Chapter 5 — THE PLAN OF SALVATION

Sadness filled heaven. God and the faithful angels realized that Adam and Eve were lost. They knew now the world would be filled with people who would be sad, sick, and dying. There was no way sinners could escape the results of sin. All the family of Adam must die.SRme 1.108

I saw the lovely Jesus. I saw sympathy and sorrow on His face. I saw Him go to the Father who was covered with a very bright light. The angel who had been sent to tell me these things told me that Jesus was having a very serious talk with His Father. The angels were intensely interested in what God the Father and God the Son were talking about. Jesus was shut in three times by the bright light that surrounded the Father. We could see Jesus' form the third time He came out from talking with the Father. Jesus' face was calm. Jesus' face showed no worry or doubt. His face shone with love and beauty that words cannot describe.SRme 1.109

Then Jesus told the angels that a way of escape from the results of sin had been made possible for lost mankind. Jesus had been pleading with His Father. He offered to give His life to pay for the sins of human beings. Jesus would die for people's sins. Then people on earth could be forgiven for their sins. Through Jesus' blood and by obeying the law of God, people on earth could talk with God and eat the fruit of the tree of life in the garden again.SRme 1.110

At first the angels were not happy when Jesus explained God's plan for saving the people of the earth. He did not hide any of the difficulties in the plan. Jesus told the angels that He would have to bear the anger of God against sin. Jesus would take on Himself the sins of the guilty human family. He would be mocked and rejected. Only a few people would be willing to accept Him as the Son of God. Almost everyone would hate Him and reject Him.SRme 1.111

Jesus would leave all His glory in heaven. He would come to earth as a man. He would humble Himself by becoming man and would be tempted as people are tempted. This would help Him understand how to help people. Then, when His work on earth as a teacher would be finished, Jesus would be given into the cruel hands of wicked men. He would suffer all the cruelty and torture that Satan and his angels could get wicked people to do against Him. Jesus would die a horrible death. He would hang between heaven and earth as a guilty sinner. He would suffer terrible hours of agony. The angels would not be able to stand the sight. The angels would cover their eyes to keep from seeing what was happening. The pain in Jesus' mind would be much worse than the pain in His body. The weight of the sins of the whole world would be on Jesus.SRme 1.112

Jesus told the angels that He would die, but on the third day he would come out of the tomb. Then He would return to heaven to ask His Father to accept His death for guilty man and to forgive sinners.SRme 1.113