Introduction 

Jesus of Nazareth was God in a human body. He emptied Himself of His divine abilities and made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness (Philippians 2:7). Living life as a human, Jesus had the authority of Adam to rule on the Earth (See Genesis 1). Unlike Adam, He relied on and obeyed Holy Spirit in all He did. Having died in full obedience to the Father, Holy Spirit brought Him back to life. Having defeated the ruling principalities and powers,Jesus could say,  “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me (Matthew 28:18).” Today I want to examine Jesus before and after the Cross.

Life Before the Cross

At age thirty, Jesus was called to do the work of service (ministry) that was His purpose on Earth. His cousin John baptized Him and Holy Spirit filled Him. He spent forty days fasting and seeking the Father in the Wilderness. The Enemy came and tempted Him.

Having successfully passed the tests, Jesus returned to Nazareth  in the power of Holy Spirit. and proclaimed that Yahweh’s Kingdom was within reach. He brought to people Eden’s benefits of provision, health, and deliverance. He even removed the shame put on tax collectors and women in adultery or a bleeding condition, men excluded by leprosy. Jesus taught reliance on the Father and obedience to His commands.

The powerful God- in-human- flesh said, “I do only what the Father shows me.” He said, “Abide in Me as a branch abides in the vine,” and “Take My up yoke and learn from Me.”

Jesus lived a life of utter dependence on, utter obedience to God, teaching His apprentices to do the same.

Death on the Cross

Jesus knew He was destined to endure physical agony, the burden of  guilt and shame, separation from the Father, and death for all of Humanity. He asked the Father three times if He could avoid drinking that cup. Yet, He held on to the Father’s will instead of His own.

God’s Anointed One undured the physical torture of a Roman whipping and nails being driven through His feet and wrists. He endured the emotional torment of carrying Humanity’s guilt before God, shame of exposure, and paralysis on the Cross. He died of despair from separation from the Father due to carrying Humanity’s guilt. Literature of Western civilization describes His torment in Hades.

Because Jesus was totally innocent of rebellion against God, the principalities and powers of religion and politics did wrong by putting Him to death. He was able to legally overturn their previous right to steal from, kill, and destroy all humans. He took the keys of Hades and Death, having defeated them on the Cross (Colossians 2:15).

After His Return to Life

Jesus spent forty days appearing to His apprentices, proving His return to life and instructing them about His Kingdom. He said that the benefits of Eden were open to them, reconciled with Peter (if not others like His brother James), and told them to wait for Holy Spirit power before going into all the world.

He returned to Heaven to sit at the right hand of the throne of the Creator. With authority over all the peoples of the Earth, Jesus takes all believers into Himself as His body, His Ecclesia, of which He is the head. He fills His Ecclesia with Holy Spirit and instructs them to rely on and obey Him by the power of Holy Spirit. We are to be stones, built together into a Temple on Earth. In the end, a new Eden (Jerusalem) of provision, health, protection, vulnerability without shame will exist on the Earth.

Parousia 

When the Ecclesia has brought the benefits of the Kingdom sufficiently into all the Earth, Jesus will return to take up His throne in Jerusalem. All believers, dead and alive, will go out to meet Him in the air and escort Him back. 

All will live and reign on the Earth in their individual spheres of life. We will live in sacrificial love in our relationships with each other. Each will pursue his/ her purpose, serve it to people near and far, and create wealth. We will give praise and thanks to God, offering our bodies as living sacrifices in worship. This will cause all the Earth to flourish with Eden growth and cultivation. Maybe some will explore other worlds and phenomena in Space.