The human race is lost, many of us unaware of our need for rescue. We have lived in the wilderness for so long that we forgot we were nomads, wandering in search of a spiritual home. Some of us gave up looking for that home long ago. We pitched our tents in Satan’s kingdom of cold darkness and decided we best get comfortable. But others of us refused to be pacified. We pressed forward toward the mark, with map in hand, determined to enter the Promised Land. Although we sensed an other-worldly power working against us and leading us astray—toying with our thoughts and emotions as if we were puppets on a string—we continued to traverse through this wilderness valley in pursuit of the summit. We recognized we went astray and committed to returning to our Heavenly Father. Once on the edge of the wilderness, God reached out to us, embraced us, and restored us like the Prodigal Son: “Rejoice… he was lost and was found” (Lk 15:32). The Divine Rescue of the Human Race speaks to these themes and my own interpretation follows.
The man in the golden mask at center represents Satan, that archrival of God. Satan’s power derives from deception. He deceives the nations (Rev 20:3) in an attempt to frustrate the plan of God and keep people from accepting Christ into their hearts. He is called the father of lies (Jn 8:44) and the god of this age who blinds the minds of men (2 Cor 4:4). Depicted as a puppeteer in the artwork, Satan assigns one of his minions to guard the lost man with a map. The puppet strings ascend from the man’s mind, illustrating Satan’s influence over thoughts and intellect. The man with the map peers over his shoulder at the Father receiving the prodigal son, unaware of the battle waged for his soul in the spiritual realm. Some inexplicable force compels him in the other direction: “the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one” (1 Jn 5:19).
While Satan’s power derives from deception, Christ’s power derives from Truth. The caption at the bottom right declares, “Truth Unleashed.” When the disciple Thomas asked the Lord, “How can we know the way?” (Jn 14:5) Christ replied, “I AM the way, the truth, and the life” (Jn 14:6). The lost man at center has no idea a rescue operation for his soul is underway. But Christ searches for His lost sheep, those wandering through the wilderness, deceived by Satan. He is the Good Shepherd who, “…goes after the one (sheep) which is lost… and when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing” (Lk 15:4-5). Christ is illustrated in the upper right corner with His redeemed lamb draped around His neck: “…he calls his own sheep by name and leads them… he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice” (Jn 10:3-4).
Christ enthroned appears at top left juxtaposed the Presidential shrine at Mt. Rushmore. The caption, “Let your worries go” is associated with Christ being Ruler, President, and King of the universe. Another caption says, “Re-charge America,” a call for spiritual revival in the land. Christ carved into Mr. Rushmore implies that he will be like a President, a world leader governing a utopian earth from His throne in Jerusalem.
From the scepter of His power, a man reaches out to unveil Satan’s mask. This represents Christ and His angels exposing the puppeteer, allowing the lost an opportunity to receive Truth into their hearts. The captions, “It’s time to wake up” and “Are you alive—or just asleep” draw comparison to the lost as being dead, unconscious, or asleep. Scripture states that humans are born spiritually dead, separated from God because of sin. But the power of Christ’s resurrection regenerates a spiritual identity in the heart, a new creation fashioned after the likeness of God’s perfection: “And you He made alive who were dead in trespasses and sins” (Eph 2:1). Christ removes Satan’s mask and cuts the puppet strings, opening the mind to enlightenment and the heart to Love.
Christ clears a path for the lost to return home. Depicted at center left, the Father rushes to the edge of the wilderness to embrace the prodigal son. The prodigal son squandered his youth and his inheritance. He went to live in a far away land and wasted his possessions. He began to starve. He tried working for a living but remained impoverished. He thought about the servants on his father’s estate, that they lived without want or hunger. He decided to return home to his father and ask only to be a lowly field hand. He approached from a distance and the father recognized him, ran to him, and embraced him. The son confessed, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants” (Lk 15:21). But the father would hear none of this. He rejoiced and restored his son into the household: “…he was dead and is alive again… was lost and is now found” (Lk 15:32).
The story of the Prodigal Son is a powerful testimony to the invitation for repentance. The story has a spiritual application that applies to both believers living in sin and unbelievers who do not know Christ. I personally consider how much the story resembles my own life. God blessed me and we had a strong relationship, but I strayed. I squandered my blessings in a land of sin and returned destitute to my Father, with only a handful of broken glass, the remnants of my heart. I approached Him only with the prayer that my life be of some use, that I might be a lowly laborer in His fields. Much to my dismay, He restored me despite my transgressions. He renewed my life and provided me a purpose for which to live. For those reluctant to return because they know they are “unworthy to be called a son/daughter,” God invites you back home. Return to Him with your broken heart in your hands, and He will create something beautiful, an ornament from the shattered pieces.
A mother embraces her son in the foreground at center. The caption reads, “Your feelings for others can be affected by how well you know them.” The spiritual application is that spending time with God leads to deeper levels of intimacy. As we become more familiar with Christ, we adore Him for who He is and what He has done for us. Similarly, indifference toward God comes from not knowing His character. Antagonism or atheism comes from rejecting Him or blaming Him for some perceived injustice. Some would prefer to put God on trial and call Him the liar rather than accept responsibility for their mistakes.
A river of Living Waters proceeds from Christ the Good Shepherd at upper right, melting the glacial ice and bending a serpentine path toward the lost traveler. The water symbolizes the Holy Spirit, an invitation for eternal life. Christ said, “Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give will never thirst… the water I shall give him will become… everlasting life” (Jn 4:13-14); “And let him who thirsts come… take the water of life freely” (Rev 22:17).
Poles section off the Living Waters and a man stands guard holding a list of expected company, those who have accepted Christ and obtained the rights to drink of the river. A demon creature flanks the guard, prepared to apprehend imposters who are not in the Book of Life, those who do not belong to Christ. The caption reads, “Make your reservation.”
How does one make a reservation for eternal life? Simple: “If you confess with your heart the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom 10:9). Confession is the easy part. Believing the resurrection in one’s heart is what runs contrary to all logic and human reasoning. It is only possible through nuclear fusion, God’s Holy Spirit regenerating to life the dead human spirit, removing the stone before the tomb and implanting Love into the heart.
The river empties into a wine glass that contains a single grape. The grape symbolizes the blood of Christ, the atonement for sin. The Living Waters and the grape are mixed in the same cup for the believer to drink, a picture of the relationship between eternal life and accepting Christ’s atonement.
A flag appears at upper right imprinted with the glorious tetragammatron, God’s name, YHWH. One of Jehovah’s titles, “Jehovah-nissi,” translates to “The Lord is my banner” (Ex 17:15). A man waves the flag like a victory banner adjacent to Christ and the text, “Master of the Universe.” A portrait of clasped hands praying connect the beginning of the name with its end. A woman in the right foreground also clasps her hands. An angel extends an outstretched arm to her, an invitation out of Satan’s world and into “Truth Unleashed.”
What do Satan, Santa Clause, and global warming have in common? They represent a world of lies, deception, and death. They portray the type of earth that will perish at Christ’s coming. But God offers the lost soul an escape from the dying world, a stairway to heaven through Christ. He offers to remove Satan’s veil and cut the puppet strings that bind us into the icy darkness. He only asks that we return to Him, like the prodigal son, return to Him with the broken pieces of your heart and offer your service as a menial field hand. He promises to restore you as a child and offers waters of eternal life mixed in the grapes of Christ’s atonement.
In Hinduism, Krishna is an incarnation of the god Vishnu. So the eastern Savior motif calls out, “Hurry Krishna.” In western culture, Christ is the incarnation of the one true God, YHWH. So we cry out, “Come, Lord Jesus” (Rev 22:20). The parallels between Savior motifs in various cultures demonstrate Satan’s scheme to counterfeit and obfuscate scripture. Rather than discount the veracity of the Bible, however, these similarities only help confirm that this rescue operation is underway—The Divine Rescue of the Human Race.
Larry Word
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