There is a scene in the Bible that really stands out to me. One that many people get totally wrong.
Matthew 26:36-44- Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy. And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.
When Christ is praying for the cup to pass from Him, there are some people who think that Christ is praying that He won't have to die. But, this isn't the case at all.
Christ came to die. He came as a willing sacrifice. It wasn't death that He feared at all.
John 10:17-18- Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.
Not only was He willingly laying His life down as a sacrifice, but He was joyful about it because He knew that He would triumph over it!
Hebrews 12:2- Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Colossians 2:13-15- And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
So, if Christ came to die as a willing volunteer why would He be praying for this cup to pass? This cup must be something absolutely awful!
Psalm 75:8- For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture; and he poureth out of the same: but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them.
This cup was something that Christ had seen before. And, He had seen the devastation that it brought.
Jeremiah 25:15-16, 27-29- For thus saith the LORD God of Israel unto me; Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it. And they shall drink, and be moved, and be mad, because of the sword that I will send among them. Therefore thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Drink ye, and be drunken, and spue, and fall, and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you. And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup at thine hand to drink, then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Ye shall certainly drink. For, lo, I begin to bring evil on the city which is called by my name, and should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished: for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the LORD of hosts.
This cup contained the wrath of God which He would pour out on those that wrought evil.
Revelation 14:9-11- And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
This cup brings eternal damnation to those who have it dumped on them. And, this cup is only poured upon the wicked.
Psalm 11:6- Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup.
But, Christ is pure, holy, sinless! Christ is the Son of God! Why would He ever have to fear God's wrath?
John 18:11- Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?
Christ didn't fear God's wrath. He understood that. He knew that was something that He would have to endure. He feared becoming sin.
Hebrews 5:7- Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;
II Corinthians 5:21- For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Those who accept Christ as their Savior will never have to drink of the cup of the wrath of God. There is another cup from which they drink.
Luke 22:20- Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.
You see, Christ had told His disciples that there were two cups, but they didn't get it. He let them know that they would drink of one of those cups, but it's not the one from which He drank.
Matthew 20:20-23- Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him. And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom. But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able. And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.
Christ said they would drink from His (my) cup, not THE cup. There is a difference. What is in Christ's cup?
I Corinthians 10:16-17- The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.
Christ's cup is the church. Our fellowship. Our suffering. Our heirship.
Colossians 1:20-29- And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister; Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church: Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.
It's not something that is easy to understand. Paul said it was a mystery which had been hidden since before creation. The angels and the devils probably knew all about the cup of God's wrath. But, they didn't know that Christ would volunteer to drink it and would substitute another cup of His own in its place. The thought had never occurred to anyone that a soul could be ransomed, that a sinless sacrifice could negate an eternal law, or that the just would willingly take everything for the unjust.
When did Christ become sin? And, for how long did He remain in that state enduring the wrath of God because of sin?
John 2:4- Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.
Christ actually eluded to this all the time!
John 7:6, 30 - Then Jesus said unto them, My time is not yet come: but your time is alway ready. Then they sought to take him: but no man laid hands on him, because his hour was not yet come.
It was a specific time. A specific hour.
John 12:27-33- Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him. Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes. Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This he said, signifying what death he should die.
John 17:1- These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:
John 16:32- Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.
He knew exactly how He was going to die. He knew exactly how long He would be sin. And, He knew that this one hour would be the very first, and thankfully, very last time that He would ever be separated from God.
Matthew 27:46- And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
God cannot stand sin. And, He is angry with the wicked every day. His wrath will eventually be poured out on every sinner that has ever and will ever live.
But, there is a way to escape. You don't have to endure what has already been paid. Christ took our place on the cross and endured God's wrath on our sin so that you could escape this damnation.
Isaiah 53:10-12- Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 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.
When we make His soul the offering for your sin then God is satisfied. His righteousness and His justice have been appeased. Because the punishment for sin was paid.
If you reject Christ's offer of salvation, then you have to pay for your sin. It's an eternal payment. Christ was able to pay for every sin ever committed in just an hour because He was not only man, He was also God.
John 19:28-30- After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth. When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
Christ said it is finished. What? The payment for sin. It was paid in full in one hour by Christ once- and He will never suffer the wrath of God again.
You, however, will never see the end. You will never be able to say that you have made the final payment and are now debt free.
Christ not only paid the sin and lost His soul, but He went to hell. Not to suffer, but to preach.
Psalm 16:10- For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
1 Peter 3:18-22- For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.
He didn't stay in hell. He didn't live in Paradise in the heart of the earth. He spoiled principalities and powers in more ways than many perceive.
Ephesians 4:8-10- Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)
He took the souls of the righteous Old Testament saints out of Paradise in the heart of the earth and led them to Heaven.
Can you imagine living in "paradise" but being able to look across into a pit of fire and brimstone on the people with whom you use to live watching them suffer for their sin knowing that there is nothing you can do?
When Christ paid the sin debt it took care of the punishment for sins past, present, and future. Those saints who had died having their sin covered by the blood of bulls and goats could now have them wiped clean and could go live before God.
Revelation 1:17-18- And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
He was dead, and then He rose again. He is the only person to raise from the dead to never die again. And, He spoiled principalities and powers yet again by taking the keys of death and hell.
Dear reader, I set before you those two cups.
You can accept Christ's substitution or you can drink of the cup of the wrath of God yourself.
The choice is yours.
