The Cross and its Shadow

Introduction

In the government of God, law is the basis upon which everything is made to rest. Law is the foundation of God’s throne, the stability of His government and character, and the expression of His love and wisdom. Disobedience of this law caused the fall of Satan and his host. Disobedience to God’s commands by Adam and Eve opened the flood gates of woe upon the world, and plunged the whole human family into impenetrable darkness. But divine love had conceived a plan whereby man might be redeemed. This plan was revealed in the promise, “I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise His heel.” CIS 7.1

Since the divine law is as sacred as God Himself, only one equal with God could make atonement for its transgression. Hence, the seed of the woman could refer to none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. In this promise to our first parents a gleam of hope penetrated the gloom that enveloped the minds of the sinful pair, and when a system of sacrifices was made known to them that demanded the life of an innocent victim, they could see more clearly the import of the promise,-that it involved the death of God’s dear Son to atone for their sin and meet the claims of the broken law. Through this system of sacrifices, the shadow of the Cross reached back to the beginning, and became a star of hope, illuminating the dark and terrible future, and relieving it of its utter desolation. CIS 7.2

It was the reflection from the Cross that reached back to the antediluvian age, and kept alive the hope of the faithful few in those years of weary waiting. It was the faith in the Cross that sustained Noah and his family during that terrible experience when God was punishing the world for its transgression of His holy law. It was a knowledge of the Cross and its significance that caused Abraham to forsake his country, his kindred, and his father’s house, and sojourn with his sons in a land of strangers. It is written of him, “He believed in the Lord, and he accounted it to him for righteousness.” In prophetic vision, Moses was permitted to see the Cross of Christ, and understand more fully the significance of the brazen serpent he had lifted up in the wilderness for the healing of the people. It was this view that took away the sting of punishment for his own sin, and reconciled him to the decree that, “he must die in the mount, and be gathered to his people.” CIS 8.1

The simple system of sacrifices instituted by the Lord in the beginning to symbolize, or prefigure, Christ, was almost totally lost sight of during the bondage of the children of Israel in Egypt. Upon their return to Canaan, Moses, by divine direction, gave them a more elaborate system, designated in the Scriptures as the “sanctuary and its services.” This earthly sanctuary, with every minutia of its construction, equipment, and service, was to be built and operated in harmony with the pattern of the heavenly shown to him in Mount Sinai. Every form, ceremony, and detail of this service had a significance, and was designed to give the worshiper a more complete understanding of the great remedial system. CIS 8.2

In the sanctuary, the Cross of Christ is the great center of the whole scheme of human redemption. Around it clusters every truth of the Bible. From it radiates light from the beginning to the end of both dispensations. Nor does it stop here. It penetrates the great beyond, and gives the child of faith a glimpse of the glories of the future eternal state. Yea, more than this, is accomplished by the Cross. The love of God is manifest to the universe. The prince of this world is cast out. The accusations which Satan has brought against God are refuted, and the reproach which he has cast upon heaven is forever removed. The justice and immutability of God’s law are sustained, and angels, as well as men, are drawn to the Redeemer. The Cross of Christ becomes the science and song of the universe. CIS 9.1

It can be truthfully said of the author of The Cross and Its Shadow, as it was of one of old, that he is “mighty in the Scriptures.” In this book he is giving to the world, in condensed form, the results of the study of years upon this great theme. Through the figures and symbols used in the ministration in the earthly sanctuary, the author has made the closing work of Christ in the heavenly Sanctuary very clear. The similarity and connection between type and antitype have been made so plain that no one can fail to comprehend the great central truths of the plan of salvation as unfolded in the service and ministration of the earthly sanctuary. CIS 9.2

In these days of superficial study, and the consequent man-made theory of the plan of salvation, it is refreshing to find a book like The Cross and Its Shadow, which lifts up Jesus, and presents Him to the world as revealed in types, as shadowed in symbols, as prefigured in the revelations of the prophets, as unveiled in the lessons given to His disciples, and as manifested in the wonderful miracles wrought for the sons of men. CIS 9.3

As the Word is honored by the author, may the Holy Spirit, the great Teacher of righteousness, honor the author by making his book the means of saving many souls in God’s eternal kingdom. CIS 10.1

G. A. IRWIN,
Loma Linda, California.