The Age of Salvation

With the Death, Resurrection, and Exaltation of Jesus, the Gospel arrived for all men and every nation to hear and believe.

After his resurrection, Jesus declared: “All authority in heaven and on earth is given to me; therefore, go and make disciples of all nations!” He then sent his disciples to announce his Lordship and Salvation to “the ends of the Earth.” The Era of Salvation began with his Death and Resurrection; therefore, his life-giving message must be announced to all men.

God exalted Jesus to the royal throne of David as promised in the Scriptures: “I will give you the nations for your inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for your possession,” and therefore, he sent his ambassadors to announce his sovereignty and salvation throughout the Earth. The Lamb now reigns from Zion – (Psalm 2:8, Revelation 14:1-5).

[Desert Dawn - Photo by NEOM (Saudi Arabia) on Unsplash]

The hour of salvation has arrived, and the message of the Gospel is being announced to all nations, summoning every man and woman to repentance and faith while the time remains before the final judgment:

• “And I heard a great voice in heaven, saying, Now is come the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ, for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, who accuses them before our God, day and night” – (Revelation 12:10).

• “And I saw another angel flying in mid heaven, having the everlasting Good News to proclaim to the Inhabitants of the Earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people. And he says with a great voice, Fear God, and give him glory, for the hour of his judgment is come. And worship him that made the heaven and the earth and sea and fountains of waters” – (Revelation 14:6-7).

By bestowing the Gift of the Spirit on his Church, Jesus empowers us to proclaim his Good News to the world, the one task he assigned to his Church before his Ascension:

• “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judaea and Samaria, and to the ends of the Earth” – (Acts 1:8).

• “Thus, it is written, that the Christ should suffer, and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I send forth the promise of my Father upon you. But wait in the city until you are clothed with power from on high” – (Luke 24:46-49).

This salvation is for men and women of every generation and ethnic group without exception. Jesus died and God raised him from the dead so that we no longer should live for ourselves but for Him.

God loved humanity so much that He “gave his only born Son” so all men might believe and receive “everlasting life.” Moreover, Jesus gave each of us the ministry of reconciling men and nations to His Father by proclaiming the Gospel of His Kingdom – (John 3:16, 2 Corinthians 5:17-20).

• “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For to you is the promise, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God will summon” – (Acts 2:36-38).

Because of his suffering “for our sins,” God raised Jesus from the dead and “highly exalted him, granting him the name that is above every name,” – JESUS - the name that means “Yahweh saves” – the ‘Salvation of Yahweh’.

The Book of Revelation presents a broad and graphic picture of this great messianic age that will culminate in our salvation in the New Heavens and New Earth. It is the “revelation and testimony of Jesus Christ.” He is the “the Faithful Witness” who testified to the word of God through his sacrificial death and now calls his churches to likewise bear faithful testimony, especially through times of persecution – (Revelation 1:1-6, 3:21, 12:17).

The saints who continue in their testimony will overcome the Dragon and find themselves standing in worship before the Lamb in his Holy City, New Jerusalem, along with the kings and nations of the Earth:

• “Therefore, they are before the throne of God, and they serve him day and night in his Sanctuary. And he who is sitting on the throne will spread his tabernacle over them. They will hunger no more, neither thirst any longer; neither will the sun strike upon them, nor any heat, for the Lamb that is in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them unto fountains of waters of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” – (Revelation 7:15-17).

FOR ALL NATIONS AND PEOPLES

God has “spoken” definitively and with eloquent finality through His Son, who alone “achieved the purification of sin.” Therefore, Jesus sits “at the right hand of the Majesty on High places” as the Great High Priest who mediates salvation for his people.

Christ and no other achieved victory over sin and conquered Death; consequently, his brethren no longer remain in bondage to sin and death. Even the realm of the dead is not beyond his authority – (Hebrews 1:1-4).

• “Since, then, the children participate in flesh and blood, he also himself in like manner partook of the same, that through death he might bring to nothing him who had the power of death, that is, the Devil, and might deliver all those who through the fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” – (Hebrews 2:14-15).

• “Fear not! I am the first and the last, and I am the Living one. I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and of Hades” – (Revelation 1:17-18).

Salvation is available to all men “through the faith of Jesus Christ for all who believe, for there is no distinction.” The offer of life is provided to all who believe and follow Jesus because of his faithful obedience. The Son of God “died for our sins,” even though we were “enemies of God” and “dead in our trespasses” – (Romans 3:21-22).

Considering his faithful act for us when we deserved only death, all that penitent men and women can do is respond to his generous offer with repentance and faith in Jesus and what God has accomplished in him.

Since His Son “achieved the purification of sins,” God is creating a new community composed of men and women from every nation who have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus, the ‘ekklésia’ or “Assembly.” Every person who places faith in Jesus becomes a member of this holy community – (Ephesians 2:15).

No nation, civilization, or political ideology can claim Jesus or his teachings as its property. His Gospel is a message for every man, woman, child, and nation on Earth; therefore, it transcends all national and cultural boundaries. His disciples proclaim one message for all men, whether “Jew or Gentile, bond or free, male and female, for all are one in Christ Jesus” – (Galatians 3:28).

• “And they sing a new song, saying, You are worthy to take the book, and to open its seals, for you were slain, and purchased for God with your blood men of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation, and you made them a kingdom and priests for our God. And they reign upon the earth” – (Revelation 5:9-10).

Finally, salvation is provided on the same basis to every man, woman, and child, namely, from the faith of Jesus Christ. All we can do is respond with repentance and faith to this offer and the self-sacrificial act of the Nazarene, who “gave his life” as the ransom price to free us from sin, Satan, and death.

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SEE ALSO:

• Salvation for the Nations - (The Good News announced by Jesus of Nazareth provides salvation and life for men and women of every nation and people)

• Redeeming the Nations - (The nations and the Kings of the Earth are found in the City of New Jerusalem because of the redeeming work of the Slain Lamb)

• The Royal Shepherd - (The Lamb’s reign commenced with his death and resurrection, and since then, he has been shepherding the nations toward New Jerusalem)

• The Salvation of the LORD - (Jesus means ‘Yahweh saves.’ In this Man of Nazareth, the Salvation promised by the God of Abraham and Israel has arrived for all men