...With grief, indescribable grief, God must now cast out this object of his love to be forever banished from His presence... Read Part 1 here.
Awe, there it was, a planet that they would call Earth. Now it was dark and empty, but soon it would be full of glory beyond compare. There, God the Father and God the Son would soon make man, an altogether new kind of creation. Within six days the workmanship was complete and stood forth in exceeding beauty, a treasure all of its own.
A tree had been placed on Earth in order to allow mankind to choose whom they would serve - either their Creator and benefactor or the adversary now called Satan. Adam and Eve had been amply instruction in regard to the tree and the deceiver, but oh how subtle this villain worked until at last he had caused the man and his beautiful wife to partake of the forbidden fruit.
Satan triumphed, but as the news of man's fall spread through heaven. Every harp was hushed. The angels cast their crowns from their heads in sorrow. It was a painful realization to think that man was lost, and the world that God created was to be filled with mortals doomed to misery, sickness, and death, and there was no way of escape for the offender.
An expression of sympathy and sorrow came upon the countenance of the Creator. Was the world so recently created now lost to His tender care? The angels waited in intense anxiety as a council was held to determine the destiny of the guilty pair. When the Creator came forth he made known to all the expectant host of heaven that a way of escape had been made for lost man.
At first, the angels could not rejoice, for their commander concealed nothing from them, but opened to them the plan of salvation in all its hues. He told them how He would stand between the wrath of his Father and guilty man, how he would bear the iniquity and scorn, and how but few would receive him. Nearly all would hate and reject him but for the joy of those few who would chose His love and ways, the sacrifice would be worth all the agony.
Then joy, inexpressible joy, filled heaven. Touching their harps the angels sung a note higher than they had ever yet sung and raised their voices in praise and adoration for the great mercy and condescension of God in yielding up his dearly Beloved to die for a race of rebels.
Adam and Eve stood as criminals before the righteous Judge, awaiting the sentence which transgression had incurred. The Creator would not leave the desperate couple in their sad estate. Commissioning Angels to carry the glad tidings to Earth, He instructed them to inspire hope to the disparaging man and his wife. “Go,” He told them, “tell them of my love, tell them of the plan that I have laid for their restoration, carry them through time and let them see my goodness.”
With ruptured wonder, the angels laid clearly before Adam and Eve the exceeding love of God in yielding up the life of His precious son to die for their wretched state. They told of the future agony and torture that the Son of God would bear in laying down His life an offering for many. They sought to reveal the scenes of His life, being born as a baby, living as a man, His final trial, and ultimate death. They portray how He would be despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and accounted with grief.
In deep remorse and anguish Adam and Eve pleaded that the penalty might not fall upon Him whose love had been the source of all their joy; rather let it descend upon them and their children. The plan of Salvation had already been laid and now it was only for them to accept it and keep it continually in their view. To Adam was given the task of slaying an innocent lamb and offering its life as a sacrifice. This was a most painful ceremony for Earth’s first man. He had never before witnessed death and as his hand was raised to slay the innocent victim, he trembled at the thought that his sin must shed the blood of the innocent Lamb of God.
With the first pains of childbearing, Eve clung to the hope that this, her baby, would be the promised Redeemer. The time that had passed between their expulsion from Eden and this moment had felt like a small eternity. Grief at every turn had marked the path that they had trod and how they longed to see the face of their Creator and dear friend once more. Little did Eve comprehend that 4 thousand long years were to pass before the Savior was to be born. These years would be marked by thousands of dear mothers who wished that their baby would be the one who would Ransom the nations. It would be impossible for me to describe to you the longing that was present through this time for that promised one. In every Sacrifice, they witnessed His death and clung to the hope that He would soon appear and forever eradicate sorrow and death.
Just in sync with the prophetic schedule, an angel was sent to give glad tidings to a virgin from the small town of Nazareth. The sweet news that the angel brought to Mary that day is a message that thrilled the heart of those who were still expectantly longing for the Promised One. “Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest.”
When the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His son; not into the families of the rich and highly honored, but to meet the temptations of the poor and despised. It was of this class that Jesus family was made up. Rude and foreboding would be his earthly surroundings and in abject poverty and misunderstanding would he live out His days. In harmony with this was the long and weary trek to Bethlehem. Especially for the mother of Jesus was this a tedious endeavor and mile after mile the very pregnant woman rode on the back of a crude animal. Though their outward surroundings were unfavorable angels did not leave their side, but traveled the many miles with Joseph and Mary.
At last the city was in sight. Just a few more steps now. Soon their tired feet would be able to recover. Oh, how good it would be to finally rest. Upon reaching Bethlehem they commenced the task of seeking shelter for the night. Up and down the streets they trod but all the inns were apparently full with travelers who had made their way before. Non realized that this common young lady in the dress of the poorer classes was soon to deliver the Redeemer of the world. It seemed as if there was no place to lay their weary heads for the night.
In a barn, Joseph and Mary were finally directed to rest for the night. As Joseph opened the door, an almost unbearable smell came blasting upon them. It was easy to see that keeping up with the manure was an unmanageable chore and had gotten far behind. The many animals of the travelers crowded close to one another. To fit just one more beast may be more than this small enclosure could contain. An unpleasant place it was, especially for the birth of a baby. But angels stood close to encourage the weary spirits.
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