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Encountering the Lying Enchanter

Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. Genesis 3:1

In this post, we are going to explore the events that transpired that fateful day when Adam and his wife were enticed to sin against God in the Garden of Eden.  (In my next post, we will delve into the effects of what happened that day.)

What happened on that day has everything to do with where you and I stand in the kingdom of God.  It deserves to be carefully and thoroughly examined.  We start in Genesis 3 with a conversation that ensues between the woman and the serpent.

Now the idea that Adam and his wife are engaging in a conversation with a talking snake tends to trip up some of the thinking skeptics in our midst.  But perhaps it is not as simple as that.

The word translated serpent here is the Hebrew word nachash, and while it does mean a serpent or a snake, it is derived from another word that is used to describe one who was a whisperer of divine enchantments.  It carries with it the idea of a soothsayer, or one who practiced the art of divination.  Ah, now we are getting closer to the truth about the nature of our serpent character.  We are not talking about your average variety of garden snake.  They are having an encounter with the one scripture refers to as “the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan” (Revelation 20:2). The Serpent comes as a slithering, cunning deceiver and is the one the bible calls “the father of the lie” (John 8:44).

 And he knows that if he is going to seduce Adam into acting in direct opposition to the will of God, he must first change what Adam believes about God.

It was proven quite painfully to the devil that he did not possess the power to create, it was true.  But he did have the power to transform, to corrupt and to destroy.  And if he can manage to carry out the plan formulating in his twisted, diabolical mind, he thinks he can terminate the course of human history before it even begins. 

And to strike Adam in his most vulnerable place, he approaches his woman.

“Indeed,” comes the slow, seductive whispers from the misty shadows, “has God said, ‘You shall not eat from EVERY tree of the Garden’?  You can eat from ALL of them, is that right? I mean, they are all quite lovely… and delicious.”

“Well no.”, she confesses honestly, “We can eat from all but one.”

“Oh? Isn’t that interesssting… Well, I must sssay, that is just like Him.”

“What do you mean?” is the inquisitive reply.

“Oh nothing, really.  I only mean that it is just like Him to withhold the best.”

 “All the Father does and gives is good,” she replies.  “He has provided all for us.  What do you mean He withholds the best?  What does He deny us?”

“Well, let me just say that I know your Father in a way you do not. He and I have a story of our own, you know.  There was a thing, a thing that should have been mine, a best thing… it should have been mine!  And yet… it was withheld from me.   Maybe He is not who you think He is…” 

A penetrating pause follows.

He breaks her gaze as if to peer into the distant past.  She ponders the ground under her feet.

“He said that we should not eat from it or even touch it, or we would die.” She responds quietly.

“Oh?  He sssaid THAT? Hmmm… Well, I must say, it does sssound like His words, ever so dramatic as they may be.  You WON’T die. Believe me.  No, but you WILL become LIKE Him!” The lies slip effortlessly from the tip of his forked tongue.  “Your eyesss will be open, your mind, expanded, and the hidden mysteries of the worlds within your grasp!  You will know what HE knows! Of COURSE, He withholds that!  Where would His power over you then be?”

The serpentine enchanter could barely contain his fiendish enthusiasm.

The soil had been tilled. The seeds sown.  Now to wait patiently and reap the fruit of his wicked labors.

Contemplating what she has just heard; she cautiously approaches the tree.  Around and around she walks, looking, studying, yet inching ever closer to it.  She can smell its fragrance.  She can see how delicate and inviting the fruit appears; indeed, it is a delight to her eyes.  The desire for it, and for the knowledge it promises, intensifies within her.  It has become an obsession, the thought of it consumes her.  The other fruit of the Garden all at once seems inadequate and unattractive.  Every natural sense she possesses holds her in strange bondage to this one tree. 

Adam sees her.  The bible says he is with her.  He witnesses the whole unfolding scene.  He, too, is captivated by the wonder of this one forbidden thing.  Without realizing it, he too has become entangled in the sticky web of the enchanter.  The questions of God’s essence penetrate his mind, doubt about His goodness take root in his heart.  “Has God been withholding what is best from us?   Is He denying us our full potential? Is He really who He claims? Can He be trusted?”

She reaches.  The fruit is in her hand, its skin struggles to contain the juices that subtly drips onto her fingers.  She raises it to her face and breathes in its intoxicating aroma.  The man’s eyes are fixed on it and desire swells within him.  She raises the fruit to her mouth, inch by inch, ever so close, until finally the skin touches her lips.  There for a moment she hesitates.

She knows the point she has come to.  She knows that she is one fraction away from… something.  One bite… and then… what?

Why on earth doesn’t the man stop her?  Why doesn’t he reach out and slap that thing out of her hand?!

Because the serpent enchants from the shifting shadows.  Provocative whispers slither out of the darkness, “Go on, do it.  Taste of freedom from your limitations. Break free of the bonds that keep you from your rights and your power!”

Teeth part and sink into the tender fruit.  She sees the longing in Adam’s eyes and with one outstretched hand, delivers to him.  He receives it, pauses ever so slightly, yet within seconds succumbs to the same lustful temptation. 

And in that instant, it is over.

Pieces of its flesh are still in their teeth.  They have scarcely swallowed before the gravity of what has transpired bears upon them with the greatest of force.  She sinks to the ground, crushed beneath the weight of her guilt.  He collapses beside her, fallen.  The hard realization of what they have just done presses brutally upon them. They could not have anticipated the severity of this pain.

Fallen.  Oh God, it is true.

So, this was sin.  This was death.

“But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.” James 1:14-15

Happy Holidays From Glory Road!

I just wanted to take a minute out of the hustle and bustle of the holiday season to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

And I wanted to especially thank all of you who subscribed this year. It is such an honor to be on this journey with you through the scriptures and into the heart of the gospel.

Hope to see you all back here soon after Christmas. Meanwhile, stay safe, enjoy your loved ones and don’t forget to offer a hand to those less fortunate.

Most importantly, let us fix our hearts on Jesus , giving Him praise and glory for coming to do for us what we could never do for ourselves.

Love to you all!

Glory Road

Life in The Garden

“The LORD God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed. Out of the ground the LORD God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” Genesis 2:5,8-9

God has given much honor and authority to the man Adam.  All of the earthly creation was under his dominion and rule.  The man, and the wife God created for him, enjoyed the intimate fellowship of their Creator and Father.  Every need and desire were perfectly met within the boundaries of the Garden Paradise they called home.  Nothing is withheld from their hand except one thing. 

Now to understand why this is necessary, we have to remember that God is a God of perfect order and design.  In order to maintain order and design, there must be laws that govern it, otherwise creation returns to lawless, formless chaos.  So, God establishes boundaries and statutes for all His creation and when it operates within those defined ordinances, it operates according to His will.  It remains good.

It is well for us to remember also, that God created the beings of both heaven and earth with a will of their own, with the ability to think and act independently of Him.  He did this because He is also a God of perfect love.  Love is true and authentic only when it is given freely. Anything else is coercion at best or, tyranny at worst.  And that is not the character of God.  He had to provide that humanity would have the freedom to choose Him and His goodness of their own volition.

 He did not do this blindly.  Aside from the fact that God is omniscient, meaning that He knows all things, He also is aware that this liberty has already produced a rebellion in the realm of heaven.  But even now this rebel will serve Him, albeit in a much different capacity than what he could have anticipated.  The devil is still God’s devil.

Let us visit the Garden more closely.

Eden is a rather unimaginable place.  It is a location where heaven and earth meet.  It is a place that knows no want or lack.  Every possible need or pleasure is at hand and satisfied within its confines.  The man and woman enjoy the wonder of every creature from land, sky and sea. They are enveloped in the glory and goodness of God that surrounds them day and night, and I believe this is the very reason they are naked and not ashamed, because they are literally clothed in it. There is no knowledge of fear or danger.  No knowledge of evil.

Only one thing is required for them to remain in this state of existence, one thing necessary for the unity of the kingdoms to endure cohesively; and that is that the will of man must be in accord with the will of God.  Anything else is an act of dissidence; an act of treason.  

But man must have the ability to choose it for himself. 

“The LORD God commanded the man, saying, ‘From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; But from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.’”  Genesis 2:16-17

God has given the man one commandment.  Not ten.  Not six hundred. 

Just One.

And He has clearly defined the boundary and the consequence for violating that boundary.  There is absolutely no mystery involved.  

Eat of this tree and live.  Eat of that tree and die.

 I’d say it was pretty simple, wouldn’t you?   

The Tree of Life or the Tree of Death.

God is not withholding the knowledge of good, because everything that Adam and his wife know up to this point is nothing but goodness.  They are immersed in God’s goodness.  

What they do not know is evil.  They do not know sin.  They do not know death and spiritual darkness.  

And to remain in that state all they have to do is to believe God.

Think about that… all that is required of them is to trust God and to obey His word.  That is all the knowledge they needed.

The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil would be Adam’s proving ground. It would test his allegiance toward God. All the Serpent had to do to ruin Adam, and the whole human potential within him, was to make him doubt the Father’s goodness.. All he had to do was convince them to believe a lie.

 The seeds of doubt can produce the most diabolical fruit. It seems as though even now the devil hasn’t had to come up with a better strategy. The old one still works.

The heart of the gospel is the message that Jesus came to do what Adam ultimately failed to do, which was obey the will of God. And He came to do it for you and me as well.

“For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” John 6:38

“I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your law is within my heart.”  Psalm 40:8

Understanding Adam and the Realm Within

In my previous post Understanding Adam and the Kingdom of the Earth, we talked about the ways that Adam was created in the image of God.  We stated that he was God’s first earthly son, created to act as God’s reflection in the kingdom of the earth and given ruling authority over this kingdom. We talked about how he was created to be a father with the ability to procreate sons after his own image through his seed, and how he originally possessed eternal life.  We also talked about how the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of earth were originally integrated, meaning that from their inception the two kingdoms were meant to interact and intersect with each other.  These things all represent attributes that are associated with the external nature of Adam and the realm of earth.

But there is yet one more important aspect about Adam that made him like God, and this has to do with the internal aspect of Adams nature.

We learn from studying the scriptures that God is a triune being- meaning that He is three in one.  Within the unity of the Godhead is three distinct Persons- that of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  These three do not represent three different gods, but three elements of One God.

 In a similar way, Adam was also created tripartite– or three parts that make up one being. He was created of three distinct elements; of body, soul and spirit, and these three parts comprised the whole of his being. 

Let’s take a close look at these three elements and discover what they are and how they work together.

As a man, Adam was created with a physical body created from the organic elements of the earth, or as the bible states it, of “the dust of the ground” (Gen 2:7).   His body was made of tangible matter; of flesh and blood. The body acts as the external dwelling, or vehicle, for the internal elements of his being.  It gives us physical presence and identity.

God imparted the breath of life into Adam and the bible says he became a living soul (Gen 2:7). The soul animates or brings life to the body. The body and soul combined made Adam a living being.   The body and the soul are intrinsically united, meaning that they do not act or survive apart from one another.  What happens to one innately affects the other.  The bible refers to this body and soul combination as “the flesh”.  The flesh is the life that is uniquely of the earth. 

But the body and soul combination are so much more.  It is literally who we are as a child of our biological parents, as the offspring of their seed. It makes us the unique and individual person that we are, unlike any other person on the earth. 1 Corinthians 15:38 says that “God gives a body just as He wished, and to each of the seeds a body of its own.”  It is the spring of our personality, our gifts and abilities, our character, our intellect and our emotional nature. These things give us our personal identity. 

There is one more aspect of man’s internal nature that causes him to be made in the image of God and that is that he possesses a spirit.

 There can be much confusion as to the difference between the soul and the spirit, but I have found a very easy way to understand it. 

As the soul is the life force of the earthly realm, spirit is the life of the heavenly realm.

Beings created to inhabit the earthly realm possess the life force of the soul, and beings created to inhabit the heavenly realm possess the life force of spirit. 

The life of the Spirit of God within Adam gave him the identity of God’s son.

Man, in his original form, was created with the life of both; of heaven and of the earth, because men were originally created to one day enter and dwell in the kingdom of heaven.

And as the external kingdoms of heaven and earth were united in the beginning, so were the internal realms of Adam.  Adam possessed within himself the life of both kingdoms.

Now as confusing as all of this may seem at the moment, (and believe me when I tell you that I am trying very hard to make it as simple as possible), it is very important for us to understand ALL of who Adam was and what he had. 

One more thing before we close. 

We know something that Adam didn’t know.  You and I know what death is.  We understand that if any one aspect of a man’s constitution is separated from another aspect, a death occurs. Death at its core is separation.  If a part of a man’s body becomes “cut off”, either completely, or by lack of blood flow, that part dies. When the soul is separated from its body, the whole body dies.   And when the spirit separates from the soul, spiritual death occurs.

And now we begin to understand why the man Adam was such a strategic target for the Adversary.  To cut off Adam from the life of God, would be to sever the two kingdoms as well.  Adam and the kingdom he ruled would be the Serpents domain.  It is true that the devil cannot create, but he could transform and corrupt all that God had created.

But you and I know something the devil didn’t know.  And that is that God had a strategy of His own, prepared from the eternal ages, to undo all the devil had purposed in his darkened, evil heart to do. 

Stay tuned, friends.  We are just getting started unfolding all the wonders of that glorious and marvelous plan that even the devil couldn’t have seen coming!

Understanding Adam and the Kingdom of Earth

Believe it or not, for us to truly understand the breadth and depth of the gospel, it is imperative that we have the same in depth understanding of the original nature of the kingdom of earth and the man created to have dominion over it.

“When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained;

What is man that You take thought for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the elohim, And You crown him with glory and majesty!

You make him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet…” Psalm 8:3-6

The realm of earth was created as a reflection of the kingdom of heaven.

 Earth is heaven’s counterpart.  Originally, there was a continuity between the two realms with the intention that they would intersect and intercourse with each other.  The two dimensions were originally meant to be integrated.  God would enter into the dimension of earth and fellowship with His creation and enjoy the pleasure of it.  In this way, He could dwell among mankind and be their God and King. 

As the earth was created to be a reflection of the realm of heaven, Adam was created to be a reflection of God.  This is what it means when scripture says, “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Genesis 1:27  

I think sometimes we are tempted to look at Adam as though he were God’s craft project.  We envision God reaching down into the earth, scooping up a handful of clay, forming it into the shape of a man, and with the power of His breath, brings it to life.  Understandably we see Him this way, since that is pretty much the biblical account of his creation,

but we mustn’t forget that Adam is also God’s son (Luke 3:38) and God his Father.

God has other sons, but they are created for the realm of heaven, the “elohim”, who have their position and abode in the heavens.  But Adam is the son of earth, created from the earth, and whose position and abode is of the earthly realm.   God created Adam so that he too would be a father.  As God is the Father of the sons of heaven, Adam would be the father of the sons of the earth.  As God had the power to create sons unto Himself and in His likeness, Adam would have the power to procreate sons unto himself and in his likeness.  As God created a son in His image, Adam would progenerate sons in his image.

There is a principle at work in the realm of the earth, and it is what I call the law of the seed.  It is the fundamental rule that all life on earth is progenerated through its seed.  When God gave the command to be fruitful and multiply, He endowed creation with the inherent ability to do so.  Each form of life was created with the ability to replicate itself after its own kind upon the earth.  The male and female portion of the seed comes together to create a new life from the original life, which ultimately has its origin in God.

Adam is a reflection of God in another way.  He was created to represent God’s authority and dominion over the earth. As God is the highest ruling authority in the realm of heaven, Adam was to act in the same capacity over the realm of earth.  He was to “subdue” it (Genesis 1:28). This means that all of the earthly creation was placed under the subjection of Adam.  All things of the earth were placed under his feet, or under his dominion.  Adam’s role of authority did not, however, supersede the authority or position of God, Who is alone reigns as the Lord of Lords and the Most High.

Adam and his kingdom were from the beginning created to be eternal.  Death and decay were never meant to be a part of the kingdom of earth.  Adam and his wife enjoyed free access to the Tree of Life that was rooted in the middle of the Garden.  

And I believe that if sin and death had not become a part of Adam, at the end of his time and season on earth, he would have freely accessed the kingdom of heaven.  In other words, he had the keys to the kingdom.  He could enter it unhindered, indeed it was his inheritance.  Now, I admit this is speculative, but not wholly so.  I believe that we have examples of this type of translation in the stories of Enoch and Elijah, men who were taken up from the earth without going through the corridors of a bodily death.  I also believe that the event the Church calls the Rapture is also a picture of this translation from one realm to the other.  

The bible tells us of a transformation that awaits those who, through faith in Jesus Christ, will experience the same translation from one kingdom into another, either through the resurrection from the dead or the snatching away of the rapture. (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).

Adam was the first son of God, created in His likeness to bear His image and reflection on the earth, which was itself a reflection and extension of the Kingdom of heaven.  Adam was created by the Father to be a father, to be fruitful and to multiply sons and daughters on the earth.  He was intended to be the ruling sovereign over the earth under the headship and authority of Almighty God.  And Adam was originally determined to have eternal life, enjoying the presence of His Father forever and eventually inheriting the kingdom of God.

Wouldn’t it have been nice if the story could have ended here?

But we know it doesn’t.  There is this pesky adversary to contend with, the crafty and cunning serpent who continues to writhe with bitter envy.  After all, Adam did receive the crown of glory and majesty that he so coveted. 

But that part of the story we will leave for next time!

Join me, won’t you?

I Am the Lord, and There is No Other; Besides Me There is No God.

And He said to them, “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning.”

Satan was once a powerful and high-ranking creation of the heavenly order.  The bible tells us that he was full of wisdom and perfect in beauty and that he was a guardian cherub in the heavenly garden of God. He was called a “star of the morning” and a “son of the dawn” (Isaiah 14, Ezekiel 28).

His troubles began when he decided that all of that wasn’t enough for him.  He looked with covetousness upon the throne of glory that was God’s alone.  No longer content to give worship to the Most High, he craved the worship, power and authority for himself.   His desire was to exalt himself above God, to raise himself up to be God.

When Satan attempted to “raise his throne above the stars of God”, he was met with a jarring force.  Instead of being raised to the lofty heights of the highest heavens, he was cast violently to a crude and foreign realm far below the heavens. He hurdled down like the dead star that he now was; a fiery, burning ball crashing hard into earth’s prehistoric surface.  

His position in the kingdom of heaven has been eternally revoked.  His membership card now reads “access denied”.  Because of his transgression and sin, he will now and forever more cease to be what he was originally created to be.  He has been irreversibly transformed by his deceitful act of pride and lust. The voice that before resounded the praises of the Lord of Hosts now spews hateful venom.  Then covered in precious stones meant to reflect the glory of heaven are now sealed forever in darkened scales. Once a cherub on the lofty mountain of God, now a serpent thrust into a darkened watery chaos.

God was about to prove to him, and to the entire heavenly host, that “I Am the Lord God, there is no other; besides Me, there is no God.” (Isaiah 45:5) And with that we finally come to Genesis 1:2.

“The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.” 

 It is now that God determines to finish what he began in eternity past.   The Spirit of God is hovering over the amniotic waters of a pre-born earth, and it is here that He has a very distinct point to make.

We would do well to remember that the devil was a liar from the beginning, in fact, scripture calls him “the father of the lie.” (John 8:44).  The first lie he ever told was to himself, the lie that he could be God, and he was foolish enough to believe it.   God is about to bring Satan back into proper alignment with reality and the with the truth. 

The unspoken challenge of the triune God echoed in silence over the dark, uninterrupted waters.

“So you think you could be God Almighty, the Lord of Heaven and Earth?

Then CREATE.”

If there had been crickets alive at this moment, that’s all you would have heard.  God waited.  He waited some more.  After all, He had all of eternity to prove His point.

“Go ahead, here’s your chance.  Let’s see what you can do with the place.”

Nothing.

Satan had no power to create anything.  The darkness remained. The formless void of churning chaos continued until finally the Word of the Lord penetrated the awkward silence,

“Let there be light.” 

And light was.

The proclamation of those words brought forth the beginnings of the final phase of creation.  In utter humiliation, the devil was forced to watch God do all the he was uncapable of doing.  Wave after wave of “God said… God called… and God saw that it was good… transformed the planet and the heavens surrounding it.   Time and space manifested in light, matter and energy.  The realm of earth had order.  It had form and substance.  

It had life.

And the devil seethed with a burning envy.  The realm of earth was his prison.  Yet on all sides he is confronted with the beauty and perfection that reflects the God of the heavens.  He is painfully reminded of the Paradise that is forever lost to him.  The fire of bitterness and anger blackens his sinful heart and consumes him.

And yet the Heavenly Father isn’t quite finished.

There is still one more element left to fulfill before this realm is complete.

The kingdom of earth must have a king.

I think you may already know where we are going with this. After all, you have heard the story. But maybe not quite like this.

The God of Creation…

Is the God of Law and Order

We can look into God’s word, which is a revelation about Himself, and understand that God is a God of perfection, of law and of order.  Everything about His creation reflects this.

 Within all of creation, God establishes systems of order and boundaries.  He provides that all things work according to their prescribed design and purpose.  Take a look around you and notice all the things that work according to this principle.  From cells, to atoms and molecules, to the set order of the planets in the solar system, to the laws of physics, mathematics, music, science, chemistry, and mechanics; all things work according to how God designed them, and performs the function He intended for them.  Light operates according to the law of light and matter according to its laws. The human body is a perfect example in the fact that each part performs only as it was created to function; the eyes see, and the ears hear, and the heart pumps blood.  The fish swim in the water and the birds fly in the air and in order for them to survive and thrive, they must operate within the realm and boundaries for which they were created.

This principle is true in the realm of heaven as well as in the realm of earth.

We must first understand this very foundational characteristic of God if we are going to understand the concepts of sin, trespass and iniquity; things that go against the nature and character of God. 

The word sin actually means to miss the mark.   If God is holy, perfect and just, anything less than that standard is sin.  It has missed the mark or goal of God’s perfect character and quality.   

A trespass is a violation of a law or boundary.  A landowner posting No Trespassing signs on his property desires that no one cross the boundary lines and come onto his property. Anyone who does so, intentionally or unintentionally, has trespassed.  Similarly, one who violates a law or boundary of God trespasses against Him.

And iniquity is a perversion of the intent and purpose of a thing. It literally means to make crooked.  It is taking something that God created for one purpose and twisting or profaning it for a purpose it was not created for.

I tell you all that now, at this point in the story, because we must understand that all this these unfortunate things found their way into the kingdom of heaven long before they make their grand entrance into the realm of earth. In fact, they have their origination in heaven. 

What most people do not understand when they read the first verses in the book of Genesis is that there is a long pause in time between “God created the heavens and the earth” and “The earth was formless and void…”.  I use the term time here loosely, because as I stated before, time as we know it has not officially been established.  So, let’s say that in the space of eternity, after the creation of the heavenly realm and before the final creation of the earth, a lot happens.

When God created the heavenly realm and the beings that were intended to live there, He made them each with a specific purpose according to their function in that realm.  He also made them to have a will of their own.  This means that each created being had the power to freely think and choose according to their own express desires apart from the will of God.  

Just how long the realm of heaven existed before we get to the final earthly phase of creation, nobody knows, but it was long enough for it to have its own act of willful rebellion and its own fall.

We look to the prophets Ezekiel and Isaiah for revelation into this event.

“You had the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.You were in Eden, the garden of God…

…On the day that you were created, they were prepared. “You were the anointed cherub who covers, And I placed you there. You were on the holy mountain of God;

You walked in the midst of the stones of fire. “You were blameless in your ways. From the day you were created until unrighteousness was found in you.

 “By the abundance of your trade You were internally filled with violence, and you sinned; Therefore, I have cast you as profane from the mountain of God.

And I have destroyed you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor.

I cast you to the ground; I put you before kings, That they may see you.

Ezekiel 28:12-17

“How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn!

You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations! “But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north.

‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ 

Isaiah 14:12-14

The above passages are speaking allegorically of the being we know as Satan.  But before he was Satan, he was Lucifer, a guardian cherub who was created to hold a very high position in the echelon of angelic beings. He enjoyed intimate proximity to the throne and glory of God.  He was created with great beauty and perfection, until, that is, he became a little too taken with himself.  Lucifer became so enamored with his own beauty and glory that be began to fancy himself to be equal with God.  With a root of pride growing deeply in his envious heart, he became dissatisfied glorifying and worshiping the King of kings and Lord of lords. He began lusting after that worship for himself.  He sought after that which was God’s alone.   Lucifer violated a great boundary. He attempted to step outside of his established order, and place himself a position he was not created for. He has committed the first act of rebellion against the will of God.

Lucifer has corrupted himself with sin and sin has no place in the Presence of a holy and perfect God.  As a result, he is cast out of the kingdom of heaven to the earth.  This is how we know the timing of these events.  The earth existed at the time of Lucifer’s rebellion and fall.

Lucifer sought to exalt himself to the place of God Most High and instead found himself grieviously demoted.  Lucifer, whose name means Light bearer, now has lost his light, his beauty, his position… and his name. 

Lucifer was not and never could be God of all creation.  That point is about to be made perfectly clear. In my next post, we will see how God uses the opportunity of the creation of the earth to show His new adversary exactly who he is…

and who he is not.

In the Beginning

God Created the Heavens and the Earth

What I am about to share with you is not new, but rather has been shoved to the back of the closet like a pair of old jeans that are 2 sizes too small. It’s truth that is a little wrinkled and dusty and hasn’t seen the light of day in a while.  It’s time it was taken out, shaken out and put back to work for the Kingdom of God!

Ok, lets do this.

In the Beginning…

The bible, from Genesis to Revelation, tells one comprehensive story.   It is the story of God, His creation, and the corruption of and eventual reclaiming and restoration of His creation.  The story of the bible is “what was will be again.” The part of the story we are living out right now is the time in between “what was” and “what will be”.  You and I are living so up close and personal to this that we can’t adequately see the big picture.  It’s like having your face so close to the page that you can’t see the whole book.  We need to draw ourselves away and objectively see things the way God sees them. 

So, the first thing we have to do is get a clearer understanding of what creation looked like “in the beginning”, and how it was.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1

In the beginning God created the heavens. Stop.

God first created the realm of heaven and all the heavenly beings designed to inhabit that realm.  Notice that the word heaven is plural, meaning there is more than one dimension of the heavens. 

“You alone are the Lord. You have made the heavens, the heaven of heavens with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them and the heavenly host bows down before You.” Nehemiah 9:6

“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, but formed it to be inhabited),“I am the Lord, and there is none else.” Isaiah 45:18

“Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; Praise Him in the heights! Praise Him, all His angels; Praise Him, all His hosts! Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all stars of light!  Praise Him, highest heavens, And the waters that are above the heavens!  Let them praise the name of the Lord, For He commanded, and they were created.  He has also established them forever and ever; He has made a decree which will not pass away.” Psalm 148:1-6

Colossians 1:16-17,

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.  For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.  He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” Colossians 1:16,17

We can keep reading in Psalm 33:6, Proverbs 3:19, Jeremiah 10:12-13, Hebrews 11:3, Isaiah 44:24, and SO MANY MORE passages that speak of the plurality of the heavens.

Heaven is a place that is unrestricted by the dimension of time.  That is why it is called eternity, and heaven and earth were created at some point in eternity past.  There is no way for us finite beings to know how long ago this was because we do not know how time was measured in eternity.  Truthfully, it is not necessary for us to know how long ago it was, but perhaps one day we will. 

Heavenly beings were created to dwell specifically in the heavens.  In scripture, these beings are sometimes called the “sons of God”, cherubim, seraphim, or angels.  They were individually created by God with specific design and purpose for the kingdom of heaven.  They were not intended to procreate as men do.  They were not to “beget” sons and daughters of their own.  They are spirit beings and their bodies were created of light and energy that is compatible to their dwelling.  As man was created from the components of the earth to inhabit the earth, heavenly beings are created of the substance of the realm of heaven.  Men are natural, heavenly beings are supernatural.  1 Corinthians 15:40-48 provides us a little insight into this.

It is very important to realize that when the bible says that God created the heavens and the earth, it is not simply talking about the area immediately surrounding the earth, it’s atmosphere or the universe, but the entire realm and dominion of the heavens and the heavenly beings.  

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

When God created the heavenly realms, He also created the sphere and substance of the earth.  But at this particular moment in eternity, it is unfinished.  It is merely suspended in the universe awaiting it’s completion.  The sun, the moon and the stars have not yet made their appearance in the grand story.  The earth is there, and even in this state has a purpose to serve. 

But you will have to wait for the next post to discover what that is. 

And I think you will be amazed!

Sometimes You Don’t Know What You Got till It’s Gone

“Don’t it always seem to go, that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.  They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.”  These are the words to a catchy little tune that rings of the painful irony of loss and regret.

Have you ever had to live with regret?  Have you ever said or done something that you wished with all your might that you could unsay or undo?  Have you ever turned your Paradise into a parking lot and then thought, “my god, what have I done?”

I think we have all been there.

Some regrets have steeper consequences than others.   An abandoned marriage or a terminated pregnancy will generate a different degree of remorse than let’s say, spending too much on the shoes or having the spicy chili for lunch.  A broken confidence or betrayed trust is harder to earn back than carelessly spent rent money.  Tums does nothing to reduce the acid of a soured relationship.

Sometimes we think we want something until we actually have it.  Sometimes we don’t value what we have…  until we don’t.

Our own fickle hearts will deal us a hand we don’t necessarily want to play; sometimes demanding an ante we can’t afford to pay.  

Just ask Adam.

Talk about a guy having to live with a heap of regret.    All the bounty and favor he was granted in his Paradise was eclipsed by the one thing he was forbidden.  In one act of doubt and desire, the whole course of human history was forever altered. 

Adam did something that he could not undo; he lost something he could never get back. 

Before we can adequately understand and appreciate the full gospel message- the good news of what Jesus Christ came to regain and restore on our behalf, we have to first comprehend all of what Adam had… and lost.  

Now I am just going to tell you right up front that this study in the Word is not something that can be dished out in a few easy paragraphs.  Generally, I try to keep my posts short-ish and easy to digest, but sometimes learning deep biblical truth requires more of a mental commitment than what our usual spoon size attention spans can handle in one sitting.  My intention is to deliver this study out in a series of smaller portions, and I think that if you stick with me all the way through you will be amazed and thoroughly satisfied!

Now, right here I am going to invite you to go fetch your bible and read for yourselves the first three chapters of Genesis.  They are not long, and it should take you all of 15 minutes to read.  But keep your bookmark there because we are going to be camping out here for a while.  

The first three chapters of Genesis tell the story of a Paradise that was created and then tragically lost.  If ever you were a child in any Sunday school class ever in your LIFE, you heard this story of Adam and Eve and the Serpent in the Garden of Eden.  You can probably still picture the flannel-graph easel board standing at the front of the class, still see Adam and Eve in their leafy clothes hiding behind the tree, still holding the half-eaten apple in their hands while the snake hangs smugly from the flannel tree above their heads.  

But the first three chapters of your bible tells you more about YOU than you ever realized, and it tells more about the GOSPEL than you ever realized.  The story of Adam and Eve is the story of sin and redemption, rebellion and grace, and sets the stage for the story of Jesus Christ Who is Himself the creator and redeemer of all things.  The story of death and atonement starts here in the opening chapters of Genesis. 

You will never appreciate all that you were originally created to be if you don’t know who Adam was and all he was created to be, and you won’t know what Adam lost if we don’t first understand what he was given. 

This is more than a story of the first man and woman eating from a forbidden tree in a Garden.

It is a story of kingdoms and realms, of dominions and authority, and of power.  It is a story of truth and lies, thievery and restitution.  It is my story and your story. 

Paradise is not completely lost.  It is within reach.  It is as close as a prayer.

“Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’”   Mark 1:14-15

And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” And He said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.  Luke 23:42-43

Ok, go get that bible and let’s get started!

The Coming Storm

The Importance of Knowing the Bad News

Let’s say you are a guest in my home.  As we are sitting there at my kitchen table enjoying a cup of coffee and a nice conversation, I casually mention to you that my house has a full basement.  I may even go on to explain how nicely furnished and comfortable it is and how much my family enjoys it.   You may think, “ok, that’s nice, but why is she telling me this”?  Perhaps you would respond politely to this bit of news, but your interest in my basement would probably stop there. 

Then let’s say that out of nowhere a strong storm comes upon us.  Not far in the distance we see the dark clouds forming and notice that the wind has started to pick up.   Thunder peels and lightning flashes and yet we aren’t too concerned, until all at once the tornado warning siren pierces the air.

Suddenly, the knowledge of my having a basement would take on a whole new level of importance.   

As the level of concern rises to the state of panic, you now strongly desire to be shown the way to my basement door!  And not only that, you begin to fiercely warn everyone within the sound of your voice to quickly take cover in its shelter.

The good news of my having a basement wasn’t life-saving knowledge until you were made aware of the immediate crisis that loomed in front of you.  The news was nice, but not vital, until you were made aware of the approaching devastation.  Just knowing about the basement wasn’t enough to save you, you needed to be IN the basement, and there is no question that ignoring the warnings could have life and death consequences.  

Unfortunately, we have come to treat the message of the gospel much in the same way as we do the casual news of my basement.   We treat Jesus Christ as though He were just a nice feature simply there to add comfort and increase the value of our life. He is good to know about, but not truly lifesaving.  And, sadly, for the most part, largely ignored.

So long as the church remains silent about the reality of the coming storm, that is where the importance of knowing Christ will stay. 

The storm that is brewing not far off into the distance is the wrath of God.

The wrath of God is a reality that is coming upon the world for sin.   It is the manifestation of His judgement upon it.  Anyone not found in Christ will suffer that wrath and judgement.

Does that scare you?   It should.  It scares me. 

It scares me enough to take the bibles warnings about it very seriously.

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.  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.”    Romans 5:8-10

“He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”    John 3:36

Paul writes how happy he is for the believers in Thessalonica who, “turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, who He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath of God.”  1 Thessalonians 1:10

“For this we know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.  Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.”  Ephesians 5:5-6

The only true shelter and safety from the promised coming wrath of God is to be found in Jesus Christ.  Just knowing about Him will not rescue you. Just knowing that there is a basement is not the same as being IN IT when the storm comes.

The Good Message becomes life-saving good, only when we are made aware of the severity of the bad news.

 To fully appreciate the Good News of what we have gained in Christ, we must first have an awareness and understanding of who we are and what we lost in Adam.  All you had to do to be eligible for the consequences of sin and the coming judgement was, believe it or not, to just be born.   And to escape the coming wrath of God all you have to do is to be born again.  (John 3:3)

When you boil the gospel down to its most basic formula it is just that:

You must be born again.