Two Kingdoms - the background to why Jesus came.
(bracketed references below are to the Bible. Format is book, then chapter, then verse)
In HEAVEN Lucifer and the other angels
receive from God power and authority
Lucifer and one third of the angels then rebel against God. They are thrown out of Heaven and come to Earth looking for somewhere to exercise their power.
THE EARTH
THE PROBLEM
Lucifer (now called Satan, meaning "the adversary") still has spiritual power, but has lost the authority he had in Heaven. He now tries to find a place where he can exercise authority once more.
God creates mankind and gives THEM authority over the Earth and all it contains (see Genesis Chapter 1 verses 26-28). Mankind is created innocent (perfect) and does not know evil.In the Garden of Eden, Satan (the serpent) tricks the first man and woman into disobeying God (see Genesis Chapters 2 and 3). Through disobeying God and giving in to Satan, they lose their God-given right to exercise authority over the Earth. By giving in to Satan's temptation in the Garden, without realising it they have passed over to Satan the authority for ruling over the Earth. Man and woman have now lost their innocence and know evil by experience - they have disobeyed their Maker.
The Bible says, "the whole earth is in the grip of the Evil One."
Jesus called Satan "the prince of this world."
Mankind is therefore helpless in the face of evil, because this world is the province of Satan. All human beings since Adam and Eve have therefore been born as subjects of Satan's kingdom here on earth. Mankind cannot regain the spiritual authority it lost, because all men and women suffer from sin. Only a "rescue package" from outside of the Earth, by God, can achieve it.
THE ANSWER
God's plan was for Jesus to come from Heaven to Earth as a man to win back this lost authority. This winning back of authority could only be done by someone who never gave in to Satan's tempting, and never sinned, unlike the first man and woman. By never sinning, Jesus defeated Satan's power since Satan could not get a hold on him. Unlike the rest of the Earth's inhabitants, although being tempted by Satan, Jesus never sinned and therefore never came under the authority of Satan.
Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross broke Satan's power and gives us a way back to God. It enables us to get out of Satan's kingdom and back into God's kingdom. It restores our "innocence" in God's eyes. Jesus was innocent of any sin and those who trust in Jesus have His innocence transferred on to them. When we personally accept what Jesus did for us, we ourselves are made acceptable to God, as if we never sinned. God the Father placed our sin on Jesus, so that our individual slate could be wiped clean. When we become Christians, God's spirit (the Holy Spirit) comes to live in us. God's spirit shows us the way to live - he writes his laws in our hearts, to enable us to live his way.
The Holy Spirit is God's gift to Christians to enable them to live the Christian life.
We cannot live the Christian life without the Holy Spirit.
The way to enter into the Christian life, by becoming a Christian, can be summarised as:
1. Confess your sins to God - this is called repentance.
2. Believe in Jesus (that is, receive by faith "the rescue package" he provided for you through his death and resurrection) and call upon his name.
3. Be baptised by full immersion in water.
4. Be filled, on a continuing basis, with the Holy Spirit (he gives you the power to live the Christian life).
5. Ask Jesus for the gifts of the Holy Spirit to empower you.
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