"Because you have done this,
cursed are you...
I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
He shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel."
"She will be saved through childbearing."
He will not grow faint or be discouraged
till he has established justice...
I have called you in righteousness;
I will take you by the hand and keep you;
I will give you as a covenant for the people,
a light for the nations,
to open the eyes that are blind...
Behold, the former things have come to pass,
and new things I now declare..."
and the kingdom of God is at hand;
repent and believe in the gospel."
for thus it is fitting for us
to fulfill all righteousness."
and everything that is written
about the Son of Man
by the prophets will be accomplished."
a man of sorrows,
and acquainted with grief...
he was despised...
we esteemed him not.
Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows...
we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God,
and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions...
crushed for our iniquities...
the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his stripes we are healed...
He was oppressed,
and he was afflicted...
he was taken away...
cut off out of the land of the living...
he bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors."
"For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles
and will be mocked
and shamefully treated
and spit upon.
And after flogging him,
they will kill him..."
'Let him be crucified!'
...
'His blood be on us and on our children!'
...
Then the soldiers...
They stripped him
and put a scarlet robe on him,
and twisted together a crown of thorns,
they put it on his head...
They mocked him...
And they spit on him...
and struck him on the head...
When they had mocked him,
they stripped him of the robe....
and led him away to crucify him."
"From the sixth hour there was darkness
over all the land until the ninth hour..."
"Jesus, knowing that all was now finished,
said (to fulfill the Scripture).
'I thirst.'
...
When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said,
and he bowed his head
and gave up his spirit."
The Doomsday clock has been ticking ever since the first Watchmen comic. No one was ever quite sure what or how or why it was ticking down. But, everyone was certain that it was.
Whether it be a nuclear war or an alien invasion, the end was nigh. And, the same thing happens in the Christian story.
Ever since the Fall, the clock has been ticking. We knew there would be an end. There had to be a time to make things right. There would be some sort of salvation from our own demise. But, no one seemed to know what exactly would happen, when, or how. The past had been filled with prophecies and revelation, foretelling not only of an end, but a particular Savior. One Man. One God. This person would come, to save us from ourselves, finally making us righteous once again in the Lord's eyes. But, he would also bear our sufferings on his back.
The clock ticks...
And, ticks...
And, ticks...
Through-out the Exodus and the Exile, the Chosen people have been waiting.
And, then, it happens.
The appointed time (Καιρός) has finally arrived. The clock has struck down.
But, the people weren't ready. They wanted someone to save them here, now. They wanted a warrior leader, a visible kingdom, and a golden throne.
They had not recognized their Savior because they had forgotten who they should be looking for.
A servant, scorned, beaten, and humble... A lamb being led to the slaughter.
The signs were all there. The blind saw. The lame danced. And, He was there. But, the people weren't ready to come back from exile. They didn't heed his warning to repent (turn back) from their wanderings. And, they became hateful shouting "Crucify!!" instead of cheering "Hosanna!!"
But, this is how it needed to happen.
This is how it always needed to happen.
The prophecies rang true.
And, in Christ's suffering and death, he bore the sin of many... In his chastisement, he brought us peace... by his wounds we are healed... Although, we esteemed him not... he was burdened with grief... and carried our sorrows... his blood poured onto us and our children is the one thing that is able to cleanse us from our own sin... our iniquity.
That is how it had to be.
The clock strikes.
He breathes his last.
The chapter's finished.
But, we're still not done with the story.
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