Volumes and volumes of books have been written in an attempt to answer these questions by philosophers, theologians, scientists, and theorists who suppose they are philosophers, theologians, or scientists. Of course no matter how brilliant man thinks he is, these are all questions that cannot be answered using the scientific method, because the answers lie beyond the veil which separates the flesh dimension from the spiritual dimension. And flesh man, without the help of God, cannot step into that spiritual dimension and retrieve the answers. So just as man will never be able to place "love" or an "attitude" under a microscope and see either one, he cannot answer the spiritual questions above by any physical means available to him "under the sun", apart from God, though he keeps on trying.
That means if one is inclined to mentally and spiritually stay on this side of the veil and deny even the possibility of a creator who lies beyond the boundary of the physical realm, then he or she will never reach an understanding of any of the opening four questions.
Furthermore, those predisposed to that position will remain void of wisdom and common sense and go through life either admitting they are agnostics, meaning they are "ag - knowledge", i.e. "know nothings", or they will be so ignorant as to believe without any credible evidence that they are the end result of organic slime which after billions and billions of years spontaneously and miraculously aligned enough atoms at the same time in order to form enough molecules at the same time in order to form enough amino acids at the same time in order to form enough proteins at the same time in order to form a single cell of life. This astronomically improbable event must then occur enough times for one of the cells to survive and figure out how to reproduce itself and repeat that process until it can figure out what it would like to evolve into. From this point on the story becomes ridiculous.
Now suppose one has at least enough wits about them to recognize that order and complexity do not happen accidentally and that a creator is required in order to have a creation and a law giver is required in order to have a law.
But even if a person believes in a Creator, he or she is not "out of the woods" yet in being able to answer our four questions, anymore than just knowing the car was manufactured tells you where or when or how it was made. For that you must inquire of the correct manufacturer. However, since this is a Bible Study we will presuppose that you believe in a Creator, and not just any Creator, but the Creator God of the Bible which claims to be His Word, the information directly from the correct manufacturer. Now the problem is, can you read and understand the manual?
You may be asking yourself by now, "What's the purpose of this lengthy introduction?" It is simply to prepare your mind to think and understand that Jesus Christ informed you and me that the number one SIGN of this final generation is the GREAT probability that you and I have been deceived by Christian ministers and preachers.
So before we begin with our study of "God's Plan" from His Word (Your Bible) and His works, which will conclusively answer the four questions, we must pause and consider for a moment that we might be deceived. Ask the question, "If a person is deceived, would he (or she) know it?" The answer is NO HE WOULD NOT! No one who is deceived knows or believes he is deceived, for that is the very definition of deception. Here's the word "deceive" as defined in Webster's Dictionary:
deceive; "to cause to accept as true or valid what is false or invalid".
Have you ever heard anyone say, "Hi John! Guess what? I'm deceived." What would you say in response, "How do you know?" And he or she answers, "Because what I believe to be true is actually false." You say, "Well, if you know it's false then you can't believe it is true, can you? So you are not deceived."
The point is, you cannot KNOW that you are deceived. The information and knowledge that you possess may indeed be false, but you do not know it to be false, nor believe it to be so. BUT, based on what Jesus told His disciples on the mount of Olives, you can (and should) assume that you are or might be deceived.
Here are the first warning words of Jesus Christ concerning our day:
Do you believe Jesus Christ? He said many shall come in "His name"! His name is Jesus Christ and they come representing Him, as His ministers, saying, "Yep, Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah", and people then believe the rest of what they say as if their authority comes from God.Matthew 24:3 And as He sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? [4] And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. [5] For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
Just how wide spread is this deception? Well, when Satan shows up as the false messiah (Rev. 12:7-9) the whole world will believe he is Jesus, which in reality means they must already be mentally and spiritually prepared to accept him, i.e. they are already deceived. In fact, if a person is still trying to figure out what the "Mark of the Beast" is, they already have it and don't know it. (We will learn more about that "mark" later on and how it relates to God's Plan.)
Rev. 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Note: The phrase "the whole world" is a generalization and means "the majority of the whole", which leaves room for some exception. It is written that God's very elect, a minority of people indeed, will not be deceived even for a moment.
Finally, there are two more important aspects of deception to be considered. The first is that even if one is able to educate people to see and understand what deception is, most really don't think it applies individually to them and they still believe that what they believe is true! It is a little like telling people they are going to die, especially younger people. They intellectually know that is true, but individually they don't think or sense that it applies to them, at least not for today. The same holds true when tomorrow becomes today!
Let's now begin to think and study about the Plan of God.
Consider the following foundation scripture:
God made His creation, of us in flesh and blood bodies in this 2nd earth age, the way He made it with great purpose, so that we can understand the INVISIBLE things from the CREATION of the world, even His power and Godhead, even His marvelous Plan and the answer to our four questions. If you understand the depth of this verse, Romans 1:20, you then know that we can actually SEE in "Physical type" that which is Spiritual, beyond the veil. The physical type then becomes a second witness that documents the Word of God and vice versa.Romans 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
There is a REASON WHY a human being begins his or her flesh experience from an act of love whereby an egg is begotten by a seed, which forms an embryo that attaches to the mother's womb, and is then incubated for 40 weeks in a water world of its own, until it is born into the world as a newborn baby, completely helpless and unable to care for itself, totally dependent on its mother and father to care for it and sustain its life.
There is a REASON WHY human beings grow to become male or female and a reason why the two are designed to become one, whereby a family is created with a Father and a Mother and children. God could have made things any way He so chose, but He made them for our understanding as Rom. 1:20 declares so that the Word of God and the Creation of God harmonize together.
You know it would be much more wonderful and pleasurable to have someone to love and to share everything with and better yet, to have someone who loved you too! Well, our Father is no different. In the eternity past, as we will document, He was all alone and He desired a Family to share everything with and to love and who would love Him in return!
Most people suppose that the Plan of God starts with Genesis 1:1, but it does not! The creation of the heavens and the earth start there (for they had a beginning), but the Family Plan itself began before Gen. 1:1 happened, yes, before the beginning, in what we call the eternity past. We find it recorded in the book of wisdom, in the Proverbs of Wisdom, chapter 8. Before there ever was an earth our Father existed and wisdom was with Him. We read concerning wisdom:
We will see in this chapter and in 2 Pet. 3 that Gen. 1:1 were His works of old. This is before that time.Proverbs 8:22 The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.
Again for emphasis, this is before the earth came into being.[23] I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.
Though wisdom was with God from the eternity past, His hearts desire (his delight) was to have sons, i.e. a family. So He created the souls of all His children for His pleasure, the pleasure of companionship and love. That is WHY you were created! (We will show later that He gave us free will and explain what that is.)[24] When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water. [25] Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth: [26] While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world. [27] When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth: When He did create the heavens and the earth, wisdom remained with Him. [28] When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep: [29] When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth: [30] Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him; [31] Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men.
NOW we come to the beginning and we will see that God prepares a magnificent and beautiful, perfect HOME for His family. He will call it "Earth" and His children will shout for joy! We learned that God's plan began even before Genesis 1:1, which was His creation of the heaven and the earth. It began in the eternity past with our Father's desire to have a happy, loving family, with whom He could share all of eternity future and all of His creation, which He has made especially for them!Rev. 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
We all look forward to that time which, incredible as it may seem, is now drawing nearer and nearer.Rev. 21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. [3] And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
Rev. 21:7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
So once all souls, His children, were brought into being, our loving Father then proceeded to build for His family the most beautiful Home in all of the Universe and He called it Earth. (Those of you who have studied Ezekiel with us know that in chapter 16 of that book God eventually chose a favorite location of His own on earth where He will reside forever.)
Then, when our Father had finished building, i.e. creating the earth, His children were so thrilled and so excited that they literally shouted for joy! Yes, you were there and shouted too!
Here's your documentation:
To give you some background here: Job has been listening for 36 chapters to his mainstream preacher buddies, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite (pronounced "shoe-height", which I believe qualifies him as the shortest man in the Bible, heh, heh), and Zophar the Naamathite, give him really bad advice and counsel about God, who is not too happy about it! We find written a few chapters later in Job 42:7: "And it was so, that after the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath.Job 38:1 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, [2] Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?
Unfortunately, todays preachers just as preachers in the past, often don't speak of God or His Word the things that are right! The point is, we now have the written Word of God and we are to listen to Him through that Word. If what man tells you is written therein, then hold fast to that which is good. If what man tells you, even this man, ever contradicts what is written therein, then pitch it. However, make sure you do your homework before you accept or reject it. Your own opinion doesn't count as far as God is concerned!
When you answer to your Father, your preacher won't be there to answer for you. What will you say when He asks why you haven't read and studied His Word?[3] Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.
If you don't have understanding, which comes from studying His Word, then don't answer because your chances of being right are pretty slim. And as we just read, when you give out unknowledgeable and incorrect information about Him, He becomes angry with you (which is not a good thing). So let's just wait and let our Father tell us the answer. That is how we acquire understanding.[4] Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.
Now that's a good question! How in the world did He hang this planet in the midst of space? What holds it there?[5] Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? [6] Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof;
[7] When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
Why did He create the earth?Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
He created the earth to BE INHABITED! By whom? By ALL of His sons, His family that He created which was you and me and Job and Moses and Sarah and Adam and David and Deborah and Paul and Judy and Eve and John, etc. Don't be confused! We were all still in our celestial (angelic bodies back then).Isaiah 45:18 For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, He created it not in vain, He formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.
So the earth was very beautiful back then when the Behemoth of Job 40:15, the dinosaur, roamed the earth. There was a water canopy that enveloped the entire globe which made it a virtual greenhouse with lush vegetation from the Arctic to the Antarctic. That is why the Mastodons and Mammoths that have been discovered in the tundra and in Northeast Siberia, which were instantly frozen at a time we are going to soon read about (the Bible tells us exactly what caused the extinction of dinosaurs and mammoths) had grass in their bellies and buttercups in their mouths. You can read about them on this Discovery Channel's website.
Here is an excerpt:
GREAT MAMMOTH DISCOVERIES
In Northeast Siberia, a villager showed a Cossack named Yaklovski a tusk he'd hacked from "one of those great hairy devils up on the under-cliff of the Beresovka River." The Cossack, in turn, told a local police official, who notified the Imperial Academy of Sciences. In September 1901, zoologist Otto F. Herz was sent to retrieve the mammoth carcass before it was devoured by wild animals. Herz and his crew spent nearly a month meticulously removing the giant's still largely intact body from the ice. Its stomach was found to contain more than 33 pounds of grass. The mammoth's remains were stuffed, with about one-third of the animal's body, including its tail, made up of its actual, preserved skin. The rest of the specimen in Leningrad's Zoological Museum is covered with restored skin.There is something else in Isa. 45:18 which is extremely important to our understanding of the Plan of God. Notice that it says "the LORD that created the heaven and the earth", so that we know we are talking about the same Creator and creation of Gen. 1:1, created it NOT IN VAIN!
We must now interrupt the story flow and do a short, simple, but scholarly word study because we MUST understand what this word "vain" means. It is the Hebrew word "tohuw" and here is its definition from Strong's Concordance*:
tohuw, to'-hoo, Hebrew 8414; from an unused root meaning to lie waste; a desolation (of surface), i.e. desert; figurative a worthless thing; adverbial in vain :- confusion, empty place, without form, nothing, (thing of) nought, vain, vanity, waste, wilderness.
The two words translated "without form" in this verse come from a single Hebrew word which is exactly the same word "tohuw" we read of in Isa. 45:18 that was translated "vain". Here in Gen. 1:2 it SEEMS to say that God created the heavens and the earth (vs. 1) and it WAS "tohuw" when He made it, meaning it was a desolate wasteland without form. So which is it? Isaiah said specifically that He DID NOT make it that way.Genesis 1:2
And the earth was (became) without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
hayah, haw-yaw', Hebrew 1961; a primitive root [compare Hebrew 1933 (hava')]; to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary) :- beacon, × altogether, be (-come, accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint, fall, + follow, happen, × have, last, pertain, quit (one-) self, require, × use.
God did not create the earth in a state of utter waste and desolation. It BECAME that way! See live link to->>>>pamphlet #1003 (If you have an NIV Bible it will note the word "was" in Gen 1:2 as "or became".) The question is "How" and "When" and "Why" did the earth become such a desolation? We will read the "specific" answers to all three shortly. Don't miss them, because the fascinating answers to these questions lay the very foundation for understanding why we are now in flesh bodies that will someday perish! Wouldn't you like to know? You can!
* A Strong's Concordance is a book containing an index of all the words in the King James Bible and all the verses in which they are contained, with a numeric link to the dictionaries in the back of the concordance of the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek words and their definitions. It is really quite simple to use and if you don't understand Hebrew or Greek (which most Christians do not) then you should have one if you are serious about studying God's Word. With this valuable study tool you can "check out" the information contained in this study. You can obtain one at most any bookstore.
Have you ever been to a museum and walked through a display of life size replicas of dinosaurs? What awesome creatures they must have been. As you wonder and wander through the display you cannot help feel like you are in another world, a world age of long, long ago, when the earth was quite different. Then you realize they are all gone, extinct! What really happened to them?
Remember, we learned that God created all of His sons, including you and me, even before the creation of Gen. 1:1? Well, we are given a detailed account of the description and the activities of one of those sons. His name was Lucifer, which means "morning star", a title of great honor as we shall see. Remember also we read from Job 38:7 that at the creation of this beautiful earth, the "morning stars" formed the chorus as they sang together while all the rest of the sons of God cheered for great joy. Lucifer was among those morning stars who sang. (Job 38:7 "When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?") You can be sure there was great ceremony and rejoicing for we read of great heavenly ceremonies in the Book of Revelation and we all look forward to the Great Wedding and the ceremonial feast.
Let's read about this "morning star", Lucifer, in the Book of Ezekiel.
Tyrus means "rock" with a small "r" and refers to Satan who we will see wanted to be like The Rock, (always with a large "R" when used in our 1611 King James Bible) who is Jesus Christ. But as it is written in Deuteronomy chapter 32, which is the Song of Moses referred to in Rev. 15 that the overcomers will be singing at the return of Christ, he is NOT our Rock: Deut. 32:31 "For their rock is not as our Rock..."Ezekiel 28:12 Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.
However, this "rock" was once a very honorable and esteemed individual by our Father and all of His children too! (Of course now we can put "rock" & "morning star" together and realize he is nothing more important to God's children than a "rock star". Ok, he's not even that important. I was just having a little fun.)
This verse documents that we are not talking about the literal human king of Tyre. This is all about Satan. This next part of the verse is very insightful if you have eyes to see and are familiar with God's Word.[13] Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God;
First we see that Satan was created just like everyone else. But, we see that a "workmanship" was also prepared for him. What in the world is that?[13 ... continued] every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.
Lucifer was given a very important DUTY or POSITION. Do you know what it was? It may surprise you! Notice in verse 13 that "every precious stone" adorned him. This simply means that Satan WORE the "Breastplate of a Priest of God", a very high position indeed! That's right, and verse 14 will show he was "anointed" to this position by our Father. You see, these stones listed in verse 13 are EXACTLY the same as the stones that the Levitical priests will wear. Let's read the description of the priest's breastplate so we know for sure. (You can compare stone for stone if you like.)mela'kah, mel-aw-kaw', Hebrew 4399; from the same as Hebrew 4397 (mal'ak); properly deputyship, i.e. ministry; generally employment (never servile) or work (abstract or concrete); also property (as the result of labor) :- business, + cattle, + industrious, occupation, (+ -pied), + officer, thing (made), use, (manner of) work ([-man], -manship).
Note to the deeper scholar: This entire third row is missing from Ezekiel 28:13 in Hebrew, but it is supplied in the Septuagint.Exodus 28:17-21 And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, even four rows of stones: the first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this shall be the first row. [18] And the second row shall be an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond. [19] And the third row a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst.
So what do these stones represent?[20] And the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper: they shall be set in gold in their inclosings.
So we now understand that this "morning star", Lucifer, was a high priest of God even over the children of God. Think about it! Let's return to Ezekiel 28 and read more about him.[21] And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet; every one with his name shall they be according to the twelve tribes.
God anointed Lucifer as a "protector of the mercy seat", which is where Christ sits (there are only two cherubs that cover the Ark of the Covenant), and set him high upon the holy mountain, which is the seat of authority of the kingdom of God, i.e. he also had a very high governmental position. There is no separation of "church" and "state" in the kingdom of God, for all men who execute duties are righteous men. So the civil and the religious in that sense are united which is why we read that Jesus returns as King of kings and Lord of lords. AND Satan walked up and down in the midst of Children of God, who are those "stones of fire" we just read of in the last verse, i.e. God's children. You see, our Father is a consuming fire (spiritually). That's why these stones are called stones (small "r') of fire (God) for they are His children. Your documentation is found in Hebrews 12:29 "For our God is a consuming fire."Ezekiel 28:14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
So Satan really had it made at one time, didn't he? He had it ALL, as we say. Now read this next verse about him.
Uh oh! Something has gone haywire! God created this son, Lucifer, "perfect", which if you take the time to look up this word in your Strong's Concordance you will find it means "without blemish", "undefiled", i.e. He created him not only to be beautiful, but also morally upright, and so at one time he did have integrity.[15] Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
However, God ALSO gave all of His children FREE WILL, which we will discuss in more depth at a later time. So Lucifer, once a beautiful morning star, lost his brightness, his light, and now became Satan, the dark one, the evil one.
Here are the Hebrew words for "perfect" and "iniquity", respectively.
When he was created, Satan was tamiym but he became 'evel. Here's what caused him to become that way:tamiym, taw-meem', Hebrew 8549; from Hebrew 8552 (tamam); entire (literal, figurative or moral); also (as noun) integrity, truth :- without blemish, complete, full, perfect, sincerely (-ity), sound, without spot, undefiled, upright (-ly), whole.`evel, eh'-vel, Hebrew 5766; or avel, aw'-vel; and (feminine) avlah, av-law'; or owlah, o-law'; or olah, o-law'; from Hebrew 5765 (`aval); (moral) evil :- iniquity, perverseness, unjust (-ly), unrighteousness (-ly), wicked (-ness).
The NIV reads: "Your great wealth filled you with internal turmoil and you sinned." Hey, he loved THINGS and MONEY! Well now there's a surprise! I've never seen a priest or minister or government official corrupted by money before, have you?Ezekiel 28:16
By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence,...
This Hebrew word for "sinned" is "chata'" and it is extremely important to understand its meaning, for contained in this word is what Satan DID that was so EVIL.and thou hast sinned:...
The proper meaning here is (CAUSATIVE) LEAD ASTRAY. "Causative" as defined by Webster is: (1.) effective or operating as a cause or agent (2.) expressing causation; specif.: being a linguistic form that indicates that the subject causes an act to performed or a condition to come into being.chat*a', khaw-taw', Hebrew 2398; a primitive root; properly to miss; hence (figurative and general) to sin; by inference to forfeit, lack, expiate, repent, (causative) lead astray, condemn :- bear the blame, cleanse, commit [sin], by fault, harm he hath done, loss, miss, (make) offend (-er), offer for sin, purge, purify (self), make reconciliation, (cause, make) sin (-ful, -ness), trespass.
You see, Rev. 12:4 declares that Satan drew the third part of God's children away from God, and CAUSED them to fall to the earth, which is a figure of speech meaning he caused them to "fall" from "tamiym", perfection, from the good graces of our Father and from listening to and following Him! Satan "sinned". He LED GOD'S CHILDREN ASTRAY!
That, my friends, is the GROSS SIN that Satan committed. It wasn't so bad that he himself became corrupted, for He could have been removed from the scene and life would have continued on as "rosy" as it was in the very beginning when Gen. 1:1 came to pass and God created this beautiful earth and His sons were happy and delighted and joyful.Rev. 12:4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven (we.us! We are the stars of heaven), and did cast them to the earth:
We will soon read that our Father was VERY angry about all of this, VERY angry! Let's finish Ezekiel 28:16.
Ezekiel 28:16 [..continued] therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
So Satan became very CORRUPT and was fired from all his high positions. What else did he do?chamac*, khaw-mawce', Hebrew 2555; from Hebrew 2554 (chamac*); violence; by implication wrong; by meton. unjust gain :- cruel (-ty), damage, false, injustice, × oppressor, unrighteous, violence (against, done), violent (dealing), wrong.
Ezekiel 28:17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness:
[17 ..continued] I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.
Yes, there were nations back then, and there are nations now, and there will be nations in the eternity (Rev. 21).Isaiah 14:12-16 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
As you read this scripture in light of what we have learned in this study, the phrase "The Bigger they are the Harder they Fall" might come to mind. This Lucifer was great in power and authority and he took a Big, Big Fall! But worse yet, He WEAKENED the nations with his holier-than-thou, with his "I know what's right and wrong (the knowledge of good and evil) better than God's Word" attitude. In other words, he thinks he knows what is best for the people, which is nothing more than a bunch of his LIBERAL, EGOTISTICAL, SOCIALISTIC CRAP! It weakens nations! Look around you! Hello!
He wanted to completely take over! He wanted to be God! I look around and see many just like him in lofty positions of power who also think they are God.[13] For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
I don't think so, Satan![14] I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
You're goin' DOWN, Satan![15] Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
Yes, folks will marvel that they allowed this good-for-nothing, egotistical, idolatrous, corrupt liberal to cause such problems for all of us.[16] They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;
Ezekiel 28:18 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.
`avon, aw-vone', Hebrew 5771; or avown, aw-vone'; (2 Kings 7:9; Psa. 51:5 [77]), from Hebrew 5753 (`avah); perversity, i.e. (moral) evil :- fault, iniquity,mischief, punishment (of iniquity), sin.
[19] All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.
Hey, what about all of the other children who Satan caused to fall? We didn't read anything about them being judged! Were any other sons judged back then?
Notice to Parents: The information contained next reveals what happened to the dinosaurs and other living creatures of prehistoric times. However, please be advised that this knowledge comes directly from the Creator of the Universe who is NOT recognized as an authoritative source by the government-run public school systems in the United States ever since the wisdom of our Founding Fathers was replaced by the folly of our, present day, Floundering Fathers.
At least everybody acknowledges that there was a time long ago when Dinosaurs once roamed this earth. Science calls that age of long ago "prehistoric times" while the Bible calls that age "the world that then was" (2 Pet. 3:6). Also, there is one other obvious fact that everyone agrees with, and that is there are NO MORE dinosaurs! They are ALL gone, extinct! A person would do well to take some time and perform a search on "dinosaurs" on the internet and discover all of the many theories man has devised about "how" and "why" they all became extinct.
The majority consensus is that the demise of the dinosaurs was quick and sudden and although some of man's theories as to "how" that sudden destruction took place, such as a comet or a large meteor or an asteroid striking the earth, are plausible and perhaps even likely, without the Word of God man will NEVER be able to determine "why" it happened. He can only guess. We don't have to. The Word of God tells us "why" they perished.
Let's recap what we have learned so far:
This is Before GEN. 1:1
1.) Wisdom was with God before He ever had sons and before He ever created the heaven and earth. (Prov. 8:23-25)
2.) God created all souls, including you and me, because His desire was to have sons, i.e. children. (Prov. 8:31) His sons (we) were NOT created in flesh (terrestrial) bodies but rather in what we will call angelic (celestial) bodies, just like His son Lucifer who he anointed to be one of the prestigious "morning stars", which is what his name means.
This is GEN. 1:1
3.) God then created the heaven and the earth to be inhabited by His sons (Isa. 45:18, Gen. 1:1) and they all shouted for joy when He finished it. (Job 38:7) This is the "world that then was" which science calls the prehistoric age of long, long ago, the age of the great dinosaurs. His sons/we did begin inhabiting the earth, which again is the reason our Father made it for us. We will soon document from the Word that there were cities and birds, etc., but remember, the sons of God[we] were not made out of flesh and blood at that time, which is why human bones and remains are NOT found along with those of the dinosaurs. Now you know why. Please be aware; We were not in these terrestrial, animal bodies, bodies during the first earth age. We had celestial bodies, angelic bodies.
After GEN. 1:1 and Before GEN 1:2
4.) Everything was perfect and harmonious in those prehistoric times, in that world that then was, until the very great and high-ranking Lucifer "sinned" greatly (Ezek. 28:16) by drawing 1/3 of the sons of God away from Him (Rev. 12:4) and caused them to be cast down, i.e. to fall away from their Father.
So you ask again, "where is flesh man in all of this?" The answer again is: "There is no flesh man yet. Up to this time God's children still have bodies which are not made out of flesh and blood". But there is a big, big problem! That problem is that fully 1/3 of God's family has fallen away and followed after Satan and his One World Order, during that first earth age, the structure of which you can read about in Rev. 12:3. (The political and religious system Satan had back then is almost identical to the New World Order found in Rev. 13:1, in this earth age, that he will have when he is soon cast out of heaven to this earth in Rev. 12:7-9.)
What should our Father do about those who followed Satan? He is not too happy, to put it mildly. Actually, we will read He is quite angry.
Well, He could bring everyone into accountability and judge them also, but too many of His children would end up with the same death sentence as their leader Lucifer. That is a very unpleasant thought for any loving parent to think about.
So instead, God postponed everyone else's judgment, after He judged Satan, and He overthrew him and his World Order and He COMPLETELY DESTROYED the "world that then was", the prehistoric age, and the earth became a complete and utterly dark and desolate wasteland, and the water canopy that surrounded the earth was brought down and now covered (flooded) the entire earth's surface, i.e. Lucifer's Flood.
We have now come to the second verse in the Bible. The prehistoric age of Gen. 1:1 is over and the earth has now become a desolation.
So the entire earth became in the Hebrew tongue, "tohu va bohu", translated "without form" [tohu] and "void" [bohu] in the King James Bible. Here are their definitions from Strong's:Genesis 1:2 And the earth was (became) without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
We are given the details of this destruction of the prehistoric age in the Book of Jeremiah, chapter 4:tohuw, to'-hoo, Hebrew 8414; from an unused root meaning to lie waste; a desolation (of surface), i.e. desert; figurative a worthless thing; adverbial in vain :- confusion, empty place, without form, nothing, (thing of) nought, vain, vanity, waste, wilderness.bohuw, bo'-hoo, Hebrew 922; from an unused root (meaning to be empty); a vacuity, i.e. (superficially) an undistinguishable ruin :- emptiness, void.
"My bowels", if you care to look it up in Strong's, is figurative for "my heart". Our Father is very pained that He must do this to His children and His beautiful creation.Jeremiah 4:19 My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart maketh a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trump, the alarm of war.
Here's how Dr. Moffat translates verse 19:
He anguished at the very thought of having to do the following:[19] "O my heart, my heart! it writhes! On how it throbs! My soul is moaning! I cannot hold my peace..."
Ruin upon ruin, for the whole earth is ruined. SUDDENLY are my dwelling places ruined, and in an INSTANT all my shelters are torn down!Jeremiah 4:20 Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is spoiled: suddenly are my tents spoiled, and my curtains in a moment.
God hated to do it![21] How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet?
The word "sottish" means "stupid". Remember, this is our Father speaking! This is what He has to say about His children. Here is the N.A.S. version:[22] For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.
[22] For my people are foolish, they know Me not; they are stupid children, and they have no understanding. They are shrewd to do evil, but to do good they do not know.
This next verse will document that the destruction God is referring to here in Jeremiah is the destruction of the entire earth, reduced to the EXACT same condition of "tohu va bohu" and "darkness" that we read of in Gen. 1:2, which we will parallel for emphasis.
We now continue to read the description of how the earth became "tohu va bohu".Jeremiah 4:23 I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was (became) without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.Genesis 1:2 And the earth was (became) without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.
The great earthquake shook the mountains and the hills were moved with ease.Jeremiah 4:24 I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly.
[25] I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled.
Who destroyed the prehistoric age and the dinosaurs and the cities and reduced the beautiful fruitful place to a wilderness? The LORD GOD destroyed it! Our Father wiped it all out and took it all away from us! And He destroyed it because of His fierce anger. He was very ANGRY with the evil caused by the Satan and his rebellion and the fact that 1/3 of His children (we/us) in our STUPIDITY followed after that corrupt clown, Satan.[26] I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was (became) a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger.
Look around you today and you will see exactly the same thing happening. God's children are once again STUPIDLY following after EXACTLY the same "dung*" (Ezek. 4:12) from EXACTLY the same "man", Satan, the one who has been judged already to perish, i.e. the son of perdition. And most of them are SO STUPID (as God calls them) that they don't even know it!
But THIS TIME they are going to LEARN so great a lesson, that hopefully will save their soul at the time of their judgment (and they will ALL be judged) from the same sentencing decreed upon Satan, which is to perish in the lake of fire and to be no more!
* I used the word "crap" in a earlier study which some folks don't think is a nice way for a Christian man to talk. So in this study I used the Biblical word "dung", which is a mild translation of the Hebrew word "tsowah". However, it seems to me that somehow, no matter what you call the stuff, it doesn't make it any prettier or make it smell any better! Besides, I've come a long way baby, as they say. I now say, "I don't give a crap" instead of how I used to say it.
So just how swift and sudden was the destruction of the prehistoric age, the "world that then was"? It is evident that God literally knocked this earth off of its axis and out of its perfect orbit, because He created it perfect and we know it was a lush green "fruitful place" from the Arctic to the Antarctic (as evidenced by the mammoth discoveries we discussed earlier), but now it tilts and it wobbles as it spins which is why magnetic north and true north do not perfectly align and we are left with a Magnetic Declination, as anyone who knows how to use a compass will tell you. Do a search on the internet on "magnetic declination".
Because of this declination we also have what is called the "jet stream" which produces weather patterns and storms upon the earth that were not present in the once peaceful "world that then was". But our Father has also promised us that the earth will someday be restored and there will be a new heaven and a new earth age not be compared to this present, second one. You see, there are Three Earth Ages; 1.) the prehistoric age of the world that then was, 2.) the present one that we are in now, and 3.) the one to come following the Millennium.MAGNETIC DECLINATIONThe axis of the dipole is offset from the axis of the Earth's rotation by approximately 11 degrees. This means that the north and south geographic poles and the north and south magnetic poles are not located in the same place.
Declination is simply the difference in degrees from Magnetic north and True relative north to your position. True NORTH (north & south poles) are the axis of the earth. The north and south poles are the starting and ending point of longitudinal lines that segment the earth.
The apostle Peter explains the three world ages to us and how people are "willingly" ignorant (stupid) about how the "world that then was" perished.
God Destroyed the first earth and also the first heaven.
Scripture: 2 Peter
3:3 ¶Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days
scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
4 And saying, Where is
the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things
continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
1st
heaven and 1st earth.
5 For this they willingly
are ignorant of, that by the word of God the
heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the
water:
6
Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
2nd
heaven and 2nd earth.
7 But the heavens and
the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved
unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
8 But, beloved,
be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand
years, and a thousand years as one day.
9 The Lord is not
slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering
to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come
to repentance.
10 But the day of the
Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall
pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent
heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
11 Seeing then that
all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to
be in all holy conversation and godliness,
12 Looking for and hasting
unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall
be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
3rd
heaven and 3rd earth.
13
Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens
and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
Now we will go to Gen 1:3 and learn about the beginning of this current flesh age (and why we are now created in flesh and blood bodies for this second appearance on earth) and how it applies to the glorious Plan of Salvation our Father has given to His children.
How exciting the Word of God is. It is too bad it is not allowed in our public schools. We, His children really are STUPID, aren't we, when we expelled God and truth from our children's schools and now, instead, bring in Satan's crap to destroy them!
It reminds me of the recent e-mail I received which showed a letter that a little girl wrote to God:
To which God replied:Dear God,"Why didn't you save those kids at the Columbine school?"
Next we are going to learn "WHY" we are in flesh bodies, and "WHY" it is a necessary part of the Plan of Salvation as outlined by Jesus Christ Himself in John chapter 3, which we will analyze. (Don't miss it!)My dear child,"I am not allowed in school."
* If you haven't read the "Letter to the Reader" which the translators of the 1611 King Jemes Bible wrote to the English speaking peoples, like you and me, then by all means log unto Live Link to->>> LetterToTheReader
We have already seen and documented from the Word of God what happened in the first earth age, the world that then was, and how Satan long ago caused 1/3 of God's children to fall away and turn from Him. We learned that it was this "sin" of Satan that was "why" God, in His fierce anger, destroyed that earth age, that beautiful prehistoric age when dinosaurs roamed the earth. At the same time He postponed the FINAL JUDGMENT of His sons, us, until after the Millennium and so ONLY Satan at this point has been sentenced to PERISH in the lake of fire. All others AWAIT judgment! That is why Satan is called "Death" and why he is called "the son of perdition", the "son who will perish". Again, the rest of, us, God's children will NOT be judged until AFTER the Millennium. (That of course is with the exception of the ones of us who escape that final judgment by accepting Jesus Christ as our savior so that we might receive eternal life during the "First Resurrection", at Christ's return, and not perish, as John 3:16 so plainly states.)
This verse says that the words Peter is writing, including the knowledge of the first, second, and third earth ages, do not contain any new revelations because they were spoken of by the holy prophets. We have already read about the first earth age, etc., from Genesis, Proverbs, Jeremiah, Isaiah, etc. It has been written there all this time and yet few people have ever read it, much less studied it and taught it. Here is what Peter has to say about the last days, the days we are living in now!2 Peter 3:1 This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: [2] That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:
Just substitute the words "left wing liberals" for the word "scoffers" and re-read the verse. Here is the Greek word for "scoffers":2 Peter 3:3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
False teachers aren't just false religious teachers, of which there are many in these last days just as Jesus said there would be. Many of those who educate others about past and current events, i.e. newscasters and reporters, are falsely teaching when they "spin" the truth, aren't they?empaiktes, emp-aheek-tace', Greek 1703; from Greek 1702 (empaizo); a derider, i.e. (by implication) a false teacher :- mocker, scoffer.
"There have been 'doomsday' prophets for millennia", they say. They do not believe that the sand WILL RUN OUT of the hour glass. (You might call it the "hour of temptation glass".) They either believe in evolution and that that process continues on, or they believe that this earth was created in Gen. 1:1 and continues as it was from that beginning creation. NOT SO! God wiped it out ONCE and it became "tohu va bohu".[4] And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
They are willingly ignorant of the fact that the Word of God declares that the prehistoric age of the "world that then was" PERISHED at the angry hand of Almighty God at the judgment of the Wicked One.[5] For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: [6] Whereby the world that then was, (#1 EARTH AGE) being overflowed with water, perished:
And this earth age, the heavens and the earth which we are now living in, AWAIT the same fate of judgment and sentencing to PERISH of those who will not repent and turn to their Father. That "day" of judgment is the Great White Throne Judgment.[7] But the heavens and the earth, which are now, (#2 EARTH AGE) by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
So the Word of God says that He destroyed this earth before (the 1st heaven and earth age of Gen. 1:1) and He'll do it again.
Scoffers are totally ignorant of this fact.
Even most Christians are blind to it, but the Word of God declares it.
One day to us is as a thousand years to the Lord, so things seem to happen rather slowly as we perceive things. However...2 Pet. 3:8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
Our Father is very patient because He does not want any of His children to suffer the same judgment as Satan. It is His desire that all come to repentance, but unfortunately there will still be some who will refuse.[9] The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
The word "elements" means "rudiments", not physical elements. The day of the Lord will come as a surprise to all the willingly ignorant and spiritually blind! And you know what? Since there is "nothing new under the sun" you can be sure that many in that first earth age didn't think our Father would actually destroy everything then either. History repeats itself, even from that first earth age! This heaven and earth age will PASS AWAY! Guaranteed![10] But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
This earth age, this SECOND earth age, the heavens and the earth which are NOW, are going to pass away with the coming of the Consuming Fire, who is our Father! Hebrews 12:29 "For our God is a consuming fire."[11] Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, [12] Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
And the THIRD heaven and earth age, the time of eternal peace that we all look forward to, will be ushered in just as He promised!
[13] Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, (#3 EARTH AGE) wherein dwelleth righteousness.
1 Thes. 5:21
Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.John 5:39
Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.2 Tim. 2:15
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
You see, when you are placed in the flesh body, you are bound by that flesh, i.e. you are stuck in there, until as Eccles. 12:7 says, the silver cord is parted and YOU, your soul, your spirit, goes back to the Father from whence it came and that flesh body you have been caged in goes back to the elements of the earth and decays, never ever to be used again. It's gone! It is even written in the Old Testament.
These are all figures of speech meaning when a person dies, just like we say, "When a person kicks the bucket"!Eccles. 12:6 Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.
God put that spirit in that flesh body! The reason He did is so that SOUL could EXPERIENCE THE DEATH OF THEIR FLESH BODY and Then return home![7] Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
Because you see, in flesh bodies the sons of God can experience DEATH without losing their souls! By seeing a loved one die "The Shadow Death" which is the death of their flesh and blood body, after which they can no longer communicate with that loved one, they experience what it will be like to PERISH (the death of their soul) so maybe they will shape up!
Before the final judgment, everyone will come down from heaven, from our "first habitation" (one at a time, in our turn) and dwell in a flesh body and DIE in the flesh, ONE TIME, and ONE TIME ONLY! (You may call it a real education in life and death, if you like)
Check it out:
The judgment occurs AFTER EVERYONE has experienced the death of their flesh, and NOT UNTIL then! It is written. Here is the Greek word for "appointed":Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
Did you know Jesus Christ said don't even worry about people who can kill your little old flesh body, you are going to lose it anyway! It is written! Be concerned about loving our Father who has the POWER to JUDGE YOUR SOUL TO PERISH in the lake of fire along with Satan!apokeimai, ap-ok'-i-mahee, Greek 606; from Greek 575 (apo) and Greek 2749 (keimai); to be reserved; figurative to await :- be appointed, (be) laid up.
But NO! Men and women get all worried about their pretty flesh bodies and preachers scare them with lies into believing antichrist is going to physically zap people, and so the false preachers deceive them more and "sell them" a bigger lie that they are going to fly away in some Rapturemobile and be spared physical harm to their little old flesh. BIG DEAL! John the Baptist was beheaded. Peter was crucified upside down! Many, many Christians have been martyred. Are you a "chicken" or are you a Christian Soldier in the army of the living God. Your flesh is temporary and the sooner you deal with that reality, the sooner you can stop being afraid and do some fighting for the good of the rest of the sons of God who could be in big trouble at the judgment! The Rapture theory is a selfish, unscriptural lie perpetuated by Biblical ignorance.Matthew 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear [means to "revere"] Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
That, my fellow Christian, is the Plan of Salvation in a nutshell. Those who still follow after Satan at that point, BY THEIR OWN FREE WILL, will have chosen DEATH for all eternity!
Here's the "checking out" of Satan's release following the Millennium:
It is worth repeating that you MUST go through the PROCESS of being born in the flesh. Believe it or not there were some sons of God who refused to be born of woman and they came right here and took to wife the daughters of Adam. We read of them in Genesis chapter 6. (Log unto Live Link>>> Genesis, Part 1, for further study.) The resulting union produced GIANTS* and God brought about the flood of Noah to wipe them all out (though there was another influx of them after the flood, which is where the giants came from that Israel faced when they crossed the Jordan). God then rounded up those disobedient sons of God who came here and locked them in jail, which lies across the great gulf in heaven (Luke 16) . They have completely BLOWN their chance to see the kingdom of God, as we will read in Christ's own words in John 3.Rev. 20:3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
Also, read all of the Book of Jude, for he documents what these fallen angels [sons of God] did. They left heaven, their own habitation, where everyone awaits their "appointed" time to be born in a flesh body, and they DISOBEYED Hebrews 9:27 and John chapter 3 and they came to earth without passing through the womb.
Here's verse 6 of Jude:
These guys are history, archive material, clean out your locker! They weren't even judged yet they have CHOSEN DEATH by their abominable decision to disobey and leave heaven and come to earth and they WILL perish! You MUST be born of the bag of water, from the womb of flesh!Jude 1:6 And the angels [sons of God] which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, He hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
We will read our Lord's simple explanation to Nicodemus of those things we have learned. We will look at some "hard" scriptures and you will BE AMAZED at how easy they now are to understand, whereas before no one could explain them to you! In fact, you will know what they mean without explanation from someone else because through His Word you are no longer ignorant of the "World That Then Was" and what happened there!
There are a multitude of people who call themselves "Spirit Filled" or "Born Again" Christians. What they mean by "Born Again" is that they have put off, i.e. buried, the old sinful man, symbolized by the immersion at baptism, and have been "begotten by", i.e. received the Holy Spirit giving them new life, a rebirth of the spirit, creating a new inner man, or woman (as Paul calls it).
Such is certainly a true description of one who comes to repentance and accepts the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and now "believes" on Him. This conversion, this changing of one's heart and mind and conduct, is very eloquently described by the Apostle Paul in Ephesians chapter 4:
So if Christians want to go around saying they are "Born Again" because they have been begotten by the Holy Spirit and have been renewed in the spirit of their mind, that's fine, we understand what they mean. BUT, the description of the conversion process and the term "Born Again" are erroneously taken from the first part of the third chapter of the Gospel of John.Ephes. 4:20 But ye have not so learned Christ; [21] If so be that ye have heard Him, and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: [22] That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; [23] And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; [24] And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Let's read the conversation between Nicodemus and Jesus where the Lord is actually going to explain to Nicodemus the process of how our Father intends for us to enter into this world and then return to Him.
The name "Nicodemus" means "victorious among the people" and for a Pharisee and a ruler of the Jews to believe in Jesus as he did, was a victory indeed! We begin by seeing Nicodemus come to Jesus by night, because he was cautious and wise man.John 3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
Nicodemus had NO DOUBT that Jesus was from God. In fact Nicodemus believed in Jesus and he, along with Joseph of Arimathaea, defended Jesus Christ at the trial of the Sanhedrin the night before the crucifixion, and won too![2] The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto Him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
The subject that Jesus is now going to talk to Nicodemus about is "Birth", i.e. being 'Born", not "Conception" or "Begettal"! We will see that Nicodemus clearly understands that Jesus is talking about "birth" as the context of his reply will verify.
This is where the phrase "Born Again" comes from. However, for the word "again" the manuscripts use the Greek word "anothen" which means "from above". Here's the definition of "anothen":[3] Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
A number of translations such as Moffat and Phillips correctly read "born from above" instead of "born again", while many others such as the NIV and the RSV have marginal notes which read "or from above".anothen, an'-o-then, Greek 509; from Greek 507 (ano); from above; by analogy from the first; by implication anew :- from above, again, from the beginning (very first), the top.
And what is the "kingdom of God" Jesus said you cannot see, unless you are "born from above" and then of spirit. A kingdom is made up of a "king" and his "dominion". The kingdom of God that Jesus is referring to is the SAME kingdom of God that FLESH AND BLOOD cannot enter into. He is not talking about spiritually discerning the kingdom in your heart, as people say, but the defacto Kingdom of God that the disciples wanted Jesus to SET UP THEN, with Him as King. That kingdom of God is established when Jesus Christ returns as King of kings and Lord of lords to RULE the dominion, the nations, with a rod of iron. If you aren't born from above you won't see it, by which He means you cannot ENTER INTO, as verse 5 clearly documents. (Not spiritually discerning the kingdom in your heart, but actually (literally) being born back into your spirit body (Celestial body)!)
Notice that Nicodemus does NOT interpret what Jesus says as begettal but clearly as actual birth. Jesus is NOT talking about spirit ENTERING into a man's mind. However, Nicodemus is looking at this from purely a flesh perspective, meaning only physically, i.e. that which he can see and touch and feel! His mind is thinking of two FLESH BIRTHS. Of course he wasn't stupid and he knew it was not possible for a grown man to re-enter the womb, so he asks the obvious question, "How can a grown man be Birthed Again".John 3:4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
"I assure you, " said Jesus, "that unless a man is born from water and from spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Flesh gives birth to flesh and spirit gives birth to spirit;" (Phillips)[5] Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Again, it is written in 1 Cor. 15:50 that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Jesus is talking about LITERALLY, ENTERING INTO the kingdom of God. Be patient. Verse 13 will summarize this all for us.
Also, no where in this conversation does Jesus talk about the spirit entering a man! He is talking about a man being BORN first of "water" AND then of being born of "spirit".
Reminder, after He created us, His children, God then created the heaven and earth of Gen. 1:1, to be inhabited by us Isa. 45:18. Then at the rebellion of Lucifer, He destroyed that prehistoric earth age and brought us, His children, back to our "first habitation" where we were before God created the earth for us to live on.
Then we read that after God placed mankind ('adam (with no Art) ="mankind"male and female) here on earth in flesh and blood bodies, certain of those sons of God (our brothers/fellow angels, also His children) left that first habitation and came here without being BORN of water! That is a NO NO! Therefore, they WILL NOT see the kingdom of God. That is what Jesus is talking about here.
Since Nicodemus is struggling with the concept of these two births, because he can only see two FLESH births in his mind's eye, Jesus will now explain that the two births He is describing are of two different substances; one is of flesh and the other is spirit!
John 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh(into a, flesh and blood terrestrial body) ; and that which is born of the Spirit(into a, celestial body) is spirit.
Nicodemus' eyes are fully dilated and he must have a look of incredulity on his face. Jesus notices his look of wonderment and says:
Let's read it correctly as Dr. Moffat has it:[7] Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
This next verse is a detailed explanation of one who has ALREADY been born of water, i.e. of the flesh, and is NOW born of the spirit.[7] Do not wonder at me telling you, 'You must be born from above'. (Moffat)
John 3:8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
So the analogy of the invisible wind is that you cannot SEE a man who comes down from above and is placed in the bag of water (the womb) and you cannot SEE the man when he departs from the flesh, i.e. is born into spirit, and ascends back into heaven (vs. 13).
Nicodemus was a teacher of God's Word and yet he didn't understand these two births. So what else is new. There are many who claim to be teachers of His Word today and they don't understand either.[9] Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?
What is it that Nicodemus should have known? We covered it earlier. Nicodemus should have known what happens at the separation of the water (flesh) and the spirit.[10] Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?
This is a figure of speech meaning when a person dies. Since it is figurative,Eccles. 12:6 Or ever the silver cord be loosed...
[7] Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
Again, Nicodemus was a teacher of the Book of Ecclesiastes and Jesus said he should have known this!
We speak using concrete visible examples (like birth and wind, etc.) and you still don't get it!John 3:11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.
If you don't understand what happens here on earth, how am I going to explain what happens in heaven.[12] If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?
The next verse gives a summary of what Jesus has been talking about, the process of coming down from heaven and being born of woman and then dying, which is when your spirit, YOU, return to God who sent you, as we read even in the Old Testament. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8).
This is such a simple recap of what Jesus has just told Nicodemus. All He is saying is that NO ONE has ASCENDED (back) to heaven except those who have DESCENDED from heaven (from above and have been born of water and then, later back to spirit). The sons of God in Gen. 6 who came here and did not go through this process are now in jail and will NOT enter into the kingdom.[13] And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
He goes on to explain in the last part of verse 13 that EVEN JESUS CHRIST came down from heaven and WAS BORN OF WATER, of flesh. He will go on in this chapter to explain WHY He came to this earth and WENT THROUGH THE SAME PROCESS that everyone else (all of us) must go through! It is because God loves His children, ALL OF THEM! NOW we get to the salvation message!
The reason is stated in John 3:16; so that we might believe in Him and live eternally and escape the same "death sentence" Satan received at his judgment, which is to PERISH in the lake of fire, and be no more. That is the second and final death (Rev. 21:8). Remember we read in 2 Peter 3:9 that it is God's will that no one should perish, but that all should come to repentance?
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 20:19 "Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, "Peace be unto you."
Jesus, as the captain of our salvation, led the way for us.Hebrews 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. [10] For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
Now think carefully about this next question. Must you accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and accept His sacrifice for your sins while here in the flesh?
Now, as promised here are some scriptures that should be very easy to understand now that you know what happened in the first earth age, the "world that then was".
Here is what the Lord said regarding the prophet Jeremiah:
Of course God knew Jeremiah before He placed him in his mother's belly. He knew you too, as we will see!Jeremiah 1:4 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, [5] Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
How about this passage concerning Jacob and Esau:
The word "hated" means to "love less" by comparison. In other words, God had less respect for one little baby in Rebecca's womb than the other little baby. How can this be? They weren't even BORN YET! The natural question which follows is:Romans 9:11 (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) [12] It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. [13] As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
Of course there is no unrighteousness with our Father. He is always completely fair, for it is written that God is no respecter of persons (Rom. 2:11, Col. 3:25). He KNEW how disrespectful Esau was in the "world that then was"! He knows all of us, His children, very well.[14] What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.
What about you? As we just read in verse 11, this has to do with "election". You see, not everybody followed Satan in the prehistoric age of the "world that then was". Some stood against that Old Dragon in that world and stood by our Father, and so He chose them, and predestined them according to His good pleasure, to use as He sees fit in this flesh dispensation of His Plan of Salvation to restore and bring back His sons to Him. Those he chose are called the remnant and God's elect.
As it is written, even before the foundation of this earth (age) God chose His elect. The Apostle Paul explains:
The word "foundation" used here is "katabole" in Greek which comes from kataballo. Here's Strong's definition. Notice it means to "throw down" or "cast down".Ephes. 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: [4] 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:
The Greek word for "world" is kosmos which is where we get our English word "cosmos", which means world in the sense of "system" or "world age".kataballo, kat-ab-al'-lo, Greek 2598; from Greek 2596 (kata) and Greek 906 (ballo); to throw down :- cast down, lay.
kosmos, kos'-mos, Greek 2889; probably from the base of Greek 2865 (komizo); orderly arrangement, i.e. decoration; by implication the world (in a wide or narrow sense, including its inhabitant, literal or figurative [moral]) :- adorning, world.
Jeremiah was just one example showing us how God chooses His elect, even names some of them, before they are ever placed in their mother's belly, to do the job God already "predetermined" for them to do! Paul was another one, and he was struck down and placed in service when God was ready to use him.[5] Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, [6] To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
The question is, "Are you one of God's elect?" If you are, you have a DESTINY, a predetermined JOB TO DO! If you haven't discovered it yet, don't worry, YOU WILL!
So keep studying His Word until He is ready for you!
There are many wonderful truths we can learn from the very Creator of the universe and the Father of our souls, if we will just take the time to seek Him and study the wealth of information He has written to us in His letter. You see, the Bible isn’t merely some religious work written by man, though men were used to lay down the words on its pages, many of which they didn’t even understand. The Bible is truly the Word of God and in it our Father reveals the “Whys” and “Wherefores” of the existence of His creation and life itself. He also reveals that there is a great Plan being worked out here on earth which is unfolding according to the precise timeline He set forth from before the beginning of this earth age.
Science, however, cannot answer ANY of the above questions with their scientific methods. Yet many “so-called” scientists attempt to do so apart from the explanations revealed by the one who is responsible for creation and life in the first place. So man comes up with “Big Bang” theories about how the universe began, and spontaneous combustion theories about how life began, and even sillier evolution theories to explain the different varieties of plants and animals. And then get this! They give themselves “degrees” like Bachelor of Science and Masters Degrees and big lofty titles like PhD, as if alphabet soup following their name somehow gives credibility to stupidity and the lack of common sense. They do deceive themselves in their own egos. Solomon was so right as he opened his discourse on the ways of flesh man:
Eccles. 1:2 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.
Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Rev. 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man ("adam") in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.Sixth day man's {mankind's, including the races} creation is described in Genesis chapter one!
Here in chapter one in the manuscripts it is not preceded by the definite article 'eth and so it does not refer to a specific person, i.e. the word adam means human being or mankind, and no gender is implied.
This is an extremely important point to understand in order that you may fully comprehend the events in the next few chapters.
2 Thes. 2:1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
[2] That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
[3] Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
[4] Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
Eccles. 1:9 The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.
[10] Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.
"old time" = `owlam, o-lawm', Hebrew 5769; or olam, o-lawm'; from Hebrew 5956 (`alam); properly concealed, i.e. the vanishing point; generally time out of mind (past or future), i.e. (practical) eternity; frequent adverb (especially with prepositional prefix) always :- alway (-s), ancient (time), any more, continuance, eternal, (for, [n-]) ever (-lasting, -more, of old), lasting, long (time), (of) old (time), perpetual, at any time, (beginning of the) world (+ without end). Compare Hebrew 5331 (netsach), Hebrew 5703 (`ad).
Rev. 12:3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.
Rev. 13:1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
Rev. 17:12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
Rev. 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Proverbs 14:12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
Please
log unto and study Church
is not Christianity. God's Word is Christianity.
The following links lead to our complete studies of "The Revelation of Jesus Christ"
In Revelation chapters 1 through
3 Christ took the apostle John, in
the spirit, 2000
years into the future to this 21st. century,
and showed him
what
is/will be happening on EARTH
and in the seven "END
of TIME" churches on the day of Lord, the first day of the
Millennium,
a time even yet
future, but very, very near since
we are already 66 years
into the "Fig
Tree" generation.
Please keep in mind as you read these accounts in Revelation that our Lord took John spiritually into the future (this is prophecy) and many of these events that he describes haven't happened, as yet, in real time even though John has seen them.
Now we are going to read The seven SEALS of Christ's Revelation and "see" what He showed John is/will be happening in HEAVEN at this same time.THE MILLENNIUM PRESS
First Edition
"SATAN IMPRISONED, BEGINS SERVING 1000 YEAR SENTENCE"