PART II – The MYSTERY of ETERNITY AFTER Time and Creation Began REVEALING GOD’S INVOLVEMENT With the Angels and Man
Contents
CHAPTER 1 – The Creation of the Heavens and Their Stars and the Angels.
Back in PART I CHAPTER 6, I briefly shared about God introducing the Light – Jesus Christ to creation. The next Scripture states that in the beginning God created the heavens with its stars and their light and marked out a spot in the universe for the earth to be formed billions of years later.
Genesis 1:1-3 IN THE beginning God (prepared, formed, fashioned, and) created the heavens and the earth. [Heb 11:3.] 2 The earth was without form and an empty waste {it would be created much later in time – Job 38:4-7}, and darkness was upon the face of the very great deep {ETERNITY}. The Spirit of God was moving (hovering, brooding) over the face of the waters {He had with Him His Book of Life which contained God’s foreknown and predestined plans for the universe – Jeremiah 29:11.}. 3 And God said, Let there be light; and there was light. AMP
I believe the first entity to be revealed as Light in creation was Jesus Christ – The Light AND the Life of the universe. The following Scriptures share with us God the Son revealing Himself as Jesus Christ as the “Light of the world” and also its Life to all of creation including the angels and to all the peoples of the world:
John 1:9 There it was — the true Light {God the Son/Jesus Christ} [was then] coming into the world{/cosmos/creation at its beginning} [the genuine, perfect, steadfast Light] that illumines every person {and creation}. [Isa 49:6.] AMP
John 9:5 {Jesus Christ declaring} As long as I am in the world {creation/ cosmos/universe}, I am the world’s Light. AMP
John 8:12 Once more Jesus addressed the crowd. He said, I am the Light of the world{/creation/cosmos}. He who follows Me will not be walking in the dark, but will have the Light which is Life {for ALL of the universe}. AMP
John 1:5 And the Light {of Jesus Christ} shines on in the darkness {ETERNITY}, for the darkness has never overpowered it [put it out or absorbed it or appropriated it, and is unreceptive to it]. AMP
John 12:46 {Jesus Christ speaking} I have come as a Light into the world {creation/cosmos/universe}, so that whoever believes in Me [whoever cleaves to and trusts in and relies on Me] may not continue to live in darkness {of the world’s worthlessness, drama and chaos caused by sin and the “god of this world”}. AMP
John 16:33 I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.] AMP
Jesus Christ also shared with us that His Light is able to overcome all darkness IF a Saint chooses to walk in it!
1 John 2:10-11 Whoever loves his brother [believer] abides (lives) in the Light, and in It or in him there is no occasion for stumbling or cause for error or sin. 11 But he who hates (detests, despises) his brother [in Christ] is in darkness and walking (living) in the dark; he is straying and does not perceive or know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes. AMP
I believe the second entity to be revealed as light are the just created stars:
Genesis 1:14-19 And God {the Son} said, Let there be lights {stars} in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be signs and tokens [of God’s provident care], and [to mark] seasons, days, and years, [Gen 8:22.] 15 And let them be lights {stars} in the expanse of the sky to give light upon the earth. And it was so. 16 And God {the Son} made the two great lights — the greater light (the sun {a star}) to rule the day and the lesser light (the moon {a planet}) to rule the night. He also made the stars. 17 And God {the Son} set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth, 18 To rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God {the Son} saw that it was good (fitting, pleasant) and He approved it. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day. AMP
Isaiah 40:26 Lift up your eyes on high and see! Who has created these? He Who brings out their host {stars} by number and calls them all by name; through the greatness of His might and because He is strong in power, not one is missing or lacks anything. AMP
Psalms 147:4-5 He {God the Son} determines and counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by their names. 5 Great is our Lord and of great power; His understanding is inexhaustible and boundless. AMP
And the third entity of light are the just created angels. There is little direct Scriptural support as to when the angels were created, but it had to be right at the beginning of creation possibly a very short time after the stars were created because of Satan’s mineral adornment of precious stones and gold that he scavenged in his wanderings {Job 1:7}. Scripture states these precious stones and gold were prepared for Satan at about the SAME time as he was created.
Psalms 33:6 By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all their host {angels} by the breath of His mouth. [Heb 11:3; 2 Peter 3:5.] AMP
Hebrews 1:6 Moreover, when He {God the Father} brings the firstborn Son {God the Son} again into the habitable world, He says, Let all the angels of God worship Him. AMP
Ezekiel 28:13 You {Satan} were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, the carnelian, topaz, jasper, chrysolite, beryl, onyx, sapphire, carbuncle, and emerald; and your settings and your sockets and engravings were wrought in gold. On the day that you were created they were prepared. [Gen 3:14, 15; Isa 14:12-15; Matt 16:23.] AMP
Another question that I cannot find the answer to is whether Eden the Garden of God was created or is it ETERNAL? There is no Scriptural answer to this question that I can find, but God did not need the physical sustenance {plants and fruits} for nourishment provided by the Garden unless He wanted to enjoy its beauty and multi-fragrances. To me and my appreciation of the universe’s beauty, it would have spruced up His Kingdom – just a thought from someone who enjoys the beauty of the stars, the earth, and its provisions. More on this later.
1 Corinthians 2:9 But, on the contrary, as the Scripture says, What eye has not seen and ear has not heard and has not entered into the heart of man, [all that] God has prepared (made and keeps ready) for those who love Him [who hold Him in affectionate reverence, promptly obeying Him and gratefully recognizing the benefits He has bestowed]. [Isa 64:4; 65:17.] AMP
Again, I believe God created the angels with their illuminating radiance {light} about the same time as the stars. The angels were present and witnessed when God laid the foundation for the earth billions of years after the heavens and the angels were formed.
Revelation 18:1 THEN I saw another angel descending from heaven, possessing great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his radiance {/light} and splendor. AMP
Hebrews 1:7 Referring to the angels He says, [God] Who makes His angels winds and His ministering servants flames of fire {/light}; [Ps 104:4.] AMP
Job 38:4-7 {God speaking to Job} Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth {in the spot that I had marked in the universe for the earth}? Declare to Me, if you have and know understanding. 5 Who determined the measures of the earth, if you know? Or who stretched the measuring line upon it? 6 Upon what were the foundations of it fastened, or who laid its cornerstone, 7 When the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God {His angels} shouted for joy {as they witnessed this part of the ongoing process of creation}? AMP
As I have previously stated, the creation of the angels at the beginning of creation is important because Eden the Garden of God/the Garden of Eden IF it was created had to be created shortly after the stars but BEFORE the angels to supply the minerals for Satan’s adornment.
Ezekiel 28:13 {God speaking} You {Satan – an angel} were in Eden, the garden of God; your clothing was bejeweled with every precious stone-ruby, topaz, diamond, chrysolite, onyx, jasper, sapphire, carbuncle, and emerald-all in beautiful settings of finest gold. {These jewels were already created and} They were given to you on the day you were created. TLB
CHAPTER 2 – God Creating Man As A Physical and Spiritual Being.
While the Bible contains what we need to know about God and the things of God, many times you have to sift through several Scriptures to find the correct and full meaning of the text. The concept for man, his salvation, and ALL other parts of creation was included in God’s plans from BEFORE time began.
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome. AMP
Titus 1:2 [Resting] in the hope of eternal life, [life] which the ever truthful God Who cannot deceive promised before the world or the ages of time began. AMP
Psalms 139:16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance, and in Your book all the days [of my life] were written before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them. AMP
The actual creation of man with his physical and spiritual natures is our example. I believe the first chapter of Genesis verses 26-27 share with us God the Son creating man in the spiritual image of God. In Genesis 2:7, we have God the Son forming man from the dust of the earth and God the Holy Spirit breathing the breath of life within him for him to become a living being.
Carefully read the following Scriptures. Is man created in Genesis 2:7 as a living “physical being?” Is man created as a “spiritual being” in Genesis 1:26-27?
Genesis 2:7 {Firstly} Then the Lord God {the Son} formed man of dust from the ground, and {God the Holy Spirit} breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. NASB
Genesis 1:26-27 {Secondly} God said, Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our {spiritual} image, after Our {spiritual} likeness, and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the [tame] beasts, and over all of the earth, and over everything that creeps upon the earth. [Ps 104:30; Heb 1:2; 11:3.] 27 So God created man in His own {spiritual} image, in the {spiritual} image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them. [Col 3:9, 10; James 3:8, 9.] AMP
1 Corinthians 15:46 But it is not the spiritual life which came first, but the physical and then the spiritual. AMP
1 Corinthians 15:49 And just as we have borne the {physical} image [of the man] of dust {Adam}, so shall we and so let us also bear the {spiritual} image [of the Man] of heaven {God the Son/Jesus Christ}. AMP
Man is the ONLY created living creature/being on earth with BOTH a physical and spiritual nature that can commune directly with God the Holy Spirit! I believe other living unreasoning irrational creatures also have spirits, but they commune with God the Holy Spirit by instinct – His direct guidance and control into the lives of unreasoning irrational creatures.
2 Peter 2:12 But these [{ungodly, morally corrupt, sinful} people]! Like unreasoning beasts, mere creatures of instinct, born [only] to be captured and destroyed, railing at things of which they are ignorant, they shall utterly perish in their [own] corruption [in their destroying they shall surely be destroyed], AMP
Jude 10 But these {ungodly, morally corrupt, sinful} men revile (scoff and sneer at) anything they do not happen to be acquainted with and do not understand; and whatever they do understand physically [that which they know by mere instinct], like irrational beasts — by these they corrupt themselves and are destroyed (perish). AMP
CHAPTER 3 – The Contents of ETERNITY During the Successive Ages of Time and History.
What did ETERNITY contain from the beginning of time and creation?:
Genesis 1:1-3 IN THE beginning God (prepared, formed, fashioned, and) created the heavens and the earth. [Heb 11:3.] 2 The earth was without form and an empty waste, and darkness was upon the face of the very great deep.
The Spirit of God was moving (hovering, brooding) over the face of the waters. 3 And God said, Let there be light; and there was light. AMP
I believe the heavens with its stars and the angels were formed at about the same time – Genesis 1:1. I believe the earth was formed billions of years after the initial act of creation {Genesis 1:2} as stated in the Book of Job as the created stars and angels witnessed God placing the earth upon its prearranged spot/foundation in the universe.
Job 38:4-7 Where were you {Job} when I {God the Son – Hebrews 1:10} laid the foundation of the earth? Declare to Me, if you have and know understanding. 5 Who determined the measures of the earth, if you know? Or who stretched the measuring line upon it? 6 Upon what were the foundations of it fastened, or who laid its cornerstone, 7 When the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God {angels} shouted for joy? AMP
Verse 3 in the Genesis 1:1-3 is very important because God commanded that there be light.
This “light” has three implications:
God the Father introduced God the Son/Son of Man as the Light of the world/creation/all of the universe:
Psalms 2:7 I will declare the decree of the Lord: He {God the Father} said to Me, You are My Son; this day [I declare] I have begotten {introduced} You {to creation} [Heb 1:5; 3:5, 6; 2 Peter 1:17, 18.] AMP
Hebrews 1:6 Moreover, when He {God the Father} brings the firstborn {FIRST in time and place – God the} Son again into the habitable world {Psalms 2:7}, He says, Let all the angels of God worship Him. AMP
John 1:10 He {the Son of Man} came into the world, and though the world was made through Him {God the Son}, the world did not recognize Him [did not know Him {and continues this day NOT wanting to know Him!}] AMP
John 1:3 All things were made and came into existence through Him {Jesus Christ/God the Son}; and without Him was not even one thing made that has come into being. {I must insert that Christ did NOT create the nations of the world except for Israel – Matthew 4:8-10; Isaiah 43:15.} AMP
John 9:5 {Jesus speaking} As long as I am in the world, I am the world’s Light. AMP
The creation of the stars:
Genesis 1:16-18 And God made the two great lights — the greater light (the sun {a star}) to rule the day and the lesser light (the moon {planet}) to rule the night. He also made the stars. 17 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth, 18 To rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good (fitting, pleasant) and He approved it. AMP
The creation of the illuminating angels who I believe were also created at the beginning of creation and most certainly billions of years before the earth was formed {Job 38:5-7}.
Hebrews 1:7 Referring to the angels He says, [God] Who makes His angels winds and His ministering servants flames of fire/light; [Ps 104:4.] AMP
As I have stated previously, I believe the universe/heavens {the first and second heavens} is contained in ETERNITY. TODAY, our ball shaped physical universe is believed to be some 156 billion lightyears in diameter {936 followed by 21 zeros miles}, and it is still expanding! Somewhere beyond ETERNITY is the Third Heaven which no one has any idea about how huge it is. The universe is NOT flat! It has great height and great depth in its dimensions giving it humongous and unfathomable volume. Creation is now complete!
Genesis 2:1 THUS THE heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host {stars and angels} of them. AMP
Hebrews 4:3 For we who have believed (adhered to and trusted in and relied on God) do enter that rest, in accordance with His declaration that those [who did not believe] should not enter when He said, As I swore in My wrath, They shall not enter My rest; and this He said although [His] works had been completed and prepared [and waiting for all who would believe] from the foundation of the world. [Ps 95:11.] AMP
CHAPTER 4 – The Individual Works of each Person in the Godhead.
Before I go any further, I need to take us back to the beginning of time and history to recognize and understand the role of each Person in the Godhead – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit and their joint works of oneness revealing their individual “works” in bringing creation to fruition. We have studied some of the “work” including the foreknown and predestined plans of God the Father in ETERNITY. We will now study some of the Scriptures that reveal the “work” of each Person in the process of creation, salvation, and judgment. I believe the Scriptures are very clear. You make up your own mind.
The Godhead is made up of three Person’s – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Carefully think about the following verse:
Romans 11:36 For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him {God} be the glory forever. Amen. NASB
I believe the “key” words in the preceding Scripture are “from,” “through,” and “to” and reveal the “work” of each Person in God’s creation. “From” can be ascribed as “from God the Father” Who is the source/origin of ALL the plans for ALL of His creation. Please understand that God the Father not only has plans for you from before time began, but His plans include all of your life through the end of the age/time and back into ETERNITY. His plans also included ALL parts of creation BOTH animated and inanimate parts.
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome. AMP
Titus 1:2 {What is our hope for the final sequel of our physical life?} [Resting] in the hope of eternal life, [life] which the ever truthful God Who cannot deceive promised before the world or the ages of time began. AMP
Ephesians 1:4-5 Even as [in His love] He {God the Father’s plans} chose us [actually picked us out for Himself as His own] in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy (consecrated and set apart for Him) and blameless in His sight, even above reproach, before Him in love. 5 For He foreordained us ({pre}destined us, planned in love for us) to be adopted (revealed) as His own children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the purpose of His will [because it pleased Him and was His kind intent] — AMP
The word “through” can be ascribed as applying to God the Son as existing from the beginning to the end. He is the Alpha/first and the Omega/last. Scripture states that He is the creator of the universe using God the Father’s plans for creation.
John 1:1-3 IN THE beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself. [Isa 9:6.] 2 He was present originally with God. 3 All things were made and came into existence through Him; and without Him was not even one thing made that has come into being. {I must insert that Christ did NOT create the nations of the world except for Israel – Matthew 4:8-10; Isaiah 43:15.} AMP
Colossians 1:16 For it was in Him that all things were created, in heaven and on earth, things seen and things unseen, whether thrones, dominions, rulers, or authorities; all things were created and exist through Him [by His service, intervention] and in and for Him. {I must insert that Christ did NOT create the nations of the world except for Israel – Matthew 4:8-10; Isaiah 43:15.} AMP
Revelation 1:8 I {God the Son/Jesus Christ} am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, says the Lord God, He Who is and Who was and Who is to come, the Almighty (the Ruler of all). [Isa 9:6.] AMP
The word “to” can be ascribed as giving purpose to the work of God the Holy Spirit to make God the Son’s creation function and come for fruition according to God the Father’s plans. Remember that Christ created everything in and for Himself, but God the Holy Spirit gave all the living creatures “the breath of life” in the process of and for all procreation.
Psalms 104:30 When You send forth Your Spirit and give them breath, they are created, and You replenish the face of the ground. AMP
Genesis 2:7 And the Lord God {God the Son} formed man of the dust of the ground, and {God the Holy Spirit} breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. NKJV
To make this easier to understand, think of creation in a contemporary fashion. When a person sets out to construct a major building, they have to have an “architect” to plan and design it, a “general contractor” to build the facility according to the architect’s plans, and an “administrator” to use the facility according to its plans/purpose. Think of creation as having God the Father as its architect, God the Son/Son of Man as the general contractor of creation using God the Father’s plans. The framework for creation is now complete. It is time for God the Holy Spirit to occupy creation and make it work according to God the Father’s purpose. Let’s take another look at the expanded verse:
Romans 11:36 For from Him {planner/origin} and through Him {all things came from beginning to the end} and to Him are all things {makes all created things work according to the Father’s plans}. [For all things originate with Him and come from Him {God the Father}; all things live through Him {God the Son}, and all things center in and tend to consummate and to end in Him {God the Holy Spirit}.] To Him {the Godhead} be glory forever! Amen (so be it). AMP
1 Corinthians 8:6 Yet for us there is [only] one God, the Father, Who is the Source of all things {origin/plans} and for Whom we [have life], and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through and by Whom are all things {were created from beginning to end} and through and by Whom we [ourselves exist]. [Mal 2:10.] AMP
Genesis 1:2b The Spirit of God was moving (hovering, brooding) over the face of the waters {with God’s Book of Life waiting to make creation work}. AMP
We must remember that The Son of God/The Son of Man – Jesus Christ has two separate and distinct “roles” and has “works” for each role – He is creator as God the Son and Savior and Judge as the Son of Man. For whatever reason, I believe many theologians give God the Father too much of the “work” that is of Jesus Christ. I believe they are short changing the “work and revelation” of Jesus Christ to us!!!
John 1:3 All things were made and came into existence through Him {God the Son}; and without Him was not even one thing made that has come into being. {I must insert that Christ did NOT create the nations of the world except for Israel –Matthew 4:8-10; Isaiah 43:15.} AMP
John 1:10 He {the Son of Man} came into the world, and though the world was made through Him {God the Son}, the world did not recognize Him [did not know Him {And continues to this day, man not wanting to know Him!}]. AMP
Hebrews 3:3-4 Yet Jesus has been considered worthy of much greater honor and glory than Moses, just as the builder of a house has more honor than the house [itself]. 4 For [of course] every house is built and furnished by someone, but the Builder of all things and the Furnisher [of the entire equipment of all things] is God {the Son}. AMP
We now have the initial creation as completed. It is “to” God the Holy Spirit to now bring to fruition the purpose for creation as God the Father planned it and for it to “work” as God the Son created it. We can start at the beginning of Genesis Chapter 1. I believe at the beginning of creation God the Holy Spirit had access to God the Father’s Book of Life which He wrote before time began and contained ALL of the details for the entire created universe.
Genesis 1:2 The earth was without form and an empty waste, and darkness was upon the face of the very great deep. The Spirit of God was moving (hovering, brooding) over the face of the waters {having with Him the Father’s Book of Life}. AMP
Psalms 104:30 When You send forth Your Spirit and give them breath {ALL living creatures}, they are created, and You replenish the face of the ground. AMP
It is helpful to understand God the Holy Spirit as the “breath of life” which incorporates all of the processes that enables all physical life to be on Earth. With the help of sunlight and water, most living species of vegetation take in carbon dioxide and produce oxygen. Most species of living creatures take in oxygen and expel carbon dioxide. This cycle is called respiration. These processes are God created and induced and revealed in Genesis 1:3-19. We now have God creating spiritual man in Genesis 1:26-27 and giving him physical life in Genesis 2:7.
Genesis 1:26-27 God said, Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our {spiritual} image, after Our likeness{/some of Our characteristics}, and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the [tame] beasts, and over all of the earth, and over everything that creeps upon the earth. [Ps 104:30; Heb 1:2; 11:3.] 27 So God created man in His own {spiritual} image, in the {spiritual} image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them. [Col 3:9; James 3:8, 9.] AMP
Genesis 2:7 Then the Lord God {the Son created/} formed {physical} man from the dust of the ground and {God the Holy Spirit} breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living {physical} being. [1 Cor 15:45-49.] AMP
The following Scriptures give us an overview of God the Holy Spirit’s “work” in making all living creatures able to have the continuation of life and death on earth.
Psalms 104:30 When You send forth Your Spirit and give them breath {oxygen produced by photosynthesis from vegetation for the living creatures}, they are created, and You replenish the face of the ground. AMP
Job 27:3 As long as my life is still whole within me, and the breath of God {oxygen} is [yet] in my nostrils, AMP
Psalms 104:29 {Holy Spirit} When You hide Your face, they are troubled and dismayed; when You take away their breath {oxygen the person/all living physical species}, they die and return to their dust. AMP
God as Savior in BOTH the Old Testament and New Testament:
Let’s switch gears and now study God our Savior in BOTH the Old and New Testaments – God the Son/the Son of Man – Jesus Christ. Remember Jesus Christ is the SAME yesterday, today, and forever {Hebrews 13:8}. If He is Savior in the New Testament, He is Savior in the Old Testament:
Psalms 106:21 They {the Jewish people} forgot God their Savior, Who had done such great things in Egypt {and He led/saved them out of Egypt as the Pillar of Cloud/Pillar of Fire, and He was the Rock of their salvation}. AMP
Exodus 13:21 The Lord {Jesus Christ} went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. AMP
2 Samuel 22:47 The Lord lives; blessed be my Rock, and exalted be God {the Son}, the Rock of my salvation. AMP
1 Corinthians 10:1-4 FOR I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, that our forefathers were all under and protected by the cloud {Pillar of Cloud/Fire } [in which God’s Presence {God the Son/Son of Man} went before them], and every one of them passed safely through the [Red] Sea, [Ex 13:21; 14:22,29.] 2 And each one of them [allowed himself also] to be baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea [they were thus brought under obligation to the Law, to Moses, and to the covenant, consecrated and set apart to the service of God]; 3 And all [of them] ate the same spiritual (supernaturally given) food, [Ex 16:4,35.] 4 And they all drank the same spiritual (supernaturally given) drink. For they drank from a spiritual Rock which followed them [produced by the sole {supernatural and spiritual} power of God Himself without natural {physical} instrumentality], and the Rock was Christ. [Ex 17:6; Num 20:11.] AMP
Let’s study God our Savior in the New Testament – God the Son/the Son of Man – Jesus Christ. It cannot be any clearer than this:
John 3:16 For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) {God the} Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life. AMP
Acts 4:12 And there is salvation in and through no one else, for there is no other name {Jesus Christ – Son of Man} under heaven given among men by and in which we must be saved. AMP
Revelation 13:8 And all the inhabitants of the earth will fall down in adoration and pay him homage, everyone whose name has not been recorded in the Book of Life of the Lamb that was slain [in sacrifice] from the foundation of the world. AMP
Who is Judge – God the Father or God the Son?
Let’s continue as we study God as Judge, we find that the Son of Man has been appointed as judge over everyone by God the Father:
John 5:22 {Jesus Christ speaking} Even the Father judges no one, for He has given all judgment (the last judgment {the Great White Throne Judgment} and the whole business of judging) entirely into the hands of the Son, AMP
John 5:27 And He {God the Father} has given Him {Jesus Christ} authority and granted Him power to execute (exercise, practice) judgment because He is a Son of man [very man]. AMP
This chapter contains a brief overview of the “work” of each Person of the Godhead in creation, salvation, and judgment.
CHAPTER 5 – A Brief Overview of God the Holy Spirit’s Work in the Natural Human Procreation Process.
For more information on the natural human procreation process, click on https://pastorharrysimons.com/chapter-v/
My Brothers and Sisters – PLEASE pray for the “sound mind of Christ” to better understand the following chapter which is a brief overview for the natural human procreation process:
God created man to reproduce our own kind:
Genesis 1:28a And God blessed them {Adam and Eve} and said to them, Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, AMP
Eve was/is considered the “mother of all living humans:”
Genesis 3:20 The man called his wife’s name Eve [life spring], because she was the mother of all the living. AMP
Somehow Eve knew the template {pattern, guide, model, prototype} for the natural human sexual procreation process – a husband/man and a wife/ woman have sexual relations that reproduces an offspring with the help of God the Holy Spirit:
Genesis 4:1 AND ADAM {husband/man} knew Eve {woman} as his wife, and she became pregnant and bore Cain {an offspring}; and she said, I have gotten and gained a man with the help of the Lord. AMP
Genesis 4:25 And Adam’s wife again became pregnant, and she bore a son and called his name Seth. For God, she said, has appointed for me another child instead of Abel, for Cain slew him. AMP
Acts 17:28 For in Him we live and move and have our being; as even some of your [own] poets have said, For we are also His {God’s} offspring. AMP
This template produced the generations of man from his beginning down through the centuries the generations of the peoples of the entire world:
Isaiah 41:4 Who has prepared and done this, calling forth and guiding the destinies of the generations [of the {peoples of the} nations] from the beginning? I, the Lord — the first [existing before history began] and with the last [an ever-present, unchanging God] — I am He. AMP
I believe God’s Book of Life contains His plans for ALL of His creation including all humans who are conceived naturally including the “hope of eternal life”:
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome. AMP
Titus 1:2 [Resting] in the hope of eternal life, [life] which the ever truthful God Who cannot deceive promised before the world or the ages of time began. AMP
1 Timothy 2:4 {God} Who wishes all men to be saved and [increasingly] to perceive and recognize and discern and know precisely and correctly the [divine] Truth. AMP
Somehow Job knew when God foreknew him and wrote about him in His Book of Life:
Psalms 139:16 Your eyes saw my {yet – KJV} unformed substance, and in Your book all the days [of my life] were written before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them. AMP
God the Holy Spirit is at each individual’s conception with God’s Book of Life placing the right father’s sperm with the mother’s egg to form the zygote of the individual that God foreknew before time began.
Psalms 104:30 When You send forth Your Spirit and give them breath, they are created, and You replenish the face of the ground. AMP
At each natural conception, God the Holy Spirit is present with God’s Book of Life placing the right single sperm – out of 3-5 hundred million deposited into the woman during intercourse to produce the correct individual that God foreknow by name, predestined, and preplanned for this particular time in history. {Encyclopedia Britannica}
Job knew that God the Holy Spirit was present at his conception to form his body according to God the Father’s foreknown and predestined plans:
Ecclesiastes 11:5 As you know not what is the way of the wind, or how the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a pregnant woman, even so you know not the work of God, Who does all. AMP
Psalms 139:13-15 For You did form my inward parts; You did knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I will confess and praise You for You are fearful and wonderful and for the awful wonder of my birth! Wonderful are Your works, and that my inner self knows right well. 15 My frame was not hidden from You when I was being formed in secret [and] intricately and curiously wrought [as if embroidered with various colors] in the depths of the earth [a region of darkness and mystery]. AMP
While God the Holy Spirit is forming the individual’s body, He is also forming their spirit within them. Upon their death, their spirit returns to God. A person’s spirit does NOT belong to them – it belongs to God and contains the record of your life!!!
Zechariah 12:1b ……Thus says the Lord, Who stretches out the heavens and lays the foundation of the earth and forms the spirit of man within him: AMP
Ecclesiastes 12:7 {Upon a person’s death} Then shall the dust [out of which God made man’s body] return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall return to God Who gave it. AMP
We now come to the last age of time {present day – 2018} with man using technology to twist events to his liking and desires. Modern man using scientific technology has usurped God’s template for procreation by introducing Artificial Insemination and In Vitro Fertilization into the human reproduction process. Man is also experimenting with “Cloning” and “Motherless Babies.”
Cloning occurs with the collection of genetically identical cells that reproduce
a living organism without the procreation process. Motherless Babies are produced as scientists create live offspring without the need for a female egg. As far as I know there have been no humans reproduced this way. Man strongly desires to emulate God!!! But he cannot reproduce a “spirit!” You cannot give what you do not have!!! ALL manmade humans do NOT have a “spirit!”
As I have previously stated in God’s template for natural human reproduction, God the Holy Spirit is involved in putting the right sperm from the man with the right egg of the woman to produce the offspring that God had foreknown and predestined and written down in His Book of Life before time began. God did NOT leave out ONE naturally conceived human offspring from His Book!
But we have Scripture which states there are people whose names were NOT written in God’s Book from before time began. How can this be? With reproduction scientists manually manipulating the procreation process and taking away the “work” of God the Holy Spirit, I firmly believe that the individuals who are conceived by AI or IVF do NOT have a spirit which makes them unable to communicate with God the Holy Spirit, thus they cannot be SAVED!!! I believe there is a Scripture that reveals that God the Holy Spirit was NOT involved in their conception. The question is, “Why are their names NOT written in the God’s Book of Life when God was making His plans for creation?” This Scripture from Revelation chapter 17 deals with the end times:
Revelation 17:8b And the inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been recorded in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world will be astonished when they look at the beast, because he [once] was, but [now] is no more, and he is [yet] to come. [Dan 7:3.] AMP
I firmly believe that EVERY person’s name who was to be naturally conceived in time and history was written in God’s Book of Life from before time began! This being the case means that some of the people living on the earth at this time do NOT have their names written in God’s Book of Life because He did NOT make foreknown and predestined plans for them before time began therefore in essence they were NOT His offspring! If they are NOT His offspring they do NOT have a “spirit!”
Recently, I was watching an In Vitro Fertilization video showing the procedures used to reproduce another human. After the reproduction scientist manually inserted a sperm into each egg and then implanted the several fertilized eggs into the expectant mother, a sonogram indicated that two eggs had survived giving her a strong chance of having twins. He said to her that, “God had blessed her because she was pregnant.” How can this be when God the Holy Spirit was NOT present at this union?
A question that must be asked, “Do you believe that God would relinquish His Sovereignty over the His procreation process by allowing man to use technology to seemingly accomplish human fertilization? PLEASE remember that man cannot give what he does NOT have!!! Man can NOT create or form a human spirit PERIOD! Only God can do that because He is Spirit! God does NOT change!
John 4:24 God is a Spirit (a spiritual Being) and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth (reality). AMP
Malachi 3:6a For I am the Lord, I do not change…. AMP
I believe I have portrayed a complete picture of God’s involvement in the human procreation process, and Satan’s attempt to counterfeit it!
CHAPTER 6 – What Else Might ETERNITY Contain?
We now come to some interesting questions. Do the following Scriptures pertain to things in ETERNITY? In John Chapter 14, Jesus states that He is going to prepare our abode/dwelling place/home in His Father’s House in the Third Heaven:
John 14:2-3 In My Father’s house {in the Third Heaven} there are many dwelling places (homes). If it were not so, I would have told you; for I am going away to prepare a place for you. 3 And when (if) I go and make ready a place for you, I will come back again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also. AMP
Are these original dwelling places in the Father’s house contained in the New Jerusalem which will be released from the Third Heaven at Jesus’ Second Coming? Are they ALL part and parcel in ETERNITY?
Revelation 3:11-12 I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one may rob you and deprive you of your crown. 12 He who overcomes (is victorious), I will make him a pillar in the sanctuary of My God; he shall never be put out of it or go out of it, and I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which descends from My God out of {the third} heaven, and My own new name. [Isa 62:2; Ezek 48:35.] AMP
Revelation 21:2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, all arrayed like a bride beautified and adorned for her husband; AMP
CHAPTER 7 – The Continuation of God’s Spiritual Characteristics Including Those That He Imputes to His Adopted Children.
There does not appear to be very much teaching in the Christian Church about the spiritual transformation that takes place in the life of every “sinner” when he/she is truly “Born Again/Born from Above” – when a sinner is converted to a true spiritual faith in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. What this study will seek to reveal is just what happens to each and every sinful person when he/she is spiritually “Born Again” also referred to “as a new creation in Christ.”
Romans 3:23 for all {of mankind} have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, NKJV
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any person is [ingrafted {by being spiritually Born Again} in {to the family of} Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new {spiritual} creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come! AMP
John 3:3-8 Jesus answered him, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that unless a person is born again (anew, from above), he cannot ever see (know, be acquainted with, and experience) the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus said to Him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter his mother’s womb again and be born? 5 Jesus answered, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, unless a man is born of water and [even] the Spirit, he cannot [ever] enter the kingdom of God. [Ezek 36:25-27.] 6 What is born of [from] the flesh is flesh [of the physical is physical]; and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not [do not be surprised, astonished] at My telling you, You must all be born anew (from above). 8 The wind blows (breathes) where it wills; and though you hear its sound, yet you neither know where it comes from nor where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. AMP
In PART I CHAPTER 4 – “The ETERNAL Spiritual Characteristics of the Godhead/Trinity,” we studied some of the spiritual traits of God to prove that the Triune God is ETERNAL, is living, has intellect, has character, power, a soul, etc.
Matthew 12:18 Behold, My Servant {Jesus Christ} Whom I have chosen, My Beloved in and with Whom My soul is well pleased and has found its delight. I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He shall proclaim and show forth justice to the nations. AMP
In this CHAPTER, God will impute {credit to your account in His Book of Life} to each newly adopted “Born Again” Child His own STANDARD/spiritual profile and His own DNA that separates us from our old sinful nature. When a sinner accepts Jesus Christ as their personal Savior – they are truly “Born Again,” Scripture states that he/she has a totally new spiritual nature/condition – {the old spiritual nature has passed on} the fresh and new spiritual nature/condition has come! There is no other “god,” religion, nor faith that corrects and cancels the sin nature of man as does one’s faith in Jesus Christ and His shed blood!!!
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new {spiritual condition} has come! AMP
The beginning of the list of God’s characteristics will reveal to you some of what God’s grace does to and for the redeemed sinner – he/she is restored to God’s original sinless “STANDARD” of Adam’s created nature using the DNA – Divine Nature of the Almighty God {2 Peter 1:4}. This STANDARD/spiritual profile is also the SAME sinless nature as Jesus Christ was born with. We will NEVER be God, but we do share in some of His spiritual characteristics as a new creation.
Following are some of God’s additional spiritual characteristics imputed to the “new creation.” They use plain numbers, but redeemed man’s new spiritual characteristics use the number with the letter a:
1)-God is without sin, is righteous, has goodness, and is holy:
2 Corinthians 5:21 For our sake He made Christ [virtually] to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become [endued with, viewed as being in, and examples of] the righteousness of God [what we ought to be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by His goodness]. AMP
Isaiah 5:16 But the Lord of hosts is exalted in justice, and God, the Holy One, shows Himself holy in righteousness and through righteous judgments. AMP
1a)-The “Born Again” Saint is also viewed by God as being without sin and righteous:
2 Corinthians 5:19-21 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. NIV
2)-God is holy and perfect:
Leviticus 19:2 Say to all the assembly of the Israelites, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. [1 Peter 1:15.] AMP
Matthew 5:48 You, therefore, must be perfect [growing into complete maturity of godliness in mind and character, having reached the proper height of virtue and integrity], as your heavenly Father is perfect. [Lev 19:2, 18.] AMP
2a)-The “redeemed” Saint is also viewed by God as being holy and perfect:
Hebrews 13:12 Therefore Jesus also suffered and died outside the [city’s] gate in order that He might purify and consecrate the people through [the shedding of] His own blood and set them apart as holy [for God]. AMP
Hebrews 12:23 And to the church (assembly) of the Firstborn who are registered [as citizens] in heaven, and to the God {the Son} Who is Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous (the redeemed in heaven) who have been made perfect. AMP
3)-God is pure:
Proverbs 30:5 Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. NKJV
3a)-The “adopted child” of God is also viewed by God as being pure:
1 John 3:2-3 Beloved, we are [even here and] now God’s children; it is not yet disclosed (made clear) what we shall be [hereafter], but we know that when He comes and is manifested, we shall [as God’s children] resemble and be like Him, for we shall see Him just as He [really] is. 3 And everyone who has this hope [resting] on Him cleanses (purifies) himself just as He is pure (chaste, undefiled, guiltless). AMP
4)-God is blessed:
Ephesians 1:3 May blessing (praise, laudation, and eulogy) be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) Who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual (given by the Holy Spirit) blessing in the heavenly realm! AMP
4a)-God’s “saved” child of God is also viewed by God as being blessed:
John 20:28-29 Thomas answered Him, My Lord and my God! 29 Jesus said to him, Because you have seen Me, Thomas, do you now believe (trust, have faith)? Blessed and happy and to be envied are those who have never seen Me and yet have believed and adhered to and trusted and relied on Me {as their Lord and God}. AMP
The following partaking of some of the Divine Nature of the Almighty God {DNA} is from the Fruit of the Spirit:
2 Peter 1:4 And by that same mighty power he has given us all the other rich and wonderful blessings he promised; for instance, the promise to save us from the lust and rottenness all around us, and to give us his own character. TLB
5)-God is love:
1 John 4:8 He who does not love has not become acquainted with God [does not and never did know Him], for God is love. AMP
5a)-A redeemed child of God MUST also love God and each other!:
Luke 10:27 And he replied, You must love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself. [Lev 19:18; Deut 6:5.]
6)-God has great joy:
Nehemiah 8:10 Then [Ezra] told them, Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet drink, and send portions to him for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. And be not grieved and depressed, for the joy of the Lord is your strength and stronghold. AMP
6a)-A redeemed child of God MUST have great joy in their life:
Jude 24-25 Now to Him Who is able to keep you without stumbling or slipping or falling, and to present [you] unblemished (blameless and faultless) before the presence of His glory in triumphant joy and exultation [with unspeakable, ecstatic delight] — 25 To the one only God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory (splendor), majesty, might and dominion, and power and authority, before all time and now and forever (unto all the ages of eternity). Amen (so be it). AMP
7)-God has great peace:
Philippians 4:7 And God’s peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. AMP
7a)-Redeemed man MUST have peace in their life:
Romans 8:6 Now the mind of the flesh [which is sense and reason without the Holy Spirit] is death [death that comprises all the miseries arising from sin, both here and hereafter]. But the mind of the [Holy] Spirit is life and [soul] peace [both now and forever]. AMP
John 16:33 I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.] AMP
8)-God’s patience is beyond our understanding:
1 Peter 3:20 [The souls of those] who long before in the days of Noah had been disobedient, when God’s patience waited during the building of the ark in which a few [people], actually eight in number, were saved through water. [Gen. 6-8.] AMP
8a)-Redeemed man MUST exhibit great patience towards others:
Ephesians 4:2 Living as becomes you] with complete lowliness of mind (humility) and meekness (unselfishness, gentleness, mildness), with patience, bearing with one another and making allowances because you love one another. AMP
9)-God’s kindness and goodness are limitless:
Ephesians 2:7 He did this that He might clearly demonstrate through the ages to come the immeasurable (limitless, surpassing) riches of His free grace (His unmerited favor) in [His] kindness and goodness of heart toward us in Christ Jesus. AMP
Matthew 19:17 And He said to him, Why do you ask Me about the perfectly and essentially good? There is only One Who is good [perfectly and essentially] — God. If you would enter into the Life, you must continually keep the commandments. AMP
9a)-Redeemed man MUST exhibit “kindness” towards all others:
Proverbs 19:22 Kindness makes a man attractive. And it is better to be poor than dishonest. TLB
9a)-Redeemed man MUST exhibit “goodness” towards all others:
1 Timothy 6:11 But as for you, O man of God, flee from all these things; aim at and pursue righteousness (right standing with God and true goodness), godliness (which is the loving fear of God and being Christ-like), faith, love, steadfastness (patience), and gentleness of heart. AMP
10)-God is truly faithful:
Numbers 23:19 God is not a man, that He should tell or act a lie, neither the son of man, that He should feel repentance or compunction [for what He has promised]. Has He said and shall He not do it? Or has He spoken and shall He not make it good? AMP
1 John 1:9 If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just (true to His own nature and promises) and will forgive our sins [dismiss our lawlessness] and [continuously] cleanse us from all unrighteousness [everything not in conformity to His will in purpose, thought, and action]. AMP
10a)-Redeemed man MUST be found faithful:
1 Corinthians 4:2 Moreover, it is [essentially] required of stewards that a man should be found faithful [proving himself worthy of trust]. AMP
11)-God has gentleness:
James 3:17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. NASB
Matthew 11:29-30 Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle (meek) and humble (lowly) in heart, and you will find rest (relief and ease and refreshment and recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls. [Jer 6:16.] 30 For My yoke is wholesome (useful, good — not harsh, hard, sharp, or pressing, but comfortable, gracious, and pleasant), and My burden is light and easy to be borne. AMP
11a)-Redeemed man MUST exercise “gentleness:”
Philippians 4:5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. NKJV
12)-God has self-control:
Exodus 33:5 For the Lord had said to Moses, Say to the Israelites, You are a stiff-necked people! If I should come among you for one moment, I would consume and destroy you. Now therefore [penitently] leave off your ornaments, that I may know what to do with you. AMP
Isaiah 48:11 For My own sake, for My own sake, I do it [I refrain and do not utterly destroy you]; for why should I permit My name to be polluted and profaned [which it would be if the Lord completely destroyed His chosen people]? And I will not give My glory to another [by permitting the worshipers of idols to triumph over you]. AMP
12a)-Redeemed man MUST exercise “self-control!”
1 Corinthians 10:13 For no temptation (no trial regarded as enticing to sin), [no matter how it comes or where it leads] has overtaken you and laid hold on you that is not common to man [that is, no temptation or trial has come to you that is beyond human resistance and that is not adjusted and adapted and belonging to human experience, and such as man can bear]. But God is faithful [to His Word and to His compassionate nature], and He [can be trusted] not to let you be tempted and tried and assayed beyond your ability and strength of resistance and power to endure, but with the temptation He will [always] also provide the way out (the means of escape to a landing place), that you may be capable and strong and powerful to bear up under it patiently. AMP
Again, each “new creation” partakes of the “Divine Nature” of the Almighty God thus having His spiritual DNA:
2 Peter 1:4 By means of these He has bestowed on us His precious and exceedingly great promises, so that through them you may escape [by flight] from the moral decay (rottenness and corruption) that is in the world because of covetousness (lust and greed), and become sharers (partakers) of the divine nature {of God}. AMP
Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, 23 Gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law [that can bring a charge]. AMP
Again, PLEASE remember YOU AS A SAINT NOR ANY PERSON will ever become God!!! But we do partake of His spiritual character!!!
2 Peter 1:4 And by that same mighty power he has given us all the other rich and wonderful blessings he promised; for instance, the promise to save us from the lust and rottenness all around us, and to give us his own character. TLB