God's Plan For Your Future: Purpose, History and Destiny of Humanity as Revealed in Scripture

Note from the Author

I have observed many cultural and social changes during my eighty-three years. When I was young, moral and ethical standards based on Scripture were routinely taught in homes and schools. People understood and adhered to a common set of scriptural guidelines on what was right and wrong.

Now, the situation is different. Bible-based tenets have fallen out of fashion. Its teachings are even ridiculed by some, creating an environment without common standards. Traditional models of family and long-accepted attitudes concerning social intercourse, devotion, and behavior no longer apply.

Many today make life-altering choices without the benefit of sound guidance. Young adults regularly defer to peer pressure, making their choices based on canards such as: If it feels good, it must be good, or, Everyone is doing it. Those are not decision guidelines. They are excuses for bad choices often resulting in unfavorable consequences affecting lives and eternal destinies.

Scripture tells us every individual is unique, created by a loving God, full of potential and promise, charged with their own fate, and responsible before God for their choices. Most students in my first-year Bible study classes lacked the moral foundation and perspective Scripture provides. They are drifting along unaware that choices in life have eternal consequences. They don’t realize that the soul is immortal, involved in a finite earthly experience on its journey from before time to beyond, and choices in life determine its destiny.

I wrote this book for those who want to know what Scripture reveals about their future. It provides a sweeping survey of key verses drawn from Hebrew and Christian Scripture grouped by subject and accompanied by useful commentary.

To provide the necessary background, the first two chapters of this book center on the history of the Jewish people and the lessons it teaches. The next two examine the profound implications of the earthly existence of Jesus Christ. The fifth deals with the interval of time in which we live. The next six detail what Scripture proclaims about what must happen in the years to come. The twelfth and final chapter summarizes what God expects of His created. Finally, seven appendices offer ancillary information on related topics. As a whole, the book is a package of knowledge that will help you control the destiny of your soul.

The seventeenth-century philosopher Blaise Pascal reasoned that, since he could not know whether God was real or not, the practical thing to do was to wager that He exists because that can lead to eternal bliss. If he wagered against God’s reality, he could experience unrestrained earthly pleasure, but if wrong, his sinful acts would merit eternal damnation. Pascal concluded it is better to believe.

Belief based on reason alone is insufficient. It is necessary to progress from belief that God exists to faith in His power to save. Studying the Word of God is a trustworthy pathway to faith (Romans 10:17) and God comforts those who seek Him (Luke 11:9-10). No soul should be put in jeopardy because of a personal lack of knowledge of Scripture.

God has a glorious plan for your future, but He needs your cooperation if it is going to succeed. Eternal salvation is within everyone’s grasp. The decision to accept or reject the offer is a personal responsibility.

Acknowledgements

This undertaking was inspired by the expositional commentaries of Dr. Chuck Missler, who turned a love of teaching the Bible into a lifelong commitment. I am indebted to him for his thoughts and observations. He and his wife Nancy eslished Koinonia House, an organization dedicated to creating, developing, and distributing materials to stimulate, encourage, and facilitate serious study of the Bible as the inerrant Word of God. Koinonia House can be found on the Internet at www.khouse.org.

Special thanks to Reverend Donald Hughes, Rector, St. John’s Anglican Church, Boerne, TX, for his advice; Arun Rana, Innovated Edge Solutions, for his graphic design assistance; Rabbi Joseph Zavala, Baruch HaShem, San Antonio, TX, for his counsel; Drs. William E. Sponsel, Jeremiah Brown, Fernando Trujillo, and Gary Penny for restoring my eyesight and lucidity, allowing me to complete this work; and to a trusty proofreader, my wife Nancy. Thanks also to the following for use of their illustrations: Compass International (Seventieth Week); The Mayo Clinic (Jesus’ Final Walk); and Koinonia House (Abraham’s Genealogy).

It is also proper to acknowledge the many unknown individuals involved in creating modern computers and word-processing software, without which this project would have been an impossible task.

Most humbly, I thank God for an amazing life and the influence of the Spirit in guiding my thoughts throughout this project.

For whatsoever things were written aforetime

were written for our learning,

that we, through patience and

comfort of the Scriptures,

might have hope. (Romans 15:4)

Preface

The sixty-six books of the Bible are an integrated communication system. The sometimes complex, often mystical messages in each are fully understandable only when one is familiar with the contents of the others. Like a good detective novel, the clues are scattered throughout.

I decided many years ago to assemble and catalogue verses from the Old and New Testament under various topic headings. I began by collecting those dealing with Heaven. After sorting and reading them all, I discovered a uniformity that could not have occurred from random chance. This convinced me there must be such a place and it is nothing like the images I carried in my head for a lifetime. I next assembled relevant verses on a wide variety of subjects (e.g., Hell, Satan, Faith, End Time, etc.). Friends learned of my research and asked me to publish my findings. This book is the result.

I worked with the King James Version (KJV) published in 1611 by the Church of England, as it is still considered one of the most authoritative. Quotations lifted and used in this book have been modified slightly for clarity. In all cases, quoted material is referenced by chapter and verse to aid the reader. Antiquated KJV spelling and verbiage is replaced with what is in common use today (i.e., Savior for Saviour, shall for shalt, etc.). I also replaced Holy Ghost and Holy Spirit with Spirit, as found in most later translations. The odd punctuation in the KJV, however, is left largely unchanged. Spirit, He, and Him are capitalized when referring to a member of the Trinity. Messiah is capitalized only when it applies to Jesus Christ.

Believer and the plural refer to those who acknowledge Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. Simply believing is not enough. Even demons believe in Him and acknowledge His power (Matthew 8:30-32). The faithful, by contrast, are steadfast believers who trust in Him, repent, and intend to lead a new life as evidenced by their actions in the world (John 13:34-35; 1 John 2:29; 1 Peter 1:8-9). Belief is a function of the mind and often transitory; faith is a permanent condition of the heart, inspiring righteous action (James 2:18). It is not something suited to a lifestyle. It is a lifestyle.

I suggest keeping a personal Bible handy for reference purposes as you read this book. My favorite general-purpose Bible is either the Revised Standard Version (RSV) or the International Standard Version (ISV). Study Bibles with accompanying commentaries may prove helpful to some. Choose any Bible you are comfortable with, avoiding those translated into street vernacular, as contemporary wording can mask the message.

Scripture is more readily available today than at any prior point. On the Internet, biblegateway.com is an excellent site for chapter and verse searches; blueletterbible.org for subject matter searches, commentaries, and maps; and jewishvirtuallibrary.org for the history of Israel or a Jewish perspective. The websites khouse.org and firefighters.org offer reliable audio commentaries and other study tools.

This is a scholarly book rich in detail, best consumed in small doses. There is much material that is likely new to many. I suggest approaching each chapter with a highlighter in hand.

Introduction

How reliable is the Bible as a source of truth? A great many people accept Scripture as the unwavering Word of God, literal in all it contains. Others consider it the inspired Word, truthful in its message, but not precise on every point. Some think it is neither.

Ask yourself what you think. Is Scripture 1) the unerring Word of God; 2) the inspired Word of God embellished by humans, yet still relevant; or 3) perhaps applicable to earlier generations but of little value today? As we go on, reconsider your hypothesis in light of what you learn. You might find your view changing as you come closer to God through the Word. My own view has matured over time, reaching the point where I now believe Scripture is the inspired Word of God given for our learning.

C. S. Lewis quipped that Hamlet could have known about Shakespeare only if the author wrote himself into the play. God did exactly that in the Bible.

Here are my beliefs concerning the authenticity and authority of Scripture.

SCRIPTURE IS THE INSPIRED WORD OF GOD

All Scripture is inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16). It is a user’s manual for mankind, designed to help us understand Him and what He expects of us. The Word is literal when quoted as spoken by God or the Son directly, or through the prophets.

God said… appears as early as Genesis 1:3 and is repeated ten times in the first chapter. Thus said the Lord… occurs more than 500 times in the first five books of Scripture (i.e. the Pentateuch or Torah), and nearly 300 times in the historical books and wisdom writings (i.e., Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Psalms, etc.). God is quoted directly more than 1,000 times in the writings of the Prophets.

A bit of leeway should be allowed, however, when reading I and II Samuel, I and II Kings, and I and II Chronicles, as hyperbole was likely employed to emphasize for the people that all things are possible with God at their side. Much of Hebrew Scripture was intended to unify the people and remind succeeding generations of the loving power of God. It is fair, therefore, to wonder if King Solomon actually had seven hundred foreign wives and three hundred concubines, or if such details are there to demonstrate his power and far-reaching influence (1 Kings 11:1-7).

IT CONTAINS EVERYTHING NEEDED FOR SALVATION

Faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is the substance of salvation. That faith comes to individuals in various ways, but always through the inspiration of the Spirit. The study and understanding of Scripture is a pathway toward faith and, through faith, salvation.

ROMANS 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.

IT IS THE SOURCE OF UNIVERSAL TRUTH

Jesus came into the world to testify to the truth (John 1:17, 14:6, 18:37) received from the Father (John 8:40). Scripture holds that truth. After His death, Jesus sent The Comforter (Spirit of truth) into the world to help the faithful understand and share that truth (John 14:26, 15:26, 16:7).

IT COMES FROM OUTSIDE OUR TIME DOMAIN

God is not hostage to physical bounds. He is all powerful, multi-dimensional, everywhere at once, unconstrained by time and unaffected by the laws of physics. His message comes to us from outside our universe and time domain. The Bible is supernatural. The truthfulness of its prophecies has been validated in history.

IT HOLDS MANY ENCRYPTED MESSAGES

Scripture holds hundreds of references to the coming of Christ, many hidden from the casual reader. A wonderful example lies in the root meaning of Hebrew names in the line from Adam to Noah, here in parentheses: Adam (Man), Seth (Appointed), Enosh (Mortal), Kenan (Sorrow); Mahalalel (Blessed God), Jared (Shall Come Down), Enoch (Teaching), Methuselah (His Death Shall Bring), Lamech (Despairing), Noah (Rest, Comfort). Read in order, they reveal an encoded prophecy of the coming Messiah: Man (is) Appointed Mortal Sorrow; (but) Blessed God (Jesus) Shall Come Down Teaching His Death Shall Bring Despairing Rest (and) Comfort. It is unreasonable to think that the original Jewish scribes and later copiers/translators intentionally encrypted the coming of Christ in the Torah! God did.

I am thankful to Dr. Chuck Missler of the Koinonia Institute for pointing out another example found in the first five books of Scripture. Starting with the first Hebrew letter in Genesis and Exodus, and sequencing to each 49th letter, you find the four-letter Hebrew word TORH, the Hebrew spelling of the name of the five books. Doing the same in Numbers and Deuteronomy, you find the reverse, HROT. Apply the 49-letter equidistant procedure to the third book Leviticus and the ineffable name of God appears, YHVH. Therefore, the first two books point to the right, the last two to the left, with God’s ancient Hebrew name at the nexus: the source from which all truth flows.

TORH => TORH => YHVH => HROT => HROT

In another example, Yahweh, the name for God found in early Hebrew texts, is represented as a tetragrammaton composed of four letters and no vowels (YHVH): a Yod, Hey, Vav, and Hey. Each Hebrew letter has its own meaning. Yod represents a hand from the wrist to the fingertips. Hey means, to behold, show, or reveal. Vav is masculine, meaning a nail, peg or hook, nailed or bound together. Hey again, to behold, show, or reveal. Reading the Hebrew (right to left as in all Hebrew texts) God’s name appears: Behold the Nail followed by Behold the Hand or synthesized, Behold the nailed hand. Add the Hebrew meaning of Yahweh (Salvation) and His nature is rendered, Behold, the nailed hand is salvation.

Coincidence? A rabbi once told me, when it comes to Scripture there is no such thing. Coincidence is not a kosher word. Faithful Jews and Christians view such occurrences as authenticating the spiritual nature of the text.

A computer scan won’t reveal the term Trinity in Scripture, although it is at the heart of Christian belief. To unveil the consubstantial Godhead (Father, Son, Spirit) one must combine Genesis 1:1 (God), Genesis 1:26 (the plural adjective "our"), John 1:2 (the Son, by whom all things were made), and Luke 4:1 (the Spirit that led the Son).

In the only clear reference to the Trinity, Jesus instructed His disciples, Go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost (Matthew 28:19).

IT REWARDS THE DILIGENT STUDENT

Hermeneutics is the study of individual understanding of written texts. In the case of the Bible, it is the relationship between the reader (individual presuppositions), and the text presented by the author (chapter and verse). The level of inspiration gained from Scripture is determined at the point where the intent of the author (God) intersects with the predispositions of the reader.

It is important to guard against exclusionary truths that might keep you from considering the unfamiliar. Put aside the Sunday school concept of a bearded Creator standing on a puffy white cloud (God is not flesh and bone, and there are no clouds in heaven); harp-strumming female angels (only male angels are identified in Scripture); or even three kings visiting the newborn baby Jesus (they were not kings, the number is unknown, and Scripture points to Jesus being nearly two years old at the time of the visit).

Scripture declares different things to different people. This is particularly true when dealing with the many rhetorical devices (e.g. parables, similitudes, models, idioms, metaphors, analogies, allegories, etc.). He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings shall you trust, (Psalm 91:3-4) is not intended to signify God is a bird.

There are many double or triple references, verses applicable to the time that also serve as prophecy. Ezekiel (36:22-27) and Jeremiah (23:1-4) both address the return of the people from the Babylonian exile. The verses can also be understood to relate to the return of Jews to the land in 1948, and the final gathering of His people in the End Time.

HE WHO HAS EARS, LET HIM HEAR

Hear ye, hear ye calls the Town Crier before sharing an important message. The loudspeaker announcement begins, May I have your attention, please? A professor stomps the floor during a lecture indicating a point that will be on the final exam.

These and other techniques draw attention to something special. Jesus did the same when He said, Verily, verily I say unto you ..., Truly I say unto you and, most particularly, He that has ears to hear, let him hear. In prophecy, watch especially for the alert, lift up your eyes.

Near the end of His ministry, Jesus spoke in parables not understandable by anyone unprepared to receive the Word. Only those of faith (with the Spirit) could comprehend the message (Matthew 13:10-23).

THE GROWTH OF A NATION

Chapter 1: In the Beginning

Nearly everyone begins reading a good book with the first chapter, allowing excitement to build to a climax in the final pages. The Bible should be read in the same way. Each of the sixty-six books is intended for our learning and ordered in a way that builds knowledge to the point we can grasp the power of the final prophecy. The many instructional stories recall the actions of those who did and did not abide by the will of God, and the resulting consequences.

Scripture begins with the creation of the cosmos and everything in it, seen and unseen. It next moves through the history of the Jewish people, recounts the life and death of our Lord and Savior, and ends with the Book of Revelation foretelling the inevitable climax of God’s plan for mankind. The numerous anecdotes tell us of real people who walked in antiquity, of their failures and triumphs. Each offers lessons on how we should or should not live in order to maintain a proper relationship with God.

Adam and Eve fell from a state of innocent obedience to God and entered a state of submission to the world. They misused God’s gift of freewill, spurned a close fellowship with the Father, and entered into a state of evil self-centeredness. This rebellion occasioned the loss of the Spirit God breathed into their souls. Their new sinful nature moved on to successive generations.

God preternaturally, through His incomparable mercy and inimitable grace, reconciled Himself to mankind by ascribing their sins to His Son, Jesus Christ. His sacrifice on the cross wiped away the burden of sin and offered eternal fellowship to all who accept Him as their personal Lord and Savior. The glorious truth is the Spirit and Salvation are within everyone’s reach.

Scripture is God’s personal owner’s manual given to us for training in righteousness (Luke 24:25-27; John 1:1-3; Hebrews 1:1-2; 2 Timothy 3:16-17). It is a how to guide for those seeking the return of the Spirit and fellowship with God.

CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE, MAN AND WOMAN

The two creation reports (Genesis 1+ and Genesis 2:4+) offer insight into two sides of God. In the first, He is transcendent, almost aloof in His mighty power. In the second, He is personal and intimate, a compassionate supporter of His creation.

Reflect as you read on how long it took to create the cosmos. The Hebrew word for day as it first appears in Genesis 1:5 is Yowm, which depending on its use, simply means a period of time. Was it literally six earth days, or more than 13 billion years using evolution as a mechanism? Is day intended to represent a 24-hour period, or a metaphor for an unknown interval of time? Recall, there was no sun or solar day until day four.

God, unconstrained by the dimensions of space and time, could have created all things in a twinkling of an eye had He wished. He might have wanted mankind to understand the process involved six distinct episodes, perhaps to establish a pattern whereby labor for six days was followed by one day set aside for praise and thanksgiving, replenishment of the body and soul, and communion with Him (Deuteronomy 5:14; Exodus 20:10; Mark 2:27). His six units of creation and one unit of rest set the rhythm of the seven-day week. You will see that seven throughout Scripture represents completeness or the perfection of God.

GENESIS 1:1-2 1 In the beginning God (Hebrew: Elohim, plural masculine noun) created (Hebrew: to make from nothing) the heaven and the earth. 2 And the earth was 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.

GENESIS 1:3-31 3 And God said, Let there be light, and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good, and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. (Not necessarily a solar day, for there was as yet no sun. God is the source of light that defeats prevailing darkness. Evening gloom yields to morning light, completing the daily cycle.) 6 And God said, Let there be a firmament (Hebrew: extended surface, expanse) in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters (Hebrew: transitory things) from the waters. 7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters under the firmament from the waters above the firmament, and it was so. 8 And God called the firmament heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. 9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear, and it was so. 10 And God called the dry land earth; and the gathering together of the waters He called seas, and God saw that it was good. 11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth, and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind, and God saw that it was good. 13 And the evening and the morning were the third day. 14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven (planets, stars, galaxies) to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: 15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, and it was so. 16 And God made two great lights (sun and moon); the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night… 17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, 18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness, and God saw that it was good. 19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day. 20 And God said; Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that has life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. 21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moves, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind, and God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. 23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. 24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping things, and beast of the earth after his kind, and it was so. 25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps upon the earth after his kind, and God saw that it was good. 26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness (Note the possessive adjective our) 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 creeps upon the earth. 27 So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created them; male and female created He them. 28 And God blessed them, and God said to them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth. 29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. 30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to everything that creeps upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat, and it was so. 31 And God saw everything that He had made, and, behold it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

JOHN 1:1-4 1 In the beginning was the Word (Christ the Lord), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made. 4 In Him was life; and the life was the light of men.

PSALM 33:6-9 6 By the Word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. 7 He gathered the waters of the sea together as a heap: He laid up the depth in storehouses. 8 Let all the earth fear the Lord: Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. 9 For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.

ISAIAH 45:18 For thus said the Lord that created the heavens; God Himself that formed the earth and made it; He has established it, He created it not in vain, He formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord; and there is none else. (KJV) (Note: He did not create it a chaos See RSV, OJB, etc.)

A careful reader will note the word create appears in the first verse of Genesis and not again until the introduction of life in the fifth and sixth days. In Hebrew, the word translated as create means to produce out of nothing. As John relates, life is a manifestation of the Word. It could not be otherwise.

Consider the source of the stuff by which all else was made. According to the first law of thermodynamics, matter and energy cannot be created or destroyed—only changed. Proponents of the big bang theory have a problem explaining how everything came from nothing.

The second law of thermodynamics relates to entropy, the gradual decline of everything into a state of disorder. The universe should, therefore, be heading toward an eventual heat death as the chaos increases and gravity pulls everything back into a big crunch. Astronomers have found the opposite is true. The universe is actually expanding at an accelerating rate. (See Appendix I.) Space is not emptiness as the ancients imagined, but a fabric of plasma with physical characteristics just as Scripture describes (a firmament) containing more suns than the number of seconds in the history of the universe.

The answers to all questions concerning the marvel of creation rest with God. Only He can (and did) create/make all things from nothing. All was good up to the point of Adam’s fall when God’s created became subject to sin, decay, and death.

GENESIS 2:7-8 7 And the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. 8 And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there He put the man whom He had formed.

GENESIS 2:9, 15-25 9 And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the Tree of Life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

15 And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat: 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it: For in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. 18 And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a help mate for him. 21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam (Hebrew: dust, a genderless noun) and he slept: And He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh; And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made He a woman, and brought her to the man. 23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: She shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. 24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and they shall be one flesh. 25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

Did you note in reading Genesis 2:7 that God formed Adam and then breathed into his nostrils the breath of life making him a living soul? Consider the theological significance of God being the source of life for the soul, and that there are souls without life before and after an earthly existence. More on this later.

God uses metaphors, similitudes, and other linguistic devices to make the message comprehensible to the human mind. Genesis 2:21-23 holds a wonderful illustration of that point: Adam’s rib. God used a rib from Adam’s breast to create Eve, transferring his bone marrow with its genetic instructions. Eve (Hebrew: source of life) was of one flesh with Adam, at once united and equal, of his essence from near his heart. Ribs are a major source of red and white blood cells, plus stem cells that develop into many types, including muscle and brain cells. The rib is also the only human bone that regenerates; meaning Adam’s body remained complete as made.

Eve was not Adam’s clone, but a distinct being with special qualities and a greater capacity for nurturing. She was made to be his help mate. Adam and Eve were one being divided, companions destined to become one flesh again through the sacrament of matrimony (Genesis 2:24).

One of the great wonders is that God created them in the first place, knowing they would fall into sin. Paul writes that God did so in order that they might be reborn through His mercy to spend eternity with Him, confirming His boundless love (Ephesians 2:4-8).

God created the cosmos to cradle the earth. He created the earth for mankind. He created mankind to be in fellowship with Him, to love and to be loved. Any good toy maker can make a doll that plays I love you! at the pull of a string. God could have programmed humans that way, but He wants devotion, adoration, and thanksgiving as an act of volition (Deuteronomy 10:12-15)

REVELATION 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

PRESENCE OF EVIL AND THE GAP THEORY

Most readers whiz by two potential mysteries early in Genesis. How could the fallen angel Satan be in an otherwise perfect world waiting to beguile Eve, and could there have been a universe before the one we know?

Dealing with Satan first, we know God created all things. That means He created Satan and evil. He said He did (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16). How else could the shining one (ha-Nachash) be waiting in the Garden of Eden to tempt Eve? (Genesis 3:1).

God existed before creation. The potter precedes the pot. Satan and other angels also existed before our universe was formed. We learn when reading Job that the sons of God (angels) shouted for joy as they witnessed creation (Job 38:4-7).

The Evil One preexisted the Garden of Eden and waited there for Eve. He had already fallen and was present in the newly created universe. (We will deal with how and why later.) In that case, he could most certainly have worked his wiles in a previous universe destroyed by God for unabated sinfulness (Genesis 3).

The Gap Theory addresses what might have been before God created all things we know. It serves as an example of how biblical scholars can spend a great deal of effort debating even a blank space in Scripture (e.g., between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2).

To some, a close reading of the first two verses of Genesis points to a preexistence of some kind, "And the earth was (Hebrew: became) without form (Hebrew: confused, chaotic), and void (Hebrew: empty) and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters (but, He does not gather the waters or let the dry land appear until Genesis 1:9, day three.) (Genesis 1:2-3). Young’s literal translation reads, In the beginning of God’s preparing the heavens and the earth… The verb prepare means to make ready for use." Perhaps God did not begin with a blank slate, but worked with what was before.

Was there an unrecorded gap between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2? Did our universe replace one destroyed earlier by a vengeful God? (Jeremiah 4:23-26). There is no reason to be vexed by such questions, but the issue serves as a good example of the many mysteries encrypted in Scripture.

Astronomers have concluded that the universe was formless and chaotic for billions of years after the big bang before gases solidified into stars, super nova, and galaxies. This coalescing brought order and light where only formless, void, and dark chaos existed, just as recorded in Scripture and contrary to the known laws of physics. The question remains, what (if anything) preceded our universe?

Those who ascribe to the Gap Theory believe there was order (Genesis 1:1), then a void (Genesis 1:2), and then a new order (Genesis 1:3-23). The implication is that an earth of some sort existed (Genesis 1:1), was destroyed for its wickedness (Genesis 1:2) and regenerated (Genesis 1:3).

God blessed those He created and said, "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it (Genesis 1:28). The word translated from the original text as replenish has several meanings in Hebrew: To fill, refill, or replenish, fenced, and to satisfy. For some, to replenish is the correct meaning, as in to restore to the former level."

Those who hold fast to The Gap Theory point to Jeremiah as supporting the idea.

JEREMIAH 4:23-26 23 And the Lord said to His prophet Jeremiah, 23 I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form (Hebrew: tohu: confused), and void (Hebrew: bohu: empty); and the heavens had no light. 24 I beheld the mountains (before there was form or light?) 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 (man and birds fled?) 26 I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place (that had been) was (had become) a wilderness, and all the cities (implies inhabitants?) thereof were broken down at the presence of the Lord, and by His fierce anger.

Proponents of the theory suggest Genesis 1:2 can be paraphrased, "But the earth became without form and void having been ruined and uninhabitable; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God hovered over the face of the (preexisting) waters…" Taking the Jeremiah passage literally means judgment and punishment were poured out by God making a wilderness of fruitful places. If correct, perhaps some form of intelligent life existed, occupied cities, and incurred God’s punishment.

The Book of Job also appears to reveal an otherwise unrecorded episode of God’s wrath supporting the hypothesis that something happened before recorded history to account for the chaos reported in Genesis 1:2.

JOB 9:4-8 4 He (God) is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: Who has hardened himself against Him and has prospered? 5 Which removed the mountains, and they know not, which overturned them in His anger. 6 Which shook the earth out of her place (out of orbit?), and the pillars thereof trembled. 7 Which commanded the sun, and it rose not; and seals up the stars (bringing darkness). 8 Which alone spreads out the heavens (only recently discovered that stars are accelerating in their spread), and treads upon the waves of the sea.

There is also Psalm 18 where it is recorded, "Then the earth shook and trembled (past tense); the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken because He was angry… the valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at your rebuke, Lord, at the blast of breath from your nostrils." (Verses 7-15)

Turning now to Satan’s existence, consider what Isaiah reveals.

ISAIAH 14:15-17 15… you (Satan) shall be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. 16 They that see you shall narrowly look upon you, and consider you, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble that did shake kingdoms; 17 That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof ...

When did Satan make the world as a wilderness? Was it before the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the water in Genesis 1:2 to create something new and good?

The earth experienced a rebirth following the flood (Genesis Chapters 6-8), and it will have a fresh beginning again when replaced by a new heaven and a new earth in the End Time (Revelation 21:1-2). The flood blotted out the sinning sons of God (angels) who mixed with daughters of man forming giant demi-angels, the Nephilim (Hebrew: fallen ones). Abject sinning caused God to destroy every living substance… which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven… except Noah, his family, and representatives of animal and plant species (Genesis 6; 7:23). If He destroyed all life once and restarted with Noah’s family, and will create all things new in the End Time, who is to say He did not do so before time as we know it?

Subjects such as the gap theory, the rapture, and the millennium (among others) are interesting, provocative, and worthy of consideration. However, the acceptance or rejection of any such hypotheses will have no bearing on individual salvation. Jesus tells us in The New Testament that faith in Him as Savior (or the absence of such faith) is what has everlasting consequences.

IN OUR IMAGE, AFTER OUR LIKENESS

GENESIS 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness ...

Note, first, the possessive adjective our, referring to the Godhead. Humans were created in the image and likeness, in the essence and nature of the Triune God. This should not be taken to mean we have a similar physical appearance, for He is not flesh and bones but Spirit (John 4:24).

God is God, beyond what humans are able to devise or describe. We can picture a four-mast schooner in our thinking because we have either observed one or have seen enough sailing ships to conjure how one must appear. Not so when considering God. We simply lack the tool set—the necessary symbols.

Scripture refers to Him metaphorically when mentioning His hands and His ears (Isaiah 59:1), His eyes (2 Chronicles 16:9), His nose (Genesis 8:21), and His mouth (Matthew 4:4). Such references should not be used to anthropomorphize God. That would be blasphemous, for it implies His abilities are limited, like ours.

The seventeenth century poet, John Milton, perhaps best known for his epic works, Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained, put it well.

"There can be no doubt but that everything in the world, by its beauty of its order, and the evidence of a determinate and beneficial purpose which pervades it, testifies that some supreme efficient Power must have pre-existed, by which the whole was ordained for a specific end.

It is therefore to contemplate the Deity, and to conceive of Him, not with reference to human passions, that is, after the mariner of men, who are never weary of forming subtle imaginations respecting Him, but after the manner of Scripture… (John Milton, On Christian Doctrine).

God made mankind in His image—His Spirit. He also gave them aspects of His likeness with qualities not found in other creatures: Creativity, forgiveness, faith, generosity, hope, tolerance, and the capacity for dignity and nobleness. He also bestowed the right to choose their own destiny through the exercise of freewill, and an ability to differentiate between good and bad, right and wrong. Such qualities cannot be attributed to evolution for they are not factors required for the species to survive.

God entrusted humans with dominion (sovereignty, authority, power, and stewardship) over the fish of the sea, over the fowl of the air, over the cattle, over all the earth, and everything that creeps on the earth (Genesis 1:26). He forbad only one thing: They must not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:17).

Adam and Eve were in His image. They held His Spirit. They forfeited the gift of the Spirit when they rebelled against God, substituting their will for His, becoming subject to evil and death. All who came after are in the image of Adam—without the Spirit and sinful by nature.

THE FALL OF MAN AND WOMAN

For this said Jehovah, Creator of heaven; He is God, former of earth, and its maker, He established it, not empty He prepared it, for inhabiting He formed it (Isaiah 45:18 YLT). God formed the cosmos to cradle the third planet from the sun, specifically prepared for Adam and his descendants!

Adam came from dust and became flesh. He received the Spirit from God breathed into his nostrils (Genesis 2:7). He acted against the will of God, following his own desires (Genesis 3:1-24). At that instant, mankind became subject to sin and death.

Eve was a helpmate for Adam, one with him in flesh. She was made to be his partner. For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man (1 Corinthians 11:8-9). Man and woman were instructed to leave their parents to form a new family unit (Genesis 2:24).

Eve sinned first. Satan tempted her to become self-reliant and God-like, determining for herself what is good and evil, right and wrong.

GENESIS 3:1-6, 13-21, 23-24 1 Now the Serpent (Hebrew: Nachash, one who hisses, whispers, shines) was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, has God said you shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 2 And the woman said to the Serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, 3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, You shall not eat of it; neither shall you touch it, lest you die. 4 And the Serpent said to the woman, You shall not surely die, 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. 6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit of it, and did eat, and gave also to her husband with her; and he did eat.

13 And the Lord God said to the woman, What is this that you have done? And the woman said, The Serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. 14 And the Lord God said to the Serpent, Because you have done this, you are cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon your belly shall you go, and dust shall you eat all the days of your life: 15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed (the Antichrist to come) and her seed (the Messiah to come from the Jews, Jesus Christ); it shall bruise your head (Satan’s mortal wound), and you shall bruise His heel (on the cross). 16 To the woman He said, I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; in sorrow you shall bring forth children; and your desire shall be to your husband, and he shall rule over you. 17 Then to Adam He said, Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, You shall not eat of it: Cursed is the ground (not just living things) for your sake; You shall toil to eat of it all the days of your life. 18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field. 19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return. 20 And Adam called his wife’s name Eve because she was the mother of all humanity. 21 To Adam and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

23 Therefore, the Lord God sent him from the Garden of Eden, to till the ground from where he was taken. 24 So He drove out the man; and He placed at the east of the Garden of Eden Cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the Tree of Life. (Closed to the sinful, opened to the faithful in the End Time.)

The account of the Fall underscores the peril of human self-centeredness and the rejection of external constraints. It is intended to help mankind understand the consequences of choices made in life, including the option to accept or reject His