| JESUS' CRUCIFIXION ~ 2 |
| Do you remember Satan, the bad angel? Satan loves to punish people. But once he punishes, the price has been paid for doing the bad thing, the sin. Jesus took the punishment for all of our sins so Satan couldn't punish us any more. Satan is happy when people obey him by doing bad. Then Satan can insist all bad people be punished by dying forever. Everyone has obeyed Satan sometimes and done bad things. But Jesus didn't want us to die forever, so he died in our place. To die forever means that we cannot come back to life after we die and live with God in his heavenly home. What is heaven like? It is full of light. Therefore, if we don't live forever in heaven, we will be where there is no light ~ it is dark all the time. Heaven is full of sweet incense like scented candles. Therefore, if we don't live forever in heaven, we will be where it is smelly all the time. Heaven has a foundation, which is like the bricks holding your house or apartment up off the ground. Therefore, outside of heaven there is no foundation, but just something with no bottom. Heaven has walls to keep us safe inside. Therefore, outside of heaven there is nothing to keep us safe. Heaven is full of happy people with no tears. Therefore, outside of heaven are only unhappy crying people. Since Jesus was taking our punishment for us, he had to go where there was no heaven to let Satan punish him with the forever death. It was terrible there in hades. Satan laughed because he likes people to suffer. Jesus took our death punishment for us, and broke into the forever death place of hades in our place telling Satan, "Punish me, not them! Punish me!" But Jesus was stronger than Satan and stronger than us. He broke out of Satan's forever death, Satan's hades. That is something we would never be strong enough to do. Then Jesus told the whole world just to believe he took our place and follow the things he did in his life, and he will let us live with him and his father in their safe home ~ heaven. But he will not force us to follow him. Jesus loves us more than we can imagine. He loves you, your family, your friends and everyone in the whole world. He did everything he could to save us from Satan. Aren't we lucky? |