~*~ His Continuing Endurance ~*~
Before leaving for Ascension Convention 2007, I wanted to share something I had written a while back. At the end of February 2006, I had received a wonderful idea from my Lord and Savior for an amazing analogy "story" of His grace and love through His sacrifice. It is entitled "Does No One See Him Take My Place." It is nine pages long, so I will not post it here, but I will post an addition to the story that I wrote only a few short months after that. It is pasted below. What I have written is what I believe to be true about our Savior. He did so much more than just dying on a cross. He took Hell for us, too! I hope this touches you, makes you think, and makes you feel loved. For our Savior loves us more than we can ever fathom!
His Continuing Endurance For Our Love
“The Wages of Sin is Death.” We’ve all heard that verse, but have we ever stopped to think about what it means. Our sins deserve death and eternal death. Two deaths. If Jesus were to take our punishment and ransom us from death, He had to die twice! The Bible says that He was in the grave for three days. But what about the punishment of our eternal grave in Hell? Jesus talked about Hell several times throughout His ministry, and the Bible mentions Hell as filled with Fire and with the Gnashing of Teeth. Hell was conveyed as the eternal punishment for sin. So if Jesus were to truly ransom us from death, He would’ve had to take our Eternal Punishment in Hell. By His faith He condensed Everyone’s—Past, Present, and Future—Eternal Punishment in the Fires of Hell into three days. His Love is amazing alone through His scourging and through His death on the Cross, but what about after His death? If that were true that He ransomed us from Hell itself, ONE Second in Hell wouldn’t have even compared to all of the earthly torments He endured! Can you even imagine and fathom your Savior in Hell being tormented and tortured for your eternal punishment? No wonder the demons fear His Name! He defeated Hell! Our Hell! He took it ALL!
But His Love doesn’t stop there. In the same verse, “The Wages of Sin is Death,” we see that the punishment is Death. Not suffering but death. Just Death! Jesus could’ve just died on that cross or been killed in some other less inhuman way. All He had to do was die, but He didn’t. He suffered! Why? As the Bible says, Jesus came to give us Life and Life More Abundantly. The Life was our Eternal Life in Heaven that he purchased for us when He died and took our Eternal Punishment in Hell. The Life More Abundantly was purchased when He suffered, when His skin was ripped to shreds, and when His blood poured. His suffering was for our Peace, Hope, Joy, Health, Strength, and More! So Much More! His Love did not stop at taking our Eternal Hell Punishment, it continued into His suffering for our Abundant Life! Now that is Amazing! Before experiencing extreme and excruciating suffering in Hell, He was tormented and tortured on the Earth by those He was dying for! His Love is Indescribable, Incomparable, Inimitable, Unfathomable, Untamable, Unsurpassed, Unparalleled, Unrivaled, Matchless, Unique, and Perfect! Words cannot describe Him! Words cannot describe His Love!
But His Love does not even stop there! He loved us before He made us. He saw the ENTIRE future of every life He was to create before He created us. Before He created the world! While there was still the abyss of complete darkness! He saw it ALL! He saw everything He would have to do to hold us in His arms. He saw His suffering, His death, His torment in Hell, and our Unruly Lives of Unthankfulness! Yet He chose to create us, to die for us, to take our eternal punishment, and to continue to chase us while we ignore Him. There are no words! His Love is the Highest and Purest Love there was, is, and ever could be! So, Love Him! Thank Him! He created you, He suffered for you, He died for you, He took your eternal punishment in Hell, and He is still there, chasing you!
