God’s will was for Jesus to remain childless and to present himself as a perfect human sacrifice. His blood poured out in death would represent his perfect human life corresponding exactly to Adam’s life, and this he would use in buying all of Adam’s family to be his own. Thus Jesus would become “father” to this orphaned family, the “many” of whom he speaks at Matthew 20:28:

“The Son of man came, not to be ministered to, but to minister and to give his soul a ransom in exchange for many.”

CANCELING THE DEBT OF SIN

7. (a) How did Jesus obtain the “ready cash” to cancel mankind’s debt of sin? (b) How was he able to pay this over to Jehovah? (1 Corinthians 15:45)

⁷ Just like the kindly gentleman’s son in our illustration, who paid off the debts of the orphaned family, Jesus could cancel the debt of sin that the human family had inherited from Adam. However, Jesus must first have on hand the value of his life, like “ready cash,” to pay that debt. He had to die as a human in order to release his right to human life for use elsewhere. To this end, he willingly submitted to a cruel death at the hands of God’s enemies. But these enemies could not take from him that right to human life. It became now like “cash” in his hands. When God had resurrected him “in the spirit” and he had ascended again into heaven, he still had that “cash” on hand to pay over to Jehovah as a “ransom.” Thus he could buy back what Adam lost​—life for all Adam’s offspring.​—1 Peter 3:18; Romans 3:24.

8. What prophetic pattern does the Bible give of atoning for the sin of humankind? (Leviticus 16:34)

⁸ As in the case of the orphaned family described earlier, Jesus, as God’s agent, took action to relieve mankind of their distressed state. For more than one thousand five hundred years before Jesus made his great sacrifice, Jehovah had the Israelites enact, each year, a prophetic pattern of that procedure. On the annual day of atonement, Israel’s high priest slaughtered certain unblemished animals and carried their blood into the tent of worship (later, the temple), and there he sprinkled it before the mercy seat, which represented the judgment seat of Jehovah God himself. In this way he atoned for the sins of the people for another year.

9. How did Jesus fulfill the ancient pattern?

⁹ In his letter to the Hebrews, the apostle Paul describes in detail how Jesus fulfilled that ancient pattern:

“Christ entered, not into a holy place made with hands, which is a copy of the reality, but into heaven itself, now to appear before the person of God for us. Neither is it in order that he should offer himself often, as indeed the high priest [of ancient Israel] enters into the holy place from year to year with blood not his own [with animal blood, not that of a perfect human]. Otherwise, he would have to suffer often from the founding of the world. But now he has manifested himself once for all time at the conclusion of the systems of things to put sin away through the sacrifice of himself. And as it is reserved for men to die once for all time [due to Adam’s sin], but after this a judgment, so also the Christ was offered once for all time to bear the sins of many.” (Hebrews 9:24-28)

Thus in heaven Jesus completed the legal procedure whereby he could not only free mankind from their sins inherited from Adam, but also adopt them as his own family, to whom he can now administer everlasting life.

First, Jesus carries out an atoning work on behalf of his “little flock” of integrity-keeping followers, 144,000 in number, who are “bought from among mankind as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb [Jesus],” and who are to “rule as kings over the earth” with Christ Jesus. (Luke 12:32; Revelation 14:4; 5:9, 10) On the basis of Jesus’ sacrifice, these are brought into a “new covenant” with God as members of spiritual Israel, and each one of them must finish his course on earth in faithfulness, after which he shares in the resurrection to heavenly life. (Hebrews 8:8) A small remnant of this “little flock” is still serving on earth.

13. (a) What other group has appeared in recent times? (Romans 8:21, 22) (b) What happy prospect lies ahead for these? (Revelation 7:15-17)

¹³ But look! In more recent times a “great crowd” has appeared on earth, “out of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues,” numbering into the hundreds of thousands. These also are exercising faith “in the blood of the Lamb,” Jesus, and proving integrity to God’s sovereignty. Shortly, they are to pass through the “great tribulation” by which God will destroy Satan’s wicked system of things, and on into a cleansed earth that will be transformed into a paradise. (Revelation 7:9-14) Through the loving administration of his kingdom, Christ Jesus will then apply the merit of his great sacrifice in their behalf so as to raise them to the mark of human perfection. Those who adhere to God’s sovereignty under test will enter into everlasting life.

14. (a) What does Revelation 20:11-13 describe? (John 5:28, 29) (b) How are the resurrected ones to be judged? (Acts 24:15)

¹⁴ And again, look! As paradise is restored to earth, behold the fulfillment of Revelation 20:11-13:

“I saw a great white throne [in heaven] and the one seated on it [Jehovah God]. . . . And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and scrolls were opened. . . . And the dead were judged out of those things written in the scrolls according to their deeds.”

The masses of mankind in gravedom are to be restored to life on earth. They, too, are among the “many” of Jesus’ family, bought with his sacrifice, and whose imperfections he now removes. (Hebrews 9:28)