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any time prior, because time is running out and Satan knows his time is
almost over, and his desire is to take all of humanity down with him. God
desires precisely the opposite.
Double Jeopardy
What causes man to stumble, then and now, is put under Jesus’ footstool.
Regardless of the religious prejudices over time, all the events that have
occurred are for our edification. This Jewish man named Jesus dedicated
t h i r t y - t hr e e y ear s o f l i f e f o r one purpo s e
, and that purpose was to fulfill in
part God’s Plan For Man. His testimony was that mere man, graced with
His Holy Spirit, would complete the mission as He prophesied.
Before the world was created, God conceived a master plan where Jesus
would appear as a mere man, so man would be created in the image and
likeness of Him. Jesus, God incarnate, would be born of a Virgin as
foretold. Condescending to be revealed in the flesh, He took the likeness of
mere man, [mere man created in Jesus’ image and likeness] in order to
reveal His Divine plan. Jesus revealed the secrets that were locked in
“time,” but used veiled language in order to show [reveal] how man would
successfully defeat Satan. Humanity labors against the unseen forces of evil,
and the struggle is much too difficult, which is precisely what Satan desires.
However, justice must prevail and double jeopardy does not serve perfect
justice. Double jeopardy is paying the price twice for the same offense, but
Jesus paid the entire price, once for all. Mere man may not be subjected to
the entire forces of evil; thus, mercy not sacrifice is the guiding principle.
Literally, on the sixth day of the week, a day before the Sabbath, Jesus
defeated Satan, accepting all the pain and suffering that he would inflict. In
a sense, Jesus bowed, but not as a fault; Jesus did not give Satan any
satisfaction, because He accepted the full weight of the suffering poured out
on Him. Satan wanted to break what he thought was a mere man, because
no mere man could have endured what Jesus willingly accepted. As the
persecution and sufferings began, Satan wanted Jesus to plead for mercy
and ask that the suffering stop. Jesus used these words, well in advance of
the day of suffering, so that they might know and so we should know: “If
you had known what these words mean,
‘ I de s i r e me r c y , no t sa c r i f i c e , ’
you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is Lord
of the Sabbath.”
(Matthew 12: 7-8)
Using prophetic language, Jesus pronounced
that the Son of Man would lord over Satan during the Sabbath period,
which is not just a day of the week, but a time period called “half a time.”