He is the beginning and the end. All things in heaven and earth are brought under the dominion of Jesus christ.
“I ask that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know the hope of His calling, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and the surpassing greatness of His power to us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.” Ephesians 1:18-21
To understand the beginning, you need to know the ending. Jesus Christ is the beginning and the end. The purpose of God has been to form the Bride of the Lamb, sinless without spot or wrinkle. He has chosen us to fulfill the pleasure of his good will, of descendants without number, forevermore. The evidence presented in this synopsis is measured against these truths. Does is bring glory to God alone? Does it coincide with the truth we have been given through the Word of God? Does it magnify the deity of Christ? Is it edifying to the body of Christ?
“He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and firstborn from among the dead, so that in all things He may have preeminence. For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through the blood of His cross.” Colossians 1:17-20
His very signature is on the smallest details of creation. Every atom is alive with permanent energy. He is the All-in-All which makes him the sum and substance of the universe. He counts the stars and calls them by name. “One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” Ephesians 4:6
When he created mankind, he gave us the ability to perceive the things hidden from our senses. “Faith is the evidence of things not seen.” The longer we live the more our faith becomes reality. How big is God? He breathed himself into the dust and made a living soul. When he made man he withheld nothing. “We are created in his image and in his likeness.” His purpose is that we share with him in his work, that we be restored to our first estate. This is why God so loved the world. We are the object of his pleasure. We magnify his name when we proclaim his glory, in order that he might demonstrate his love. God desires to be understood. He is worthy of our adoration, the result of knowing him.
“Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are as red as crimson, they will become like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best of the land. But if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.” Isaiah 1:18-20
There are mysteries in the bible to be pondered. The answers are found through the Word, and in the lifetime mosaic that we trod. The Spirit of God gives spiritual eyes to glimpse into the depths of his work. Those who diligently seek him have been given a raptured heart to see the theme of his glory from a greater height. Without the Spirit such things remain hidden and rejected by men.
“Make every effort to present yourself approved to God, an unashamed workman who accurately handles the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15 “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” James 1:5 “You do not have, because you do not ask.” James 4:2
“God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.”
I John 4:16
“Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD.”
the first day
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light And God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness He called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.” Genesis 1:1-5
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms. For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love He predestined us for adoption as His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the Beloved One.” Ephesians 1:3-6
He is the beginning and the end. God created all things including the heavenly host, in which, we were all created. He said of Jeremiah “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5
When God created light, he separated it from the darkness, and we witness the beginning of righteousness vs. evil. “In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The Light shown in the darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not.” John 1:5
From the time that God created the heavens and the earth, to the time he rested from his work, we can conclude that everything had been created, including each and every one of us, we the living souls. Perhaps this happened while darkness was upon the face of the deep, then revealed by the creation of light.
The premise here is that we were all present together at some point in the beginning. We were created for God’s pleasure. We beheld his glory without a contrast of it, or appreciation for it. “And the light shown but the darkness comprehended it not” Even more astounding, Satan chose to become another God, seeking the attention of those whom God created for himself. He was effectively stealing God’s possessions.
The Separation
We were subjected to the choice between God and Satan. We know from Revelation 12:4 and 12:9 that one third of the stars in heaven were thrown down with Satan. Therefore two thirds remained, but what is their status. As free willed beings, only the things that are hidden in our hearts will reveal our true character. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Jeremiah 17:9
Our First Estate
We were in the presence of God in the fullness of his glory. When sin was revealed and the contrast was presented. There was a war in heaven. The condition of every heart was revealed through choice. This outcome would require the judgement of every heart. God knows the status of every heart but every heart must be revealed unto itself. We must go through the trial of our inner being to find out and prove who we really are.
Our Second Estate
Therefore we find ourselves in this second estate, born into this world with no knowledge of God or of our prior estate. Yet our predisposition holds us culpable for the circumstances into which we are born. Here, without faith it is impossible to please God. Both great and small, are born into this world, having no prior knowledge, but growing into the understanding of it. God himself through Jesus Christ, and Lucifer through the antichrist will have lived a life here on the earth. By this it is believable that we all are born into this second estate with a history, subject to the same trial. In this second estate our behavior is judged by law. Everyone will be judged by the law. “We will be accountable for every idle word that comes out of our mouth.” Matthew 12:36.
Election and Predestination
Because of our first estate, the doctrine of election and predestination are formed. “I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion” Romans 9:15 The parable of the wheat and the tares is insight into the foreknowledge of God. The enemy sowed tares among the wheat. “God causes it to rain on the just and the unjust.” He shows mercy on both so as not to harm the wheat. This is why God so loves the world. It is for the purpose of the redeemed forming the Bride of Lamb that God has placed us on the earth. “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9
“God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.” I John 4:16
the second day
“And God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters, to separate the waters from the waters.” So God made the expanse and separated the waters beneath it from the waters above. And it was so. God called the expanse “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.” Genesis 1:6-8
While God is clearly describing a physical event dealing with the earth, he is also expressing a deeper spiritual event. Here God identified the difference between the waters and a gulf separating them. These most likely represent good and evil. This is evidenced by the fall of Satan, the most beautiful of all God’s creations. There became two distinct domains. The lesser reveals the preeminence of the greater.
“How you have fallen from heaven, O day star, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the ground, O destroyer of nations. You said in your heart: “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God. I will sit on the mount of assembly, in the far reaches of the north. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” But you will be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit.” Isaiah 14:12-15
“Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.” Revelation 12:7
the third day
And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered into one place, so that the dry land may appear.” And it was so. God called the dry land “earth,” and the gathering of waters He called “seas.” And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth vegetation: seed-bearing plants and fruit trees, each bearing fruit with seed according to its kind.” And it was so. The earth produced vegetation: seed-bearing plants according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.” Genesis 1:9-13
Dry land, a habitat, a place for man to live and food to grow. “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof.” Psalms 24:1 Even so, Satan has been given the role of Prince of the Power of the Air. Finding himself bound to the earth, true to form, he begins to usurp that which God has made. “Where sin abounded, grace abounded more” Romans 5:20
God created a battle ground to test every thought and precept known to man. God does not dictate terms. He instead promises to deliver us from the consequences of our choices. He only requires that we accept his free gift. He gave that gift at the cross as payment for the mess we have made of his perfection. The perfection he gave us in the beginning.
While Satan is a defeated foe, the battle rages on. Satan is deceiving the whole world to follow the flesh. To worship the creation rather than the creator, which is the broad road to destruction. God is using Satan to test the valor of those dedicated to Christ, the narrow road that leads to life. God is unwilling that any should perish, but that all would come to repentance.
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Ephesians 6:12
The Seed
God’s miracle of seed. The blueprint of physical life and all of its characteristics are written in the DNA code of every living thing. Its very nature is to take on new characteristics from generation to generation. The death burial and resurrection are imbedded in the seed. Whenever it dies, and is buried in the ground, new life is reborn. Even as Jesus Christ died and was buried and was born again, the seed carries the promise of new life forevermore. The seed of Abraham will exceed the capacity of the earth. For this reason the earth is in travail like a woman giving birth
the fourth day
And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to distinguish between the day and the night, and let them be signs to mark the seasons and days and years. And let them serve as lights in the expanse of the sky to shine upon the earth.” And it was so. God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night. And He made the stars as well. God set these lights in the expanse of the sky to shine upon the earth, to preside over the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.” Genesis 1:14-19
The Length of a Day
God has hung the sun and moon and the earth is such a way that the balance is a time piece. It is believed that the existence of our solar system, the Milky Way and all galaxies are essential to the continuation of the earth as a habitat for God’s purposes. Given that these heavenly bodies are used for our purpose of telling time, they are not time pieces for He who is eternal and outside of time.
Consider that three days had past, before the creation of the sun and the moon. These two bodies distinguish between day and night. Therefore, the evening and the morning of the days of creation are defined and measured by a standard we cannot be certain of. To those who consider a day to be a twenty-four hour period ponder this. “But beloved, do not let this one thing be hidden from you, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.” 2 Peter 3-8 In other words, the measurement of time is up to God. The Ancient of Days pre-existed before all things. Those who confine God to human terms seek to be preeminent scholars and authorities unto themselves. Everything was created in the heavens and on earth before God rested, whatever the timeframe. We often create our own paradox.
The Sun and The Moon
There is an obvious physical and spiritual significance to the fourth day. We have learned much more of the physical nature of the sun and moon since creation, while the spiritual significance is steadfast and cannot be swayed by science. Contrast the sun with the moon. The moon is confined to an orbit of earth. The earth, and its moon, are confined to an orbit of the sun. Everything about the earth orbits the sun. The sun is the source of our physical light and life, as spiritually, Christ is. “In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:5
Clearly the sun is dominant and the greater of the two lights. The sun is the source of life giving radiance, while the moon is only reflecting the radiance of the sun. The sun gives light and life while the moon controls the tides and phases in the sky. The lunar cycles are known by women as menstrual cycles governing the fertility of human reproduction.
Both the sun and the moon appear to be the same exact size in the sky. During a solar eclipse the moon perfectly covers the shape of the sun. Objects that appear to the same can be deceiving. The vast difference in size and distance from the earth makes this a punctuation mark on the creation event of the fourth day.
the fifth day
And God said, “Let the waters teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the sky.” So God created the great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters teemed according to their kinds, and every bird of flight after its kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters of the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day. Genesis 1:20-22
Dinosaurs and Evolution?
It is interesting to note that living creatures first came to the sea and sky. Also note that great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters teemed were created. For those who are looking for evidence in the bible of dinosaurs, here it is.
Also, here is a plausible answer to the evolutionist. God said let the earth bring forth… suggesting the earth has influence on what God created. The DNA genome is characteristically similar among all living things. It is essentially the blueprint for meaning of Kind. Yet the variation of characteristics within Kind is incalculable. Evolution is built-in to the one author design who created all things. The DNA structure is perfectly suited for God’s purposes in creating life. There is an understanding and synergy among all living things that cannot be denied. To suggest that evolution is an alternative to creation is an escape from the obvious design of all things.
One of the most prolific influencers of the earths vegetation are birds. As they devour the seed of plants for food, the seed survives and is spread as far as the bird can travel. The seed is deposited on the ground, enveloped in a packet of fertilizer producing abundant growth.
Was Satan a Breeder?
This synopsis portrays that Satan and his Angels were already here. These beings of a superior nature were likely able to understand and manipulate Gods work in the genome through selective breeding. After all, man created in God’s image has been able to decipher the code that God used to create life. This not an idle argument. The Land of Nod where Cain went to find a wife was not born of Adam. We also have the evidence of Neanderthal. “The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and afterward as well—when the sons of God had relations with the daughters of men. And they bore them children who became the mighty men of old, men of renown.” Genesis 6:4 This makes the Greek mythological gods of darkness a fact to be reckoned.
“The deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.” Revelation 12:9
the sixth day
And God said, Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, land crawlers, and beasts of the earth according to their kinds. And it was so. God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that crawls upon the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, and over all the earth itself and every creature that crawls upon it. So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth.” Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit contains seed. They will be yours for food. And to every beast of the earth and every bird of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth—everything that has the breath of life in it—I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. And God looked upon all that He had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day. Genesis 1:24-31
The Creation of Adam
The creation of every living thing was completed by the end of the sixth day. We learn more about the story of Adam and Eve in Genesis 6. The story happened within the first 6 days, but is expanded in further detail later. The most profound of all God’s works was the creation of man in his own likeness and his own image. Not only did man look like God but he was given the capacity to love and understand God. Adam represents God in the sense of dominion over the earth and everything in it.
The Oneness of God
It cannot be ignored that God uses the plural in “let Us make man in Our image.” God was clearly conferring with someone or others in the decision. This plural is also used in the decision to confound man at the tower of babel. Isaiah clearly states “Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, or informed Him as His counselor?” Isaiah 40:13 For this reason, it is determined that he conferred with the counsel of his own will. We know of the oneness of God in the Father, the Son and the Spirit as well as Lamb and the seven Spirits of God before the throne. Suffice it to say that the decision was made unanimously by God through the counsel of his will. “In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:” Ephesians 1:11
One of a Kind
The decision to create man is the center piece and reason behind the creation of the heavens and the earth. It is significant that God created Adam as, one of a kind, just as God himself is, one of a kind. It is significant that God said “It is not good that man should be alone”. God created every living beast and brought them one by one to Adam who named them. In so doing he sought a suitable helper. None was found. Adam being a representation of God had been shown what it is to be, one of a kind.
Deepest Desire
God has demonstrated that it is not sufficient to be one of a kind. Every living thing God had made up to the point of man, was to be fruitful and multiply after their kind. God desires to be fruitful and multiply. We know that God created a heavenly host whose numbers are unknown, that cannot be measured. In all of these created beings none were found to be a suitable mate for the living God. How could a perfect God become one with another when the specter of Satan was among the choices? How can any of us deal with the specter of Satan until sin is vanquished? Every human marriage can attest to the drive to become unified as one, only to see it slip away. God must conquer sin before perfect and eternal matrimony can ever be. The work of the cross deals with the fall of the first estate and everything thereafter.
The Creation of Eve
God created Eve out of Adams own flesh, a rib. Eve was presented to Adam by God himself. They were placed in a garden east of Eden. Beginning in perfection there was only one thing they had to do to remain innocent. Do not touch, or eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They were bliss with no understanding of the turmoil that surrounded the garden. The serpent entered the garden and convinced Eve to eat the fruit and her eyes were opened. Then, in turn, Adam ate the fruit and they had both received the curse of sin and death. Adam and Eve had demonstrated the impossibility of an eternally perfect union as long as sin is at the door.
Adam was there, and chose to eat the fruit after Eve had already eaten. By eating also, he became like her. While he could not save her, He forfeited his position in order to be with her. Where man failed, God himself through the cross saved her and all of her children that would believe.
We have just witnessed the purpose God has for us all. All of creation had been ruptured when we encountered sin in our first estate and the perfect glory of God was blemished by Satan. He and his angels were culprits in the demise of perfection. Now the whole of us are corrupted and God alone is sovereign.
God has a plan.
Through the perseverance of love, and by law, sacrifice and atonement, God made a way to restore himself to his beloved creation. Here we find the answer to the question, “what gives God the right to create?” He paid dearly for it. He has not asked of man anything that he has not asked of himself. At the appointed time God became a man through the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. Out of himself he conceived a Son, the first born among many. “For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.” Romans 5:19 “That as many as believe in his name gave the the power to become the Sons of God.” John 1:12 We the Church, the believers have become the body of Christ and Christ is the head. God himself through Jesus Christ gave his life and went into the grave. There, he took the keys of death and hell from Satan and released the captives as he arose from the dead. He has paid the price for our redemption with his blood. He has ransomed his bride made up of all who believe in him. He has earned perfect and eternal matrimony and invited all who will come to become a part of it forevermore. He is perfect and blameless and every tongue will confess him to be the Lord of All.
Worthy is the Lamb!
No longer will God be one of a kind. He calls every believer to be like him, to become one with him through his Bride. The promise to Abraham is fulfilled “As the stars of heaven are without number so shall your descendants be.” He will fill the universe with offspring free from sickness and death. There will be no lust for power, no greed of possessions. The Lord Our God has taken a wife. Rejoice inhabitants of the earth!
“Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” Revelation 21:9
“You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” I Peter 2:5
We the Church make up the body of the bride and the Lord our God the groom. And the two shall become one of a kind, and be fruitful and multiply, as it is consistent with every living thing God created. The universe that God has created will be the habitation of his offspring. “He determines the number of the stars; He calls them each by name.” Psalms 147:4 Bless the bosom of Abraham.
THE SEVENTH DAY
Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. And by the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing; so on that day He rested from all His work. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because on that day He rested from all the work of creation that He had accomplished.
The Third Estate
I submit to you that we are on the cusp of the third and eternal estate. God will rise from his rest and make all things new. God has conquered sin giving rise to a kingdom free from the shackles of sin. A glorious perfection with limitless boundaries. The heavens will eternally resound in the praise of our God and his Christ.
Glory To God in the highest, and to his eternal matrimony!