The Cross: Payment for Sin or Demonstration?
And How Many Times Did Christ Die?
 
By Dr. Ken Matto
 
From Harold Camping's book "To God be the Glory" - "Thus when Jesus went to the cross, He was not there to pay for our sins" - Page 34
 
May 2, 2009 - Treasures from the Bible - Campingite show Saturday Mornings on Family Radio aimed at children - They stated “that the cross of Christ was a "show n tell" like in school.”
 
One of the new teachings spawned by Harold Camping dovetails his other teaching that Christ died for our sins before the foundation of the world and then later came into time and died on Calvary. However, Camping claims that Christ did not come into the world to die for our sins but instead it was only a demonstration of how He suffered before the foundation of the world. We turned to the Bible to successfully refute the idea that Christ died twice. We saw that the Bible emphatically declares that Christ went to the cross once to pay for the sins of His people. This study is going to reveal to us what the Bible teaches about the cross and whether it was a demonstration or the actual payment for the sins of the Elect.
 
(Psa 16:10 KJV) For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. According to Camping, he believes that the reason that Christ’s body did not see any corruption was because when He went to the cross, He was not laden with the sins of the Elect. However, this theory does not hold water. Psalm 16:10 tells us that Christ was to be raised from the dead before His body would see corruption from death. He was raised the third day after His death. Now we have all been to funerals and right before the body is closed in the casket, it looks just like it was when it was first placed in the casket. What I mean by that is, for example, my father died on a Thursday and his funeral was the following Tuesday, which means there was 5 days between his death and his burial. On that Tuesday, the day of the funeral, my father’s body did not show signs of corruption as of yet. So Camping’s idea that Christ’s body did not corrupt because He did not have the sins of the Elect on Him does not hold any truth. Psalm 16:10 teaches us that Christ would be raised quickly because His sacrifice was completed on Calvary and accepted by the Father.
 
Payment for Sin?
First of all, let us look at a very revealing verse concerning the Lord Jesus Christ before the foundation of the world.
 
(1 Pet 1:19-20 KJV) But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: {20} Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
 
He was foreordained before the foundation of the world and was manifested to us in the last times. In eternity past, Christ was foreordained to be the Lamb slain for the sins of the Elect. The Bible does not say that He was slain before the foundation of the world, instead it states that He was foreordained in eternity past to be the sinless Lamb of God who would be manifested in the last days by giving His life for the sins of His people. The term foreordain means to “know beforehand, to appoint before, pre-ordain, or predetermine.”
 
Rev 13:8 KJV) And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
 
Revelation 13:8 reveals to us that Christ was foreknown before the foundation of the world and what was really foreknown was the fact that He was the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. Before the foundation of the world He was slain in principle but in the last days He has been revealed to us. The word “manifest” in 1 Peter 1:20 is in the Aorist tense which means that Christ was revealed at some time in the past but that revelation continues today. The Aorist tense denotes some type of past action without a set completion time. So the last days commenced from the cross, in fact, Peter calls it the final or extreme end of days (last times). Yet, we are told with the word “times: in 1 Peter 3:20, that there will be plural or many revelations of Jesus Christ. This does not mean in a dream or vision, it means when Jesus is preached and someone becomes saved, Jesus is revealed in their life. The veil has been removed and they now see Jesus clearly. (2 Cor 3:16 KJV) Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away. This means there has been many millions of revelations of Jesus since the time of the cross.
 
When we see the word “from” it speaks of “from the time of creation.” When we see the word “before” in conjunction with “foundation” it speaks about “in eternity.” In principle, the Lord Jesus Christ was slain from the foundation of the world for the sins of His people. Christ’s sacrifice was planned back in eternity but did not become effective until Adam and Eve sinned, and then the sacrifice of Christ, even though in principle at that time, was now able to cover every one that God had named in the Lamb‘s Book of Life for salvation. Then at a future time Christ came on the scene and became sin laden with the sins of His people on Calvary, thus completing God’s salvation plan and now the only thing left till the end of time is to bring all the Elect to salvation.
 
(Eph 1:4 KJV) According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
 
(John 17:24 KJV) Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
 
Ephesians 1:4 teaches us that we were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world (eternity). John 17:24 teaches us that God the Father and God the Son had an intimate relationship of love. Camping and his followers still deny the eternal Sonship of Christ and claims that Christ became the Son of God at His resurrection, but here in John 17:24, we are seeing the Father and Son relationship. Jesus calls God, Father, and He could not do that unless He was the Son back in eternity.
 
When we look at the Scriptures concerning the cross, we can find evidence of only one description of the cross, not two. There is no way that Christ went to the cross to pay for our sins and then on the other hand He did not pay for our sins. We can only find one path in the Scriptures and that is that the physical cross was the payment for the sins of the Elect and there is no straight Biblical evidence that Christ died in body and soul before the foundation of the world. In fact, there is not even an intimation that Christ paid for the sins of the Elect before the foundation of the world. The payment for the sins of the Elect was planned before the foundation of the world but was executed in time. Let us now search the Scriptures and see what we can find concerning the cross of Christ. Since the entire Bible is about the Lord Jesus Christ (and not about timelines) there are many Scriptures that teach about the cross which we will be unable to include but I hope to sufficiently cover the subject.
 
Blood
(1 Pet 1:18-19 KJV) Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; {19} But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
 
(1 John 1:7 KJV) But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
 
If Christ died before the foundation of the world for actual sins, then how could Christ, being Spirit, have blood to shed for our sins? According to Camping, He went to the physical cross as a demonstration without the sins of the Elect on Him. The problem for the Campingites is that the blood was shed for sins on this earth from the physical body of Christ according to the Scriptures and not in His spiritual body before the foundation of the world, which would have no blood. If there was no blood to shed, then how can the blood of Christ cleanse us from all sin?
 
(Heb 10:19 KJV) Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
 
When the Lord Jesus Christ went to the cross, His blood allowed us to enter the holy of holies, that is, into the presence of God Himself. The entire Mosaic system in the Old Testament was centered around blood and it was all looking forward to the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. If it was looking backward into eternity, then there would be no reason for the animal sacrifices for sin since the shedding of blood would then not fit the type.
 
(Luke 24:39 KJV) Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.
 
When the Lord Jesus Christ was resurrected from the dead and was on the shore, He asked for something to eat. They gave Him a piece of broiled fish and a honeycomb. Then He makes the statement found in Luke 24:39 that it was really Him as He showed them His hands and feet. He told them that a spirit does not have flesh and bones. Along with flesh and bones, blood is needed for the completion of the body. So if Christ died in His spiritual essence before the foundation of the world, no blood could have been shed.
 
(Heb 9:22 KJV) And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
 
This verse is probably the most preeminent verse on the subject. Here the Bible straightly teaches that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin. If Christ died before the foundation of the world in His spirit essence, then there would have been no shedding of any blood and therefore, based upon the above verse, could not have paid for the sins of the Elect until He came into the world and died on the cross in 33 A.D. When He became flesh and blood, then He was able to pay for the sins of His people but not before the incarnation.
 
Evangelism
(Luke 24:49 KJV) And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.
 
After the Lord Jesus Christ was resurrected, He told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem and they would receive the promise of the Father which was the giving of the Holy Spirit. If Christ died and was resurrected before the foundation of the world, then the giving of the Holy Spirit should have happened the moment that creation happened. This, of course, did not happen until Christ went to the physical cross at Calvary.
 
Christ and the Cross
In this section I want to look at some verses which do teach directly that Christ died for the sins of His people on Calvary, in time and not eternity. Since there are many verses on this subject, we will be unable to hit every verse but will try and look at the most direct verses.
 
(Mat 1:21 KJV) And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
 
Here at the outset Mary is carrying the Lord Jesus and Joseph receives in a dream that the baby was conceived of the Holy Ghost. In the above verse we read why the Lord Jesus is coming into the world. He is going to save His people from their sin, that is, He is going to fulfill the task of dying for His people. Now it is interesting to note that the words “shall save” is in the Future tense in the Greek. This means, that if Christ already died for the sins of His people, then those words should be in the past tense. However, since it is in the future tense, it means that it has not happened yet and is determined for a future date.
 
(John 19:30 KJV) When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
 
If Jesus had paid for the sins of His people before the foundation of the world, then the salvation plan should have been finished at that time. Here in John 19:30, Jesus is stating “It is finished” just before he died on the cross. This verse teaches us plainly that God’s salvation plan was completed on the cross in time and not in eternity past.
 
(Col 2:13-14 KJV) And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; {14} Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
 
Here is a verse which teaches that all the transgressions which we have committed have been forgiven. That is, because when Christ went to the cross, He took all our sins and iniquities, plus all the ordinances of the law which we failed to keep and nailed them to His cross. This means that we have been freed from the penalty of the law because of Him taking our sins and nailing them to the cross. There were no nails or wood before the foundation of the world because God had not yet created them.
 
(Heb 1:1-3 KJV) God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, {2} Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; {3} Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
 
Here we read that Christ had purged our sins by Himself. Christ was the sacrifice for sins and after He had successfully cleansed the Elect of sins, He went back to Heaven and sat down on the right hand of God the Father. If Christ would have purged our sins before the foundation of the world, then this Scripture would make no sense because how could He go back to Heaven when He was already up there? This verse teaches us plainly that Christ went back to Heaven after His resurrection and now He sits on the right hand of God the Father. (Mark 14:62 KJV) And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. Jesus sits on the right Hand of God ruling, reigning, and interceding until the time appointed when He will return to earth to bring all His children home to glory and then begin the final judgment of the unsaved.
 
(Gen 3:15 KJV) And 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.
 
Here is a verse which prophesies the death of Christ. If you notice, God states that He will put enmity between the woman and Satan. Now if this took place before the foundation of the world, where did the woman come from? Adam and Eve were not yet created. So Genesis 3:15 is a future prophecy and not a fulfillment of a past event.
 
(1 Cor 15:3-4 KJV) For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; {4} And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
 
Here is another premier set of verses as it speaks of Christ dying for our sins, according to the Scriptures. The Scriptures were not yet written until the time of Moses when he wrote the Pentateuch under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Then over the next thousand years, others penned the rest of the Scriptures under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Then these Scriptures state that He was buried and rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures. (Psa 16:10 KJV) For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. (Hosea 6:2 KJV) After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. Now in Heaven, there is no time, just eternity. So there would be no days in Heaven, so how could Christ rise on the third day according to the Scriptures when there was no days until God created the world? These verses are speaking of the time when Christ went to the physical cross in 33 A.D and not before the foundation of the world because the scenario would not fit making these verses have no meaning.
 
(Mat 20:28 KJV) Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
 
The Lord Jesus Himself states that He came not to be ministered unto, but He came to minister and to give His life a ransom for many. If the penalty for sin had been paid before the foundation of the world, then why would He still have to give His life as a ransom for many, that is, He still had to pay the penalty for the sins of His people. This was not accomplished before the foundation of the world but as of the timing of this Scripture, it was still a future event. The Scriptures states plainly that He came into this world for the purpose of dying for His people. If this would have been accomplished before the foundation of the world, then He would not have had to die for their sins again because it would have been already accomplished.
 
(1 Pet 2:23-24 KJV) Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: {24} Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
 
Here is another premier set of verses which teach us that Christ bore our sins on the cross at Calvary and not before the foundations of the world. Camping states that when Christ went to the cross, He was not there to pay for our sins. However, these verses in 1 Peter state exactly the opposite that Christ bore our sins on the cross and coupled with that by His stripes we were healed, that is, we receive spiritual healing for our dead souls. He made them alive. The scourging and the crucifixion were one cohesive event which brought about the salvation of the Elect and that was done on the cross on Calvary, in time and not eternity. In light of these verses, how could Camping make a heretical statement that Christ did not go to the cross to pay for our sins when the verse is so plain that He bore our sins on the cross? The word “body” in verse 24 in the Greek is “soma” which describes an actual physical body and not a spiritual body. The last part of verse 24 speaks about being healed by his stripes. Which one of the angels whipped Jesus in Heaven?
 
(Heb 10:5 KJV) Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: (Heb 10:10 KJV) By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
 
These two verses teach us that God had prepared a physical body for the Lord Jesus Christ when He came into the world. Then in verse 10, the Scripture teaches us that it was through the offering of this body of Jesus Christ on Calvary, that the Elect of God are sanctified, that is, they are saved, because sanctified and holy are the same word in the Greek. (Eph 1:4 KJV) According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: So these verses in Hebrews plainly teach us that we have become saved through the body of Christ who physically died on Calvary in 33 A.D, and not before the foundation of the world. Once again there is no intimation at all that the sins of the Elect were paid for before the foundation of the world. Everything in the Bible points to Calvary!
 
(1 Pet 3:18 KJV) For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
 
Here is another plain verse which teaches us that Christ was physically put to death on Calvary. It states plainly He was in a body of flesh and the result of this would be salvation for the Elect. The verse stresses that Christ suffered only once for this sins of the Elect and that was while He was in His physical body on earth.
 
The Great Biblical Principle
Here is a great biblical principle which is rejected by the Campingites in favor of walking by sight.
 
(Romans 4:17 KJV) (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.
 
This principle is best illustrated in the book of Isaiah.
 
(Isa 44:28 KJV) That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.
 
(Isa 45:1 KJV) Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut;
 
Let us continue on and see another example of God calling something that was not yet as though it was. In Isaiah 45:1, we read that the Lord is revealing through Isaiah a man named Cyrus and calling him his anointed. Isaiah prophesied during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. This puts the ministry of Isaiah at about 750-700 BC. Now here we have Cyrus who was the king and founder of the Persian Empire who was born about 600 B.C. Isn’t it interesting that God calls Cyrus His anointed and yet Cyrus would not be born for at least 150 years. Isaiah 45:1 does not say that Cyrus will be the anointed but God is speaking to Cyrus as His anointed. Here is a fantastic example of the Lord calling what is not yet as if it was. Do you see the principle at work? Time is not a factor but the faithfulness of God is, just like with Abraham. No time frame was given from the promise to the birth. In this verse no time frame is given to Isaiah as to when Cyrus will reign over Persia, in fact, Isaiah would not have even known who he was. Babylon was still the major power at this time and Persia did not exist. So God was calling King Cyrus as though he was when he was not yet.
 
(Eph 2:6-7 KJV) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: {7} That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
 
Let us look at another example of God calling something that is not as though it was. In Ephesians 2:6, we read that God has raised us up together and made us sit in heavenly places. In verses 1-5, the discussion is about the fact that we are spiritually dead before salvation and God then quickens us and raises us up. You who are reading this, where are you right now? Are you sitting in a heavenly place in Christ Jesus? Nope! God sees us already up there seated with Christ. Notice in verse 7, it speaks of “ages to come” which is speaking of eternity where He will show the church as His redeemed by His Grace. We are not yet in Heaven because the last day has not come and there are still Elect to be saved. Yet, since God already sees us in Heaven, seated with Christ, He is calling what is not yet as though it was.
 
The great principle is that God already sees everything as happened and He speaks of it in that language. This is why when He states that Christ was slain from the foundation of the world, He is stating that it is as good as done. Did not Cyrus rule and reign about 250 years later? He sure did and that is why we must look for these verses which give understanding to these issues. If God speaks something, it is as good as if it was done already. It is called “walking by faith and not by sight.” So we see the principle from Romans 4:17 as being very active in both the Old and New Testaments. God is outside of time so when He makes declarations like we have seen, it behooves us to accept them by faith.
　
Summary
As we have plainly seen, the penalty for the sins of the Elect were not paid before the foundation of the world. What we saw was that the death of Christ was already planned as He was foreordained or appointed beforehand for this task. We looked at ten sets of single and multiple verses and plainly saw that the atonement for the sins of God’s people was planned back in eternity but fulfilled in time. The idea that the physical cross was only a demonstration is a ludicrous assumption because the Bible no where tells us or even intimates that the cross was only a demonstration of how Christ suffered before the foundation of the world. Christ bore the full wrath of God on Calvary for the sins of the Elect and this we saw in the verses that we read and we did not even have to over-explain or allegorize them because they were basically self-explanatory. So once again, Harold Camping has created another teaching which does not exist in Scripture and therefore must be rejected if we are to remain faithful to the Scriptures.

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