View of Kailua, Kona from the bay

Exploring The Profundity Of,

In the Beginning God Created

Let us return to asking, what happened to everything that God had caused to come into being and declared to be good? Something went terribly wrong and all that had been declared to be good; had the pronouncement of, "VANITY", placed upon it . Not until something was done to restore it, could God's purpose for it be fulfilled.

In the beginning, God! No one knows when that was, for it all happened in eternity past, and eternity cannot be measured in time the way man keeps time here on earth. And so man has devised a way which he calls, "light years", a measurement that suits mans fancy, but all that it does for him is provide a starting place for his conjectures. You hear him say, in speculative terms, such estimates as, anywhere from, Five-Million to Fifteen Million light years ago. Since the Hubbell Telescope was launched, we now hear such terms as billions of years. But man with his finite mind can't even think in those terms, much like the average person can't even think in the terms, of our Nations Tax revenues and expenditures , or Debt, all of which have now reached such astronomical figures, but he goes right on in his reasoning, believing that some day he will be able to prove himself to be true. Several Thousand years after the revelation that God gave man to record, as we have it in the Biblical account, a writer under the illumination of the Holy Spirit, in his God given wisdom wrote. Heb. 11:3, and 6, "By faith we understand that the worlds, (Ages, Aeons,) were prepared by the Word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible. --ver. 6, And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must first believe that He is, (by faith accept the fact that He exists,) and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him."

In the beginning, God created, is a statement so profound, so far reaching into the dateless, timeless past of eternity, that it confounds the natural mind of man. It is a revelation, from God that encompasses all the theories, and speculations, as well as the knowledge man has gained about himself and the wonderful works of God's creation around him, but leaves him free to either accept God's Word for it, or go right on speculating, but never arriving at the Truth, until the time of the end.
The statement, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth," is History, Science, Biology, Geology, Physiology, Psychology, Ethics, Law, #101, and everything else that man can put his speculative mind to. What it doesn't do, is give reason or purpose, for it all. That can only be gained by a further revelation from God to man, which is contained in the totality of the Inspired Word, compiled and titled, "The Bible."

This recorded statement, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth," is the only statement man has, in all the compiled libraries, or geological findings, that give man an introduction into, Who it was that created, and what it was that was created. Between verses one and two, is evidently all the Aeons, (ages), that make up the time, that man struggles with. Here-in lies hidden to natural man, the age of the dinosaurs, prehistoric, or primate man or beast, the ice age, and the cause for the chaos spoken of in verse two, when throughout all other conjectures, man is confronted with a Cosmos, (an orderly system), governed by the laws that control our Galaxy and all other Galaxies.

The conclusion when all the books are compiled and evaluated, is this. Isaiah 45:18, "For thus says the Lord, who created the heavens, (He is the God who formed the earth and made it, He established it and did not create it a waste place), or in vain, (or to have vanity pronounced over it forever). But formed it to be inhabited): "I am the Lord, and there is none else, I have not spoken in secret, in some dark land; I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, seek Me in a waste place': I the Lord speak righteousness, declaring things that are upright." Isaiah 45:11-13, "Thus says the Lord, the Holy one of Israel, and his Maker; ask Me about the things to come concerning My sons, And you shall commit to Me the work of My hands. It is I who made the earth and created man upon it. I stretched out the heavens with My hands, and I ordained all their hosts. I have aroused him in righteousness, and I will make all his ways smooth; He will build My city, and will let My exiles go free, without any payment or reward." says the Lord of hosts."

All the writers of the sixty-six books of the Bible, write from this premise, and there is no conflict among any of them. That is why there is such continuity to the whole of their writings.

Returning to verse two we begin with God's account of His (restoration), re-creation, from chaos to cosmos, from darkness to light, from a dead planet to one upon which He makes everything to become alive. 1John 1:5b, "God who is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all." Ver. 3, of Gen. one, "Then God said, "Let there be light," and there was light."

For mankind to understand the conditions that prevailed in the interval between verse one and verse two, the whole of the revealed narrative of the Bible must be apprehended by faith. To know and understand the spirit of evil, the spirit that is anti-God, the spirit that has prevailed in the affairs of man, since the one disobedient act of Adam, we must read and re-read and study prayerfully, the character that developed in man and that has motivated him through-out his history. Self-styled world rulers, endeavoring to be like God and control this planet and the manner in which it's purpose is ultimately played out is revealed. As this evil spirit was manifest in the world rulers, and God's enemies, and Israel's enemies, and was acted out against Them, God gives us very real insight into, whose spirit was motivating them. Isaiah 14:1-27, and Ezekiel 28:1-26.

The spirit of opposition, the spirit of evil that entered the heart of Satan, because of the position he held in God's heavenly kingdom, became a spirit of pride and arrogance, and caused him to, Proclaim, "I will be like the most High, I will be like God." Here was his downfall, and he lost his exalted position.

Let us return to Gen. 1:2, "and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters." When God Spoke, His Spirit being ever present, caused everything that He expressed, to become a living reality. That which had been a chaos was now restored to its pristine glory, with one addition, man as we know him, was now going to occupy this planet.. In order to sustain life, provision had to be made, and so in the seven days of restoration, or recreation, everything was provided for, by God, Who is Sovereign over all Creator and Lord, of both heaven and earth.

After restoring the earth to it's pristine beauty and splendor, He placed man upon it to have dominion over it and to oversee it. In the record God leaves us, He only gives us a cursory look at the creation and the re-creation, but spends volumes on the account concerning man and the life he was given to live in the midst of the earth. Gen. 1:26-28, "Then God said, "let us make man in our image according to our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky, and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth. And God created man, in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. And God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth." Chap. 2:7, "Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul."

The striking thing about the record is that God, who is the narrator, with man as the penman, places the emphasis on man and the life he was given and the manner in which he chose to live it. A striking characteristic of God is revealed immediately. God never forces man's attention toward Himself, but always holds before man a choice, and explains the consequent of his action, both the good, the beneficial; as against the bad, the detrimental. The choice has always been, accept life and the sustenance, for it is weighed against death, with all it's depravation. Mans first relation was to God and then to the natural environment, or the creation around him.

The effect of his actions were first to himself, and then immediately to the natural environment around. All ensuing consequence was a direct result of mans own action. God reveals to us through the record that, it was mans act of disobedience that was the cause of himself and the environment being relegated to a lesser state than originally. The self-important, arrogant, egotistical, self sufficient character that resulted has been man's nemesis ever since. Since then mankind has always claimed that his environment is the cause of everything he has become. Man got things turned around then and has been approaching things from the wrong perspective ever since. When looked at honestly and truthfully, it will be recognized, that man was and is under the dominion of a will that was opposed to; or was anti-God. Self-will is the cause of everything that his environment as well as he, has become.

I repeat, the narrative immediately shows that the way in which man chose to live, had a direct effect on what happened to him and his surroundings.

As we return to the restoration account, attention is directed to another suitor that is also vying for mans attention, as well as his affections. The Angelic Spirit that originated in heaven and lost his first position as the Guardian Cherub, was cast out, and the account of the prophetic revelation places him in the Earth, right in the Garden of God here on earth, the Garden of Eden. The embodiment of this evil spirit, comes to man and woman, in the form of the lowliest of all of God's creation, a creeping thing, but man has been given dominion over everything. Both he and the woman could, have said at this point, "Get Behind Me Satan," but instead they were both evidently influenced by this spirit of independence, and so acted as they did. Notice his approach as the conversation unfolds. His tactics are the same as described in the prophets account. "If you can gain all this knowledge and wisdom, you can become like God". They were like God, they had been created in His likeness, but in acting independent of God they would become like him, Satan. When they secumed to this evil spirit, he became the god of this world, their god. Notice in the conversation between God and man, the difference. God doesn't mislead or deceive. He tells man the pros and cons of his actions. The evil one coming in deceit, through lies, defrauds them of their heritage. Thus he appropriates man's position of dominance, and becomes the god of this world and has ruled through the kidnapped soul of mankind ever since. This power was broken and reclaimed, in the Person of the Messiah, the New Man, The Man from Heaven, The Lord Jesus Christ.

Accepting, as we believers do, the Biblical account of man's origin, man was created in the likeness of God, therefore an eternal being. Had he been obedient to God's Word, and partaken of the fruit of the, "Tree of Life," he would have insured his immortality. However through his act of disobedience, he incurred death, and has been a mortal being (subject to death) ever since. When Jesus came into the world, lived and died as mortal man, and rose again from the dead, conquering death, (Which ruled as Monarch over men's lives), mankind's immortality was again reassured in Him.

Man had been created by a Sovereign Being, come to be known by the term God, but through out the Scriptures, He reveals Himself by many descriptive names, which reveal His Character, that all together are the sum of all His attributes. Having been created in the likeness of God, he has a soul that is immortal. He is a person, a moral entity, with the ability to reason, to determine, to will, the part of man with the ability to will to control action, to reason whether a thing is good or evil, right or wrong.

Consider now, God preparing a physical body to house the soul, and breathing the breath of life into it, and man becoming a living soul. A conscious, rational, thinking, feeling, knowing, entity with the ability to make choices, to will to do, or not to do. To control his actions, to decide for himself. He has identification, both with the physical, natural realm, as well as with the Spiritual or invisible realm. Being a product of God's handy-work, he has received both spiritual life and physical life from God, a source outside of himself. The first necessity he is faced with is his need to sustain his life, both physical and spiritual. Having received his life from an outside source, he will then of necessity, seek sustenance from an outside source. Since this is necessary, the first thing we see God doing is directing him to the source. First it is to the Spiritual, for it is here that all of man's need were to be met.

Although we don't see it immediately, we see it later on, that the source of all food, was to come from the, "Tree of Life," The life giving, sustaining sustenance, comes directly from the Throne of God. The fruit of the knowledge of good And evil, came from the physical creation, and would only feed the physical natural man, it could only appease the natural senses.

It's at this point that we see the difference between God's approach to man and Satan's approach. Satan only appeals to the natural senses, the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. Telling man nothing of the consequence, except that he can become like God, not telling him he would incur death and remain in that state of death, without hope, and separated from the presence of God, all alone to fend for himself, living off of the only resources that he might find available at the moment. All of this is what the Tempter caused to be appealing to Eve, and which caused, through deception, her to act as she did. However for Adam, it was a direct act of disobedience, to the direct spoken, Word of God. We are reintroduced to the Tree of Life, through the Scriptures, always signifying life. In the final book, John has a vision of the Tree of Life planted by the rivers of Living Waters, that flows by the, Throne of God. The Source of all Life.

LIFE;

Life is something essential, the continued existence of something else. Life is to animate, to bring to Life, to energize, make energetic, to invigorate, to enliven. By the very definition, the animating properties that are defined as life, come from an outside source, and since God is Life, and is the source of all life, it stands that He is not animated by any source outside of Himself. Therefore, He makes Himself known as the,"Self Existent One." Therefore, He is the source! Luke 12:15, "And He, (Jesus) said to them,"Beware and be on your guard against any form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions."

The Apostle Paul, always after he has expounded the teaching of Redemption and Reconciliation, and Restoration to Life, teaches the manner of conduct of the believer, as result of these New Life Properties. And does so in his admonition to Timothy, 1Tim.6:2b-19, "Teach and preach these principles. If any one advocates a different doctrine, and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness, he is conceited and understands nothing; but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions, and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. But godliness actually is a means of great gain, when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. And if we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many a pang. But flee from these things, you man of God; and pursue after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Jesus Christ, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate; that you keep the commandments without stain or reproach, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which He will bring about at the proper time--He who is the blessed and only Sovereign , the King of king's and Lord of lord's; who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light; whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is, "LIFE", indeed."

In our approach to the account as it has been left us to learn from, we need to take the advice of Jesus and His Apostles as they endeavored to teach the manifold wonders of God's gift of life. Because of who Jesus is and the superiority of the positions He holds as, "The one mediator between God and man," and the provisions He has made for our complete salvation, He is to be given the preeminence. Heb. 2:1-4, "For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For if the word spoken through Angels proved unalterable , and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard. God also bearing witness with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will."

It is amazing as one listens to the many voices of conjecture, at how many and varied are man's analysis of the original creation account, and the New Creation account in Christ Jesus. The Apostles, and particular Paul, very wisely analyze all Scripture in the light of what took place at the crucifixion, and the sequence of events leading up to and succeeding the Crucification.

Paul in his instruction to the Corinthian Church body, on the proper manner of conducting themselves, first toward God, and then toward one another. He alludes to this when he compares the putting of things in there proper place, in both these relationships. The question arises, who should have precedence, one or the other? His response is, "to whom did the Word of God come"? Was it first to man, or to woman? 1Cor.14:36, "Was it from you that the word of God first went forth?" Does it occur to you that if we are paying attention, then our attention is drawn to the Creation account? First, Who is the source of the Word of God, and to whom did it first come? Thus making man the responsible one. This is the same analysis he uses when he repeatedly proclaims, "To the Jew first, and also the Greek, (Gentile). In the Church, the Body of Christ, the dividing wall has been broken down, and there is no longer a distinction--all are one in Christ. The united body of the church is the repository of the Living Word of God, for Jesus Christ, now dwells in this body. Both male and female, Jew and Gentile, should see things no differently, and speak things no differently. Jesus Christ is Lord of All, and in the body, is all and in all. Eph. 2:13-18, "But now in Christ Jesus, you, (Gentiles) who formerly were far off have been brought near, (with the Jew), by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one, and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, that in Himself, He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you (Gentile) who were far away, and peace to those (Jews) who were near; for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father." Gal. 3:26-29, "For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized(Placed) into Christ, have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew or Greek (Gentile), there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham"s offspring, heirs according to the Promise."
Notice the improper actions of the two in the beginning.

The man received direct instructions from the Lord, and seemingly, there was no further consideration given to them by him. The woman analyzed the content of the instruction, but was distracted by the Spirit of Satan. Her evaluation was then directed to the fruit of the two trees, and her assessment of it was based on the appeal it had to her natural senses. In this approach the desire for the one over the other was based on her own personal satisfaction. The consequence of their action became far reaching, for all their posterity, for all time. All they earned and gained to pass on to their heirs as an inheritance, was sin and death. Until Jesus came and redeemed it all. Then as Heir of all God's possessions, He, made it possible for all True believers to become joint heir with Him. For the first time in the history of the race of mankind, a man was here on earth, who, without any prodding, or coercion, was willing to do the will of His Heavenly Father. Throughout the Scriptures we find it written of Him, "Behold I come to do Thy Will Oh God."

Adam the man to whom the Word of God had come first, set a precedent for all his posterity. He evidently was careless in his consideration. It seems he didn't pay very close attention the fact that God had spoken directly to him. Had he put the right amount of importance on what was spoken and who it was that had spoken to him, very likely his actions would have been different. For ever after the majority of his posterity took this same careless approach to God and His Word. In the record there are only a few who paid close attention to God when He spoke to them, and what it was He had spoken, when He did speak. These are the ones who acted by faith upon it and responded by acting upon it according to God's instructions. Record is left of the importance and the approval placed upon their faith and actions.

Had Adam been paying attention by faith, when he sat down to eat the meal his wife had prepared for him, he would have pushed the plate away and asked for food to be served according to the instructions of his Heavenly father. All of his posterity has been acting in this careless manner ever since. It takes very little honesty to see the effect of these our first parents, in the actions of the race of humankind through out the intervening ages. First mankind's reasoning are all wrong, and second he is very careless in his attitude toward the one and only True God, and His instructions for life. Regardless of the continued warnings against such action, mankind in the main, continually gives the greater consideration to the appeal things have to the natural senses, and the satisfaction he receives from appeasing them, than he does to finding out first what the Will of God for him truly is. Here is the basis for the admonition later expressed to Moses and then by Jesus to the Tempter. "Man does not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds from the Mouth of God. Luke 9:35, "And a voice came out of the cloud, saying,"This is My Son. My Chosen One; listen to Him!"

The character development that took place because of their action, has become the control factor for mankind's actions ever since. History confirms this to be the mentality that has motivated mankind ever since, until Jesus appears and in Him the precedent is broken. Can it not be seen and understood, that this is what is the error of our society, and the thinking that motivates it to such traumas as it is faced with at every hand.

Mankind in the person of Adam, having been sent out of the Garden, from the presence of God, and having his way barred from returning, finds himself estranged from God, alone in the world, left to his own devises. Enmity rears its ugly head, and from then on we see the character development showing up in hatred in the heart of man for everyone who will put the will of God before his own.

A striking realization comes over everyone who approaches the Word of God objectively, to see from this point on mankind's need of reconciliation, for two factors are obvious. Mankind is forever at enmity with his fellowmen , and mankind is forever at enmity with God. There is a deep realization in man, for his need of God. However, failing to recognize God, he imagines him, and there-fore fashions God after whatever his imagination envisions Him to be. Man's approach being wrong, he never arrives at a relationship with God. We are made aware of the fact that God is continually trying to lead man back the right way. Mankind in his own insistence in doing it his way, only leads him off into all the divisions there are between, men and men, and men and God. In the enlightenment the Apostle Paul receives, he clearly shows us the course man has taken and where it led him. I refer you to the Letter to the Romans, the first three chapters, and every other related passage, that God has left us so there should be no confusion as to why man's circumstances, are as they are.

Contained in these portions of Scripture, is a description of the process mankind has gone through from the time of Adam, then Cain and Able, until the present time. Only a fool who is blind, and at the same time wise in his own estimation, will as history and conditions around us show, try to reason or rationalize with ridiculous arguments, that God created it all this way, so therefore they are right and He is wrong. You see it was this condition that needed to be plain and clear to mankind, so here was the reason for the Law given to the Children of Israel. Mankind needed to know what was proper in the eyes of God and what was under the curse of sin and death. It was this judgment that Jesus came to redeem man from, and to extricate man from its entanglements, and give him, A New Life.

But mankind not wanting to retain God, the True God in their knowledge, for God in all His righteousness, doesn't fit mankind's evaluation of the kind of God he wants to worship. Here is the premise on which the Law spelled out the kind of life that would keep them clean before the eyes of a Holy God. First in importance from God's perspective, and for man's well being, is, "To Love the Lord your God, and To Love your fellow man." This quality of Love has been lacking in the heart of man, and until man is redeemed, and the Love of God is shed abroad in the heart of the believer, man will continue to lack it. All through man's history he has misconstrued lust and unholy desires for love. When Jesus Christ appeared He first revealed what true Love for God, the Father in the heart of man was like. When He gave His Life as ransom for mankind, He revealed what true Love of Man for his fellow man was like. John 15:13, "Greater love has no man than this, that one lay down his life for his friends." However the Love Jesus revealed went much farther than this. Rom. 5:6 and 10, "For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His Life."
We'll take up the full scriptural enlightenment of the matter of Love in a later portion.

The degeneration of the character development, from Adam through his offspring became very evident over the next fifteen hundred years. God's own righteousness could no longer tolerate the conditions that prevailed. The debauchery of the race of mankind was an affront to God. His governmental sovereignty was being challenged again. In order to teach man for generations to come, although He was a loving, caring, compassionate God, His tolerance for the condition which man had made for himself, was limited and would be judged in due time, every time. Therefore as sin had overflowed the human race like a deluge, so God in turn brought the deluge of the flood. The flood not only cleaned up the wasted environment, it allowed God to start over with a different family. Noah, the head of the family was one who believed in Him and His Word. Although they were of the lineage of Adam, having the nature of Adam, God established a principle of Faith as the only way sinful man could find favor with Him. The only way for mankind to be acceptable to God and be counted righteous by God, was for man to exercise faith in behalf of God and His Word and His Will. So little by little, step by step, we learn that man, who is by nature unrighteous, can and will have righteousness put to his/her account, based on their act of faith toward God and His Word. Read the writer of the book of Hebrews assessment of this in Chap. 10:35-12:2.

Righteousness at this point must be considered, for there is a wide divergence between the righteousness that God is, and requires, and the righteousness that man conceives as righteousness. With God, there are no variables, no shadow of turning, no gray areas, only absolutes. The basis for Jesus confronting the self-righteous leaders of His day, was the standard of man based on a worked out righteousness. He said to them, Matt.5:17-18, and 20, "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law, until all is accomplished." "For I say to you, that unless your righteousness surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven."

The only place this perfect righteousness can be found is in God Himself. God in Jesus Christ has made it possible to have this quality of righteousness put to every believers account. Jesus Christ is the depository and He offers Himself to each one of us to appropriate from Him, His very own righteousness. 1Cor... 1:30-31, and 2Cor. 5:19-21. This is the offer held forth in the Gospel (good news from God), for the last two thousand years. The record teaches that God had been putting this righteousness to believing man's account throughout the Old Testament era. It came to man through His pre-incarnate word to Israel, and through them to all the world, through His Prophets, Priest, and all the mighty works of power that He performed and manifest before the eyes of all the then known world. It is a positive righteousness offered to mankind by a perfect Person. He is the Word of God come into the world to be the Savior of the world. John 1:1-5, and 14,"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him; and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was Life; and the Life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness; and the darkness did not comprehend it." "And the Word became flesh and dwelt(tabernacled) among us, and we(Apostles) beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth."

Man's concept has always been based on his own standards of what is right and what is wrong, or good and evil. He has always been limited by his own un-righteousness, and only has a limited knowledge of them but cannot produce the good or the right, but always produces the wrong, which amounts to evil in God's sight. Man's concept is ever changing with his society, and what is considered right and wrong, good and evil depends upon the system he has devised for himself at the moment. It is always changing from moment to moment, year to year, generation to generation, whatever seems to fit the occasion at the time. We have all heard spoken in our day many times, "Hey this is the Nineties."

Man being under the condition of estrangement from God, and yet God continuing to use man to fulfill His purpose, has become the mystery to the whole universe, until it is all unveiled in Jesus Christ.

Everything that can be understood, to have been the mind of God, the intent of the loving heart of God, everything incorporated in the plan of God, formulated in the, Council Convened in ages past among the Godhead. out of which the plan of creation and redemption came, was revealed and embodied in the Covenant Promises of God. All was made and kept by, a faithful, truthful, caring God, Who cannot lie. Everything spoken and recorded in the first Testament writings, up to and including the end time Prophesy, is fully revealed in the term, "Word of God," or "Logos," thus designating the incarnation of the Father in the Son. All the hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge reside in Him, the Lord Jesus Christ. Col.2:1-3.

He is the truth of it all personified. The Scripture speaks of foreseeing and the question is asked, "What has the Scripture Foreseen?"

The Apostles all proclaimed this truth, and they were the first to be given the recognition of the living reality of Him, in a hands on experience. 1John 1:1-3, "What (Who) was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we beheld and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of Life- and the Life was manifested, and we have seen and bear witness and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifest to us, what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, that you also may have fellow ship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ." He lays claim to equality with the Father, in both the creation and the work of redemption. John 5:17, "But He answered and said, "My Father is working until now, and I Myself am Working." And again, 6:29. "Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the Work of God, that you believe in Him Whom He has sent." Again in 17:2b-3, "To all whom Thou hast given Him, He may give eternal life. And this is eternal life that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent."

His statement was that He had come to fulfill the Law and not to change one part of it. When He gave up His Life on the cross, He exclaimed, "It is finished!" Rom.1:4, "He who was declared to be the Son God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of Holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord."

The Apostles upon being invested with this same power by the gift of the Holy Spirit, and upon the authority invested in His Name, and as eye witnesses, went forth proclaiming the Good News, that because He lived, they too now lived in the power of His Resurrected Life.

Some very astonishing features of this recorded Word become known, when God's own formula for approaching it is followed. One; sin entered the world by Satan, through one man, Adam. It is in him and the character that he passed on to all man, that man can learn and gain understanding of himself and the circumstances he now finds himself in. For all have sinned, (fallen short of their potential), and the consequences of this failure is the condition man finds himself and his fellowmen, bound by. With, Death, facing him at every mis-step along life's pathway. The condition of the human race, as we have quoted Paul describing it , wasn't charged to the race of men personally, but the condition prevails, and cannot be denied or ignored. Never the less, man's greatest enemy, sin and death, has reigned as monarch, even over those who haven't sinned after the likeness of Adam's transgression. Rom. 5:12-14, "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned--for until the Law sin was in the world; but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of Adam's offense, who is a type of Him who was to come."

Adam's offense was a direct disobedient act against the Word of God. All the rest just naturally became sinner's (fell short ) because that now became their nature by inheritance. Consequently all the rest of us to follow are identified with Adam and his transgressions, Until through Jesus Christ made sin in our behalf, all who will believe in Him, receive a New Identity, with Him who was raised from the dead. A New Creation, New Creatures in Christ, and are made to be the righteousness of God, in Him. 2Cor.5:14-21.

Two,because up until this history making, history changing event, man had been governed by a mind that didn't function the way God meant it to function. His mind and consequently his heart wouldn't allow God to be a part of his consciousness. He couldn't recognize the one and only true God, and fashioned other god's to his own liking. There are two WILL'S at work in the world. These two will's are in opposition to each other and from God's objective viewpoint, this condition must be changed and will be changed. For the true believer, God's will becomes the only will to be recognized. Once again, honesty, immediately makes us recognize man's will is the prevailing one in most instances, among professing believers as well as all other gathering of people, regardless of their philosophy, religion, or politics.

The record is here to show mankind the problem, (who, what, when, how, where,) and through the same record, the answers, the remedy and the solution. The problem arose through man and the solution was provided through another Man, the Man Christ Jesus. The solution was provided for those who were faced with the problem, and was provided for them, without them contributing one ounce of effort toward solving it. Abraham and his Seed, (Christ), are God's choice for accomplishing the task. And He is offered to all, FREE GRATIS, no requirements necessary, only believe.

Three; after creating and re-creating, God dealt with man, between the time of Adam and the time of Noah, strictly on the basis of faith. After approximately fifteen hundred years, man's depravity had taken such a hold and the thoughts and intents of mans heart was only evil continually, God pronounced judgment upon the race of men, consequently the flood. Noah, the only one of his generation who was seen by God to be one who believed in him, called and chose him to bridge the gap between the pre-flood era and the post flood era. God caused His Word to go forth to him, and Noah responding to the obedience of faith built an ark, by which his house-hold and the race of men were saved. Five hundred years pass and men multiply on the face of the earth. God's time arrives for Him to begin to put into effect the next phase of His plan, by which to bring His Son into the World, to save the World. Again, strictly on the basis of faith in His Word, Abraham accepts God's proclamation, in which is the embodiment of the, ETERNAL, EVERLASTING, PROMISE of God to mankind. Blessing for all, and a special place to live and worship God from, in preparation for the coming Savior. All of this is under God's mercy and grace, felt and expressed toward His Creation, with man being the focal point of it all. When according to His promise, He sets out to deliver Abraham's descendants; because they are of the same nature as their forefathers, they are in need of a standard to live by as God's children, identified with the invisible God, who is Holy. They are not to live like all other people, each one doing what is right in their own eyes, but according to the Will of their, Savior, and provider of all their needs. Thus the Law was given to Moses, as a teaching tool, a text book, out of which He and their appointed leaders were to conduct classes continually for the next fifteen hundred years, until the arrival of the Promised Messiah, the Anointed one of God. Without this Law, mankind would have remained in the darkened state of his own spiritual depravity.

When Jesus arrived, the True Light of Life, everything that had been lost was now to be redeemed, and would be offered back to God the Father, as a sweet smelling Savor, through Jesus Christ. The One Who had shown Himself acceptable to God, and whom God received back into His rightful place at the right hand of the Father. And all True Believers are seated their in Him. Eph. 2:4-7, "But God being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenlies, in Christ Jesus, in order that in the ages to come He might show the unsurpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus."

God had told mankind from the beginning that, "He would send this One", and when He came, He would require everyone to listen to Him, and that would have to be a sincere, honest, listening to Him from the heart. He would then be received in the same manner. All true believing is from the heart. All who refused would be cut off from God, and any relationship with Him forever. Deut. 18:15-22, "The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like unto me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to Him. This is according to all that you asked of the Lord your God on the day of the assembly, saying; "Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, let me not see this great fire anymore, lest I die.' 'And the Lord said to me,' 'They have spoken well, I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My Words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I shall command Him. And it shall come about that whoever will not listen to My Words which He shall speak, in My Name, I Myself will require it of Him. But the prophet who shall speak a word presumptuously in My Name which I have not commanded him to speak, or which he shall speak in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die." ' and you shall say in your heart, How shall we know the word which the Lord has spoken?" 'When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously, you shall not be afraid of him."

Now compare, Acts 3:12-26, You see how, when God's Spirit is leading and speaking, all who are truly called of Him, speak the same truth, and Jesus Christ is always held up as the embodiment of the Truth.

When we approach God and His Word in the proper manner, it can readily be seen that God and His Word, have been at work. He is going ahead with His plan and purpose. He is personally involved, and is then recognized by those who pay attention. He is Sovereign Lord, and everything is within His control. It is readily recognized that His purpose, is right, for mankind. The credible, sensible things of God, become credible and sensible to the believer, for they are only apprehended by faith, while all others only scoff and ridicule, and question. Regardless of how mankind as a whole looks at it, God has proven that He is going ahead with His work. When the record is followed and is looked at as God leading and teaching, and not taken as just a lot of Bible stories, then the Truth of God becomes illuminated.

The predominate factor in the record leads us to see that an all knowing, patient, long-suffering, powerful, and ever present God, who is Holy, Righteous, and Just and Good, and everything that He brings into being is looked upon and seen to be good by Him. But because He is all of this, the very same righteousness compels Him to do something about everything good that He has brought into being, continually used and made to be evil. I repeat, He is compelled by His own righteousness to do something about it. Thus we see Him confronting mankind at intervals and endeavoring to direct him to the right way. However God never made, ROBOTS.

At any point in time, for any and all who would receive the Word of God in the proper manner, he would have all the information that would have led him to the correct understanding of himself and why he does thing the way he does. He would have come to know all he needed to know of God and His purpose of life for him/her. If anyone will follow the Lord's instructions in their approach to the study or reading of His Word, he/she will receive the answers to all of mankind's dilemmas in life. He will be taught the reason for all, murders, drug addiction, lying, stealing, cheating, prejudices, racial problems, sexual perversions, and religious differences, plus all else that plagues mankind. The reason and the solution can and will be found when man's approach to God and His Word is right.

Jesus answered his religious critics when he was questioned about His knowledge or what they deemed to be a lack of it, John 7:17-18, "If any man is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God, or whether I speak from Myself. He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory, but He who is seeking the glory of the one who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him."

Truly the Bible is the, Book of Life; It comes from the source of Life and is the only guide to the Truth of Life, the One in whom is Life. The Lord Jesus Christ.

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