in order to secure his salvation. The Son of God, by whom humanity was created, offered Himself as the sacrifice for the guilty race. None but He could pay the price for our salvation. Fallen man could not satisfy the divine requirement, “for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). “The soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezekiel 18:20).

No person can atone for another, or for themselves. Each must die for their own sins. No angel could become a substitute. For although the unfallen angels are sinless, they too are only created beings. Only the Creator of humanity could buy back the human race. No other could equal the price nor meet the demand to redeem the lost. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

In order to rescue fallen humanity, God devised a plan in advance—thus a system was given to symbolize the great sacrifice of Christ. “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul” (Leviticus 17:11).

“The blood of the Son of God was symbolized by the blood of the slain victim, and God would have clear and definite ideas preserved between the sacred and the common. Blood was sacred, inasmuch as through the shedding of the blood of the Son of God alone could there be atonement for sin.”—God’s Amazing Grace, p. 55. The children of Adam were to show their faith in the Lamb of God who was to come, by offering as a sacrifice the firstlings of their flock.

The ancient patriarchs and prophets firmly believed the truth of the atonement (or the death of Christ as a ransom) for humanity. The sacrificial animals were only types—a representation—of the true Sacrifice which was yet to come: “But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God” (Hebrews 10:3–7).

The prophet Daniel foretold the time when the Messiah was to be anointed. This was fulfilled at Christ’s baptism, which was at the start of His ministry. “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the streets shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times” (Daniel 9:25). In prophecy, a day represents a year. (See Numbers 14:34 and Ezekiel 4:6.) Daniel’s prophecy gives a period of 7 weeks plus 62 weeks, a total of 69 weeks. Starting from the time of the issue of the commandment to restore and to rebuild Jerusalem (which was destroyed by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar 70 years before), to the completion of the building was to take seven weeks, then another 62 weeks would bring us to the time of Christ’s baptism. The historic commandment to rebuild Jerusalem was given by king Artaxerxes of Persia in the year 457 B.C. Ezra 7:11–26. Therefore, 7 weeks, (or 49 days = 49 years) brings us to 408 B.C., exactly the date when the rebuilding of Jerusalem was completed. Taking the remaining 62 weeks (or 434 days = 434 years) brings us to the exact date of Christ’s baptism: a.d. 27. This was Christ’s anointing with the Holy Spirit. See Luke 3:21, 22 and Acts 10:38.

Micah foretold the place of his birth: “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting” (Micah 5:2). The scriptures indicate that Jesus was indeed born in Bethlehem, the city of David: “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem” (Matthew 2:1).

It is estimated that there are 35 specific prophecies of the betrayal, trial, death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. All were fulfilled in 72 hours!

Isaiah gives a vivid description of the cruel torture and shameful death of Christ more than 700 years before it occurred! Prophecy recorded a moving description which is accurate in every detail, that one could almost believe that Isaiah was an eyewitness of the sufferings of Christ. “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, and was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken” (Isaiah 53:3-–8).

In the book of Psalms we read about the manner of His death: “My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death. For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet” (Psalm 22:15, 16).

After enduring hours of excruciating pain on the cross in the heat of the day, with parched tongue Jesus said: “I thirst” (John 19:28). Cruel hands had driven the nails through the hands and feet of the Son of man, then lifted up the cross, and with a sickening thump if fell into the hole prepared for it; thus further tearing the wounds in His hands and feet! Prior to His crucifixion He was dragged from one judgment hall to another, cruelly beaten, mocked and scourged. Thus He had to share the death of the common criminal in the cruel way of crucifixion.

What a spectacle! The innocent Lamb of God tortured to death! Dear friend, that is the price He paid for you. In order that you might live, He voluntarily took your place, and died for you. “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:20). So great is God’s love for fallen man, that He permitted His Son to come and meet life’s peril as every human being must face it.

The human father yearns over his son. The earthly parent longs to shield his child and protect him from temptation and conflict. To meet a greater conflict and a more fearful risk, our Almighty God risked His only begotten Son to save us!

“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:18, 19). “The precious blood of Christ” is the price paid for our redemption. The whole treasure of heaven was poured out in that one Gift. What a price! Every one who avails themselves of God’s free offer of salvation through His Son, now doubly belongs to Him, firstly by creation and secondly by redemption. Such a one will exclaim with the apostle John, as he contemplates the Gift of God: “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God” (1 John 3:1).

What did Christ gain through His death? We read in the Scriptures that the way to salvation is narrow, the gate strait and that there are but few who find it. The question may be asked: Was it worth all that much? Just what did the Saviour gain by His sacrifice? Through obeying the devil, man had lost the dominion over this world given him at creation (Genesis 1:26), but through the death and resurrection of Christ the first dominion was regained. God’s authority was restored.

The world, lost in sin, and thus brought at enmity with God was, through Christ, reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:19). On the cross, Christ obtained the victory over the devil, and henceforth we should regard Satan as a conquered foe. “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2:14).

Jesus was willing to pay the price of our salvation with His own blood and by faith He saw the reward: “He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong: because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors” (Isaiah 53:11, 12). Christ obtained for us a perfect and complete salvation. “Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; and being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him” (Hebrews 5:8, 9).

“As one is drawn to behold Jesus uplifted on the cross, he discerns the sinfulness of humanity. He sees that it is sin which scourged and crucified the Lord of glory. He sees that, while he has been loved with unspeakable tenderness, his life has been a continual scene of ingratitude and rebellion. He has forsaken his best Friend and abused heaven’s most precious gift. He has crucified to himself the Son of God afresh and pierced anew that bleeding and stricken heart. He is separated from God by a gulf of sin that is broad and black and deep, and he mourns in brokenness of heart. . . .

“God reveals to us our guilt that we may flee to Christ, and through Him be set free from the bondage of sin, and rejoice in the liberty of the sons of God. In true contrition we may come to the foot of the cross, and there leave our burdens.”—Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, pp. 9, 10.

The Saviour will be perfectly satisfied when the redeemed of all ages stand before Him in His glorious kingdom. The plan of salvation will then be complete and peace and harmony will exist throughout God’s universe, forever!