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About Jesus - Steve (Stephen) Sweetman
A Deathly Scream
I
was almost asleep when suddenly a disturbing deathly scream outside my
window startled me. Something was in major distress. While
watering our flower garden the next morning I discovered that
"something" was our little backyard rabbit friend. He was
stretched out on the grass, eaten to the bone by a hungry predator.
I felt so sad. Yes, he did nibble on a few of our flowers, and yes,
I get the cycle of life stuff, but he was still a cute little guy we
called a friend. So I'm a sucker for cute animals, but why all of
this sad cruelty? Sad
negatives have been life's realities since the events recorded in Genesis
3, and let me say, "The Cross of Christ did not nullify the Genesis 3
negatives". They are rooted in Genesis 2:17 where Adam heard
that when, not if, he eats from that tree he will surely die. He
ate, and consider what happened next. Genesis
3 shows us that Adam and Eve's "marriage" suffered decay as seen
in covering their nakedness (verse 7). It worsened when Adam blamed
Eve and Eve blamed the serpent (verses 11 and 12). The serpent and
the ground were cursed (verses 14 and 17). Childbirth and work
became difficult (verses 16 and 19). Life in a glorious garden with
its tree of life was over (verses 22 and 23). Worst of all was that
Adam and Eve's relationship with God died as seen in them hiding from Him
(verse 9). Things went downhill from there as seen in the first
murder in chapter 4. From then on, life became the survival of the
fittest, and a little rabbit isn't all that fit. All of creation now
suffers with numerous negatives. Romans
8 speaks to this when it says all of creation became "subject to
frustration" (verse 20) and now exists in a state of "bondage
and decay" (verse 21). Furthermore, "creation has been
groaning as in pains of childbirth right up to the present time"
(verse 22). I heard those groans when our little rabbit friend was
dragged down our driveway to his death. "Not only so, but we
ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we
wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our
bodies" (verse 23). I certainly groaned when I heard those
deathly screams. So
there you go. Sad cruelties and negatives are par for the course of
life, but it will all end. Some day "the wolf will live with
the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion
and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them" (Isaiah
11:6). Clearly, the Cross of Christ did not nullify all of life's
negatives. Jesus
will put an end to this mess "after he has destroyed all dominion,
authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all
his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is
death" (1 Corinthians 15:24 - 26). Did you get that?
Life's negatives will only end "after", not before, Jesus
destroys all of His enemies, the last being death. Right now Jesus
is leading an angelic army as the universal spiritual battle is being
fought. Until the final battle is fought, the last being the killing
of death, we who have God's Spirit within us can experience the 1 Peter
1:3 reality. "His divine power has given us everything we need
for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own
glory and goodness". So, despite the sad cruelties, the
negatives and the eaten-to-the-bone lifeless rabbits, we can experience
divine energetic power that helps us survive the deathly screams of life,
whatever they may be. The scenario I've just set forth helps me in
the midst of the negatives of life I experience. Maybe it can also
help you.
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