Appendix 8. The King of Kings

When Jesus took his seat on the throne, God wanted no one to dispute it, because he wanted Jesus to be the King of kings, acknowledged and obeyed by all. And what he brought about, with a love too great to measure, was the cross. People believe only that Jesus bore the cross for their sins, and that God, who loves them, made his Son bear the cross in their place. At this moment, look deeper into the heart of God. Of course we know that Jesus bore the cross because God said that sin can be forgiven only by blood. But was putting Jesus to death on a cross truly the only way the King of kings, the Almighty, had to forgive human sin? I hope you will consider this: must God, who created heaven and earth with a single word, have died so wretchedly on the cross for the sake of human beings alone? God watched Jesus pray in such agony that his sweat became drops of blood, and still God kept silent. From this we can see that God permitted it in silence because the cross alone was the way to make Satan, humankind, and all creation submit. He permitted the suffering of the cross because fulfilling God’s covenant was the way for Jesus to be acknowledged in power as King of kings.

By the power with which he willingly bore the cross, Jesus was acknowledged as the Son of God, as King of kings, and as Judge, and he took his seat on the throne in glory. The suffering of the cross was, in the end, God’s blessing and his love. The cross was the very essence of the love that lifted the Son on high and gave all glory to the Lord. The blood of that cross of suffering is in you now. Is that not astonishing? Should we not give thanks for such amazing grace? Even if the world mocks the cross and Christ, you who have been saved ought to give thanks.