[184]All the human race, then, from Adam until now having been born imperfect, it follows that if any ever get full life and the right to life he must get it through the loving Jehovah God.  Unless God had made some provision for the redemption of man from death and the lifting up of him again to the condition of life, the time would come when there would be no people on the earth.  We remember that Adam lived 930 years; and now a man scarcely lives to be half a century old.  The race has been degenerating for centuries, growing weaker and weaker, and ultimately all would come to that condition in which they would be unable to transmit even the spark of life, and the earth would be depopulated.  Hence we see our utter dependence upon God; and if we find the great Jehovah has made a provision for us to live, that ought to fill our hearts with gratitude; and as we further examine his great plan it should fill our hearts with boundless love for him.  And surely that provision would bring joy to the heart and enable one to see that such provision constitutes one of the strings upon the great harp of God.

REDEMPTION FORESHADOWED

[185]At the time that Jehovah entered the judgment or sentence against man he vaguely hinted at a time coming when man should be released from that judgment.  Satan, one of whose names is the old serpent, was the first inducing cause of sin.  And God at that time said to him:  “I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head”. (Genesis 3:15) This foreshadowed the fact that ultimately Satan should be destroyed and that the same would result as a blessing to man.

[186]But we must remember that the judgment of God entered against man must stand forever.  It could not be reversed or set aside or annulled, for the reason that Jehovah cannot deny himself.  Nor could any of his creatures have faith in him if he changed his mind.  While it is true that this judgment must stand forever, it is equally true that God could make a consistent provision for having the terms of the judgment met by another, equal to Adam; and this is exactly what we find the Scriptures to disclose that he did.

[187]Jehovah desired that man should understand the necessity and reason for providing redemption, that when man does understand it he will rejoice in the loving-kindness manifested by God toward him.  For this reason God caused certain pictures or types to be made by his people.

[188]On the night that Jehovah led the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt he caused a lamb to be slain and its blood sprinkled upon the doorposts of the house and the people to eat that lamb, and arranged that at midnight the death angel would pass through and smite the firstborn of every house where the blood did not appear upon the doorposts.  The firstborn here pictured the church, about which we shall see later, and which first must be saved before the blessing can come to the world in general.  The lamb pictured the one who should be the ransomer or redeemer of mankind.  The blood pictured the life poured out to provide a redemptive price.—­Exodus 12:3-17.