As almost everybody knows, intellectual warfare has existed between Bible Creationists and Evolutionists since at least the mid-1800s, regarding the origin of all “matter”, with one side advocating “Biblical Creation by Almighty God” (Creation by design), and the other side advocating “spontaneous appearing” (arrival by accident from nothing)!
There are a number of important points to examine as far as logically possible in this effort; drawing from available information in the Bible; and in Science.
What is known regarding “matters” origin; and what purpose is served in the fact of its existence? (Isa. 45:18).
There is the distinct possibility/probability that part of the argument between the two factions is unnecessary, as in the opinion of the writers, Science and Creationists have at least one common factor, which many already accept; that God created all “matter”; initiated the “Big Bang” (if that theory is correct); and Created all life from Eden onwards; with the comment, "it was very good" (Gen. 1:31).
God does not mention previous Creation at that stage; but it is indicatively implicit in the accounts given in the Bible regarding Satan. (See below Links); and also in the KJV of Genesis 1:28 (“replenish the Earth”). The word in KJV should have been translated “fill”; as according to some comment the meaning changed to “fill” between AD1611 and the 1800s. However; many hold to the word “replenish” (i.e. renew or refill) as the actual meaning. However Interlinear shows the Strongs Number 4390, which can mean both, and many other definitions, depending on context! This therefore leaves the actual purposed meaning open to further Biblical information and direction.
In the Creation of Adam and Eve, a remarkable statement is made by Almighty God, which is the first time in Scripture: “Let us make man in Our image, after Our likeness”, (Gen. 1:26-27).
In the Companion Bible, Dr. Bullinger/Dr. Ginsburg comment on this remarkable statement: the Figure ‘Hendiadys’ (see App. 6), meaning ‘one thing, not two’; or; 2 words used, but one thing meant. Here the meaning is “the 2nd person” (Jesus the Christ “Elohim”) who had taken creature form in order to create (Col. 1:15, Heb. 1:3, Rev. 3:14 and compare Prov. 8:22-31 & 1Cor. 11:3-11).
This refers only to outward form, not to attributes.
So, He afterwards took human form in order to redeem (Jhn. 1:14; compare Rev. 4:11 & 5:9). "The image and likeness is physical not moral”.
What is being described here is Jehovah God, in His Great Power, taking “Elohim”, creature form for first the Creation purpose, and then human form for the Redeeming / Salvation purpose, (for Israel) and (His (Christ’s) Body); i.e. True Christ-ones! (This should not be surprising to people; as He is "Almighty"!
Also; which is not taught sufficiently; Satan’s demise and destruction!
For the first time recorded in the Bible, God created a living being in “image” to Himself, and those He spoke with! He also oversaw (with Adam), the Creation of other life (animals etc.), who were named by Adam, and over which Adam was to husband and control (Gen. 1:20-28); "and God saw everything He had made, and behold, it was very good" (Gen. 1:31); the first time God had stated such!
This statement clearly did not apply previously to any creature on planet Earth; which implies the opposite, to what we know of earlier life, evidenced by fossil remains and humanoid/type skeletal remains worldwide! (See below).
So; from Eden to the present time is approx... 6000 years, and this is an era (Age time) which is special as regards Earth’s inhabitants; and Almighty God! The fact of its small time span (i.e.: 6000 years, versus 5,000,000,000 approx. estimate by Science of Earth’s Age); brings to mind the Scripture Heb. 9:26: “but now once in the end of the world (Ages) hath He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself”! (in His Elohim human form)!
AV Translation correction "world" is the underlined, (IE. Ages instead of "world").
Sin in this context is to be understood as the eventual and final defeat of Satan and his rebellion in Ages past; (See: Satan's Origins;) and also importantly the defeat of sin in all humans of Satan’s influence from Eden onwards! This latter is the gift of God to all humans that will sincerely accept it! (I.e. Believe in Jesus the Christ).
For clarity, the following are the main contested issues between YECs (young Earth Creationists) and Evolutionists.
1) Creation by God of the world etc., 6000 years ago approx...
2) “Big Bang” from nothing.
3) “Big Bang” by Design of Almighty God.
4) What is the purpose of a habitable planet? (Isa. 45:18).
1)Creation by God of Earth etc., 6000 years ago.
As regards Creation by God (the God of the Bible), in the context of the Bible, it is Truth! The major problem is the many wrong interpretations of what is written in the Bible, and what it is actually saying!
Most of the teaching of Creation is/was stereotyped on the understanding that the age of the Earth is the same as the age of humankind from Adam, which in the opinion of the writers, and many others is not so! The Bible states absolutely in Genesis the first book of the Bible, that God Created the world, and all life from Eden onwards. In Revelation 4:11, the Creation fact is lauded by the Heavenly council of 24, who are praising that fact, and what is about to be brought to conclusion on Earth (yet future at this date; Aug. 2020) by Jehovah Zebaoth, (God of all Creation) in enactment of prophecy.
Well-meaning Christians have for generations taught and been taught that the Earth is approx. 6,000 years old; because working back through the data which the Bible provides of the life spans of its main characters from Adam up to Jesus the Christ, gives that time scale, together with the well-known dating since Jesus; with minor variation, due to Calendar changes.
The mistaken assumption that the two; (the time span of mankind since Eden and the age of the Earth) are identical, because of the apparent wording of Genesis; has led many sincere and intelligent people to discredit the Bible, by their dogged and dogmatic defence of that idea and teaching, against all attempts to discuss otherwise.
In mitigation, their task was made worse by the advent of the 'Evolution Theory', in the mid-1800s; which seemed to put 'Science' onto a higher footing than 'Religion'; and which Science and Governments conspire to maintain as “the truth”; even to the point of "holding back" discovery. Strange Relics Ignored by Science: (By Dr. J.R. Jochmans, Litt.D.).
The many fossil finds around the world since, and the very old dating's attributed, gave even more credence to Science, and in the minds of many people enhanced the standing of the new discoveries, and the theory of Evolution.
What is generally not known, is that prior to Darwin's and Alfred Russel Wallace's ideas, a few enlightened Bible teachers had for some time been postulating that the age of the Earth was probably much older than taught at the time, one such being Professor Thomas Chalmers, a Protestant Theologian, and Mathematician. His teaching was many years prior to Darwin; and therefore he was not trying to accommodate Darwin's and Wallace’s Ideas, but was moved by the wording of Genesis.
The whole issue took a back seat to some extent, due to the apparent new 'truth' of Evolution publications; and the new ideas took root to the extent that by the end of the 20th century many teaching institutions in the Western world will not teach 'Creationism' alongside Evolution! A famous Court case in the USA, (Dover) has reinforced that Official position for the USA!
The major disservice that some Christians are still perpetrating, albeit well meaning, that the Earth is only 6,000 years old; (called Young Earth Creationists, or YECs; see Dr. Henry M. Morris); onto the population of the world, undermines their witness to the saving Grace of God in Christ Jesus; as the now well-educated population see/perceive the probable fallacy of the statement, and assume that the Gospel of Salvation is therefore also just as false and foolish! Many now look to Science for “truth”, and Satan, with masterful timing, has now wrapped together Evolution and old Earth hypothesis; to give credence to the amounts of time needed for the theory of Evolution to take place!
Science, with justification, states that the Earth is approx. 4.5 to 5.5 billion years old. The Universe however is speculated to be approx.13.8 billion; which has been arrived at by “red spectrum measurement of the expansion of the Universe”. The above “time” calculation estimates; are based on earthbound human’s ‘perception’ of time; which is now very suspect due to the recent knowledge acquired, that the farther away from Earth a person is, the slower ‘time’ is! This brings into play the Scripture verses showing that one human day is to God as a thousand human years! (2Peter 3:8 & Psm. 90:4).
2)"Big Bang" from nothing.
Science has tried without success to replicate (and understand) how “matter” could be formed from absolutely nothing! There are many arguments past and present, which are open for examination, which have tried to present a solid theory regarding “matter”; but all at some stage have to admit that at its first stage, two very tiny particles, or their energy equivalents are needed to move on to larger objects. Science has never produced “matter” it has only manipulated what is already in existence.
Einstein; one of the greatest of thinkers produced his greatest understanding in e=mc2, which converts to nuclear fission at certain situations. His most profound comment was regarding particles; “but it can neither vanish nor be created from nothing”. As his work has therefore not been surpassed in the understanding of Particle Physics; it is safe to say that he is agreeing with the statement in Hebrews 11:3 regarding God’s Creative Act! Other ref. are: Gen. 1:1; Psm. 33:6; 90:2; John 1:3; Acts 14:15 & Romans 4:17.
As an aside; it is of interest to note that when Israel was granted Nation status by the UN in 1948, David Ben Gurion asked Dr. Einstein to become its first Prime Minister; which he declined! A notable comment by Einstein regarding Creation and the evident massive Universe: “When looking at the Universe, one is looking at a great library of Knowledge, all of which is subject to Laws; given by the Law Giver”! (Paraphrased).
3) “Big Bang” by Design of Almighty God.
Here we embrace the well-known and well published “Big Bang”; which, since the development of the Telescope by Galileo; and particularly the later Hubble Space developments, have opened up the Universe like never before. Not only has the superior quality of observation been allowed, but also the sheer size of the expanding Universe has now started to be realised; which shows that our own “Milky Way” Galaxy is only one of many millions such Galaxy’s; which in the concept of God Almighty must have meaning, and relevance to God’s plans for the future!
In that context, we have to remind ourselves that the Risen Christ Jesus was able to appear and disappear at will; and also walk through walls and closed doors; as would be expected of such a Supernatural Entity; who had just risen from the dead! John 20:19; 20:26-27; Luke 24:36; 24:31 & 1John 3:2.
4)What is the purpose of planet Earth?
Starting at the beginning of the Bible, and reading Gen. 1:1 (KJV Companion Bible) we see:
"In the beginning God (Heb. Elohim) created The Heaven/s (the Hebrew word is always plural) and the Earth".
Gen. 1:2 states:
"And the Earth was (became) without form, (waste) and void; and darkness was (became) on the face of the deep".
So the corrected text (to the Hebrew) reads:
"And the Earth became without form, and waste; and darkness came on the face of the deep".
Clearly something evidently happened after Gen. 1:1, and was between that and Gen. 1:2!
The fact seems to be that God Himself ended whatever was in that time period between the two verses. The following extract is from www.revelationsmessage.co.uk (Revelation 13:8).
V.8 And all that dwell upon the Earth shall (a)worship him (the Beast) every one whose name is not written in the (b)Book of the Life of the Lamb slain, from the foundation of the world.
(b) "Book of the Life of the Lamb slain, from the foundation of the world". The word "foundation" in Greek is "Katabole", which means "overthrow". This seems to have occurred at some stage between Gen. 1:1, and Gen. 1:2. No information is given as to the reason, but is implicit in Almighty God's Plan of Redemption in Christ, as the Lamb's Book of Life started after that event! Much clarity is given by Paul and Peter regarding this juncture point. It is clear from Eph. 1:4, and 1Peter 1:20 that some people are "known", before the "overthrow", some after. Only Christ and His Body as shown in Eph. 1:4 and 1Peter 1:20 are "known" before the overthrow (foundation).
Those after are the Jew, and other groups, i.e. perhaps Christendom (religious but not of the Body of Christ), Overcomers of Revelation, and of all who must eventually stand before the Great White Throne for Judgement. Here those after are referred to.
Those before are in the opinion of the writers no longer on Earth as mentioned earlier, (see Chp. 8:1(a), last para.).
Some opinions are that The Lamb's Book of Life started before the overthrow/foundation, which however is not the writers view, as that does not concur with Scripture's statements, (see ref. Rev. 3:5(c)). What is clear is that The Lamb's Blood is retrospective from the overthrow/foundation, and that there are two groupings, those known before and those after.
There are a number of other very strong clues to this hypothesis. The basic idea is that of "ruin", brought about by "an Enemy"! (See: 'An Enemy hath done this' ). In 2Peter 3:5-7, a description is given of a desolate world which almost everybody thinks is the post Noah Flood situation. That is most quite probably not the case. Verse 7 states; "But the Heavens and the Earth which are now". This clearly does not refer to the world between Gen.1-2, as "now" the Heavenly bodies are still intact for their purpose of "light" (which is Gen.1-3, after the gap between Gen. 1:1 & 1:2)
The post Noah Flood, (approx. 1000 years after Eden) enabled a "replenishment" of the Earth with non-Nephilim bloodstock, see: Nephilim, who were they, and why? of which only Noah's family was exempt from the annihilation, and were able to do, see Gen. 7:1. The reason for the Flood of Noah, is described in Gen. 6, and is a possibly strong clue as to the ending of the previous world of Gen. 1:1. (See: Ark of Noah ); when considering the destructive purpose of Satan graciously allowed by Almighty God, see: "Satan's Motivation: " and which will not end until the end of this present “Age time” (Dispensation) (currently Aug. 2020); and just prior to the ‘Millennial Age’, (Kingdom of God on Earth for 1000 years).
Further clues as briefly shown above are the mistranslation of critical words, right at the beginning of the Bible, which serve the purpose of our great Enemy Satan, (not forgetting that he had/has the audacity and freedom to even try to use Scripture against the Lord of Glory Himself after His Baptism by John, see: Luke 4:1-13 & Matt. 4:1-11).
The first word is in Gen.1:2, "was", correctly translated is became. The word "was" implies a state that God had Created, instead of becoming that way for a reason! Became also shows past tense, which in the probable error of the translators is not shown!
The next error is "without form", corrected to waste, which when put together with the rest of the verse shows that "the Earth became waste and dark" (at some stage in the duration of that existence); and clearly at the volition of Almighty God; and for good reason, as hinted above in Gen. 6; and discussed below.
We know now, due to relatively recent discoveries, that many creatures, both manlike, and great and small creatures have existed in that Ancient past. Some seem to be monsters of great size and weird construction. Others in the form of man, but not the same! All are old, some very old, but manlike creatures seem to range in age from 20-30,000 years to millions of years, if the accounts on record are correct; see Google listing, (which also lists the Smithsonian Institute of the USA, as attempting to destroy these evidences so as to strengthen the ‘Evolution’ theory)!
The Smithsonian Institute was subject to a US Supreme Court action in 2014, that ruled in 2015 that documentation of the destruction of thousands of Ancient humanoid giant skeletal remains in the 1800s be “declassified”! The destructive actions were “apparently” taken, to not conflict with the new Evolution "Theory" of Charles Darwin, and others. The age of the remains is so destructive of Darwin’s theory embodied in his book “Origins of Species”, that Governments and Scientific Authorities conspire to “Deny and Destroy” the conflicting evident at the time. They have since denied their destructive actions; but are now not believed by the world’s educated populous. Their actions and denials are made worse by the many further finds of very Ancient giant humanoid fossils on all Continents, including recently Australia!
Gen. 1:9-10 shows the world at apparently the "Gondwana and Pangea" stage, and was first commented on by Antonio Snider in AD 1859. Also Science now accepts that 'Continental Drift' was initially at a much faster rate than presently recorded (1"-3"/ year); and initially was probably at "a man's slow walking pace". It is estimated that 'Drift' started approx. between 500 - 180 million years ago, and that fossil remains are similar world-wide on all Continents, due to easy access to land travel prior to the drift of the Continents!
Dr. Bullinger comments regarding the gap between Gen.1:1 and Gen.1:2; “the world that then was” (2Peter 3:5-6): “Creation in eternity past, to which all Fossils and 'Remains' belong”.
It is however the opinion of the writers at the present time, that the “remains” in point, are from a “fallen” beyond redemption Creation; which was spoiled into the grotesque forms seen in fossils, as Satan tried to emulate God, as part of his challenge from his fall. Whatever the truth, the fact is that these large and tiny creatures were instrumental in the production of Hydrocarbons, which are so essential to our present use on Earth and may well be partly the reason or excuse for the future actions against Israel! (See: Satan's Contest with God and Satan's Demise!).
Apparently DNA samples have been collected (within the 63,000 year radiocarbon limit) which shows that there is no similarity in these creatures to so called "modern man". (This term is used by Science to describe humankind, when they want to differentiate between us and fossils of manlike creatures)! The apparent fact of DNA dissimilarity does not stop the headlong rush to try to link Ancient remains with modern man; and to "prove" the idea of Evolution, even though before he died; Darwin professed his trust in Christ; (according to Lady Hope), and, many have said his Thesis on Adaption is valid, but he had "projected theoretically too far", into an unproven idea called 'Evolution'!
We are now at the stage of asking why Almighty God destroyed these previous creatures.
The answer is only deduced from His Word to us.
We know from His Word that God is love! We know therefore that He will not act in any way out of that context! The following is taken from earlier work, to avoid repetition:
Revelation Chapter 12
V.12 Therefore (a)rejoice ye Heavens, and ye that dwell in them. (b)Woe to the ones dwelling on the Earth, and in the sea, because the devil is come down to you having (c)great anger, knowing he has only a little time.
(a) The inhabitants of Heaven, exhorted to rejoice. Clearly Satan had for many Ages caused great trouble, strife, conflict and much turmoil, beyond our ability to understand, whilst allowed to retain a "place", in Heaven. It is also clear that his success persuaded one third of all angels to follow him. His presence is a constant source of pernicious, ongoing divisive action in Heaven. Even though Heaven's Creation knows who their Creator is, Satan still has much success in converting angelic Creation to his side. One of the many major differences between mankind and angels, is humans will deny the existence of God Almighty, and also Satan. It is implicit that one element is common to both Earthly and Heavenly Creation, free-will! It is therefore easy to understand that Heavenly Creation rejoices at the expulsion of such an adversary, after so long in their midst, and also in the knowledge that Satan's efforts will be short on Earth. The question often asked by many over the years, is how could Almighty God allow Satan to exist after such rebellion, and even to be in His presence, to have place in Heaven; and patrol Earth (Job 1 and 2)? The answer undoubtedly lies in The Perfect Plan of Redemption, that only God could conceive, wherein the Perfect Love of God would allow Satan to perform to his vile worst in Heaven as well as Earth after the overthrow, all of which is observed by Heavenly Creation (Eph. 3:10). Some argue that such a protracted process is wasteful, painful, and suffers great loss of life and environment. That is to miss the main point. It is of course easily possible for Almighty God to eliminate Satan. To do so however prematurely would not allow Creation to see the depth of sin that Satan will eventually stoop to. Conversely, the Almighty will be seen by all Creation to take the burden and result on Himself, in the form of Christ Jesus Elohim (Col. 1:20). It is thereafter the response to Christ's death and suffering (in the place of all humankind), which is the key to all individual's eternal destiny, on Earth and also in Heaven, in this Age, and Eternity!
The main thrust for Satan's pernicious attention had been Heaven's occupants and the tribes of Israel. Abraham was chosen by God! He was called "the friend of God", Ex. 33:11, 2Chr. 20:7, Isa. 41:8 & Jms. 2:23, because his heart was against the idolatry of his father, and the Nation Ur, which derived from Babylon! After Paul's declaration (Acts 28:25-28), all the world's Nations became the subject of Satan’s attention; which showed in the Wisdom of Jehovah Zebaoth, that the failure of Satan at The Cross and the failure of Israel to accept Christ (Acts 28:26), increased the eventual harvest for Christ / Jehovah. Most people on Earth are fixated with their flesh life, which is natural enough. However, God has ordained that they are not content, and can only find rest, peace and understanding in Him, albeit in simple sincere trust, which most people find hard to give unless they sincerely encounter Christ, personally. Because all the efforts of Satan are eventually self-defeating, and will be seen as such by Heavenly and Earthly Creation, the Almighty in Christ will vanquish Satan, but not until Heaven and Earth have been reminded that Satan stands for deceit, destruction, suffering, and death, (see:Rev.20: 7-11) as opposed to the Love, Peace, Justice and Righteousness of Jehovah/Christ.
After that reminder, Satan and his followers will be consigned to doom (Rev. 20:10). All that remains for individuals at the present time (i.e. this Age) is to trust in God's work, in Christ Jesus. The timing of the above is in the hands of the Father only (Matt. 24:36), and His timing is perfect (Matt. 5:48). The perfect timing of God the Father means that Satan is defeated by perfect Love (a concept totally alien to mankind); which means that Satan is defeated by Love, which is God (1John 4:8-16)!
Had Satan been destroyed at the time of his rebellion, none of the above could have come into play, and such action by the Almighty would have been seen by Creation as dictatorial, and His plan of Love could not unfold to fruition. As the plan now unfolds, God will indeed be seen as Ultimate Love.
We know that Satan had rebelled against God, after being appointed the "Covering Cherub"; (Ezek. 28:12-15) over God's Creation as was then. It is his wish to be "as God"; (Isaiah 14:12-14).
The translation in KJV again errs, as 28:14 should read "thou wast", not "thou art". The reference here, (according to Dr. Bullinger / Dr. Ginsburg) is to his appointment over the "Creation that then was".
A further factor against “Evolution” is the well-known fact of major catastrophe every 30-50,000 years; which kills all life on the planet!
The basic thesis of the theory by Darwin and his rival Wallace, is that all life on Earth has developed to the present stage, by a very slow process from extremely primitive forms in a primordial soup, and that this process is continuous and in the main improvement, in the sense of betterment in each stage. The time periods involved are reckoned in the multi- millions of years, and the requirement is that the environment is conducive (magnanimous) to that slow process. At the time of the publication of Darwin’s and Wallace’s theories, little or nothing was known of the facts regarding the frequent catastrophes that overtake planet Earth. (See: Immanuel Velikovsky : (Russian Scientist), “Worlds in Collision”, “World in Upheaval”, “Ages in Chaos”).
Velikovsky, who died in 1979, was an accredited Jewish Russian Scientist, who because of his radical thinking was side-lined by the mainstream of his day. He was however taken seriously by Albert Einstein and the two maintained links for many years before Einstein’s death. His work has however been recently re-appraised by Governments worldwide, due to the growing awareness of the planetary and asteroid effect periodically on planet Earth; and the renewed thinking and research on gravity.
In the basic thesis of Velikovsky, planet Earth is subjected to extreme, even catastrophic events every 30,000 to 50,000 years, some of which end all life on Earth, and reverse the Poles, with dire consequences! This of course is in conflict with Evolution's “steady state” requirement, as clearly Evolution, even if the thesis was viable, requires huge time spans of millions of years to develop to “intelligent life forms”, leaving aside the missing “spark of life" which Darwin stated, "must have been given by God initially" (paraphrased).
So, the pet theory of current “respectable Science” has been dealt a serious blow! The response has been to try to ignore such data as is available (see below), and to argue strongly for the “accepted solution” for life on Earth, i.e. Evolution, and to not take seriously the “Creation myth”!
This approach by established “Science”, has retarded research into many significant discoveries; see: Old relics ignored by Science: (By Dr. J.R. Jochmans, Litt. D.); DNA, the tiny code that is toppling Evolution (By Mario Sieglie); "Big Bang" Maths (By Professor Paul Davies).
In reality, Scientists are quite sharply divided between Evolution and Creation, Scientists refute Darwin (Discovery Institute Press Release). Depending on which source of information is read, up to 50% of Scientists believe in Creation, if only secretly for fear of losing their livelihood; but other surveys show only much smaller figures. Whatever the truth as regards the percentages, it is not the point; what is the point is that life cannot exist without the intervention of 'The Life Source', Almighty God!
No matter how many “soups” are replicated in the laboratory, the “spark" of life cannot be struck! This leaves the “Atheists” and “Agnostics” with a problem, which as usual in the “human condition” is dealt with in a devious way. The current methodology is to “deny and deride” anything which could remove the credibility of the Darwinian theory, and to shout long and loud, on the principle that in the world as it is, those who shout the loudest and longest, or who hold the reins of power, will win! It is remarkable how loud the Atheists scream, when a contrary view is broached! See: Age of the Earth Controversy:
How then does this situation fit together with the Biblical Genesis account?
There is clearly conflict between Almighty God, and His most magnificent Creation, Satan. (See link below).
Scripture says that Satan was the most magnificent being that God created. The word Satan is Hebrew, and means “an adversary, an enemy, an accuser”. He has other names which are related to Greek, and his role in events yet to be. Note that he is a “created” being, not “begotten”, as only Jesus The Christ has that designation! Before Satan became the “adversary”, his name was “Lucifer”, which means “Morning star”, and his fall from favour is described in Isaiah 14:12-15.
There is much confusion and myth regarding Satan, starting in the Garden of Eden. He is there in Gen. 3:1, called a “serpent”, from the Hebrew “nachash”, which means “to hiss, mutter, whisper, etc.”, which has been translated subsequently as “serpent”. An allied Chaldean word means “bright”, which chimes with other Scriptural comment describing Satan as having a “glorious appearance”. In Isaiah 6:2-6, the Hebrew word “seraph” is used to describe “Heavenly beings” as “burning bright, and elevated”. In Numbers 21:8, “saraph” is “fiery serpent”. The words seraph and nachash are both used in Scripture to describe a serpent and a glorious spirit being. In 2Cor. 11:3, Paul fears for the Corinthians, that they will be beguiled as were Adam and Eve, and refers to the appearance of Satan on that occasion in 2Cor. 11:14!!
So, when Satan beguiled Eve, he was magnificent to behold, as he said "surely thou wilt not die", Gen. 3:4, and he has been saying it ever since, with the consequence that many humans will listen to him, and will go to their destruction! They will listen to Satan, even though they know the difference between good and evil!
In Summary of this brief description; Satan was the most magnificent and beautiful of God’s created creatures. He became enchanted by his own beauty and power, and coveted God’s position Ezek. 28. He was cast from favour, Isaiah 14:12. His name was changed after his rebellion to Satan, and he is allowed to try to stop trust and faith in God on Earth, (Job). This process is still under way, and will not end until the events described in Rev. 20:2.
Satan’s rebellion was clearly very long ago; and, in the opinion of the writers and others, possibly / probably prior to the Creation of the Universe and all the Galaxies.
Scripture is clear that “God is Spirit” (John 4:24) “and they that worship/relate with Him must do so in spirit and in truth”.
This statement is the very core of the matter now current on the Earth; and has been in play since before the physical universe! Satan and a third of all angels (see: Angels and Demons!) have rebelled against God, who wanted to relate to His Creation in a manner of sincere love! This is clearly shown by His statements with His chosen grouping Israel, which started with His calling to Abram; who He regarded "as a friend"; (Isa. 41:8 & James 2:23).
What steps has God taken to move towards His goal of finding a people who by their own will, wish to relate to Him in truth, and also to deal with “the Mystery of Iniquity”, (2Thess 2:7)?
Satan was free in Eden to tempt Eve and Adam into the state of loss of relationship with God; by their free-will. So that they joined Satan in rebellion against God; who was there by his free-will! See: Eve and Adam.
When Eve and Adam failed and fell in Eden, God immediately initiated a way out of the imposition of death, by His prophecy and promise in Gen. 3:15!
Speaking to Satan, who had tempted successfully Eve followed by Adam; God stated: “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; It (Christ Jesus) shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise His heel”.
Satan then knew that he had to try to thwart “the seed of the woman” from progressing to the stage where it would be a danger to him, so in the following approx. 1000 years, he persuaded many angels to “leave their first estate” (Jude 6); and to sully the seed of Eve, and produce many creatures called “Nephilim” for that purpose: see: Nephilim; & Nephilim, who were they, and why?
As Genesis 6 to 9 shows, only Noah and his family were saved from the flood of God, in the Ark he had built, by God’s instructions. They were saved to continue Eve’s bloodline (seed), because they had not been polluted by Nephilim seed (Gen. 7:1 & 6:9).
In faith Noah built the Ark (Heb. 11:7), in faith his family followed him and his instructions (“by their free-will”)! See: Ark of Noah .
Following the flood, Noah’s family grew and spread; some good; some bad. Shem Noah’s son, approx. 400 years later in his line produced Abram (later called Abraham, meaning “father of many Nations”), who “listened” to God (Gen. 12:1), and God chose him because of his “faith” (“by his free-will”) to begin the continuation of the “seed of the woman” (Eve) (Gen. 3:15); which in the line of the miracle son Isaac, started what was to become the Nation of Israel!
Again, through the growth of the 12 tribes of Jacob (Israel); God’s purpose became apparent when He called Moses to strive with Pharaoh, to release His people from bondage in Egypt; “so that they may serve Me” (Ex. 8:1; 9:1 & 9:13). That service was to be as witness to the whole land and tribes as to the "One True God"; in opposition to the profane idolatry prevalent then and now; and to carry and preserve the seed of Eve! See: Satan's Contest with God.
After their release from Egypt, the Jewish people were forced to wander the Sinai desert, because of their lack of faith and rebellion for 40 years, during which time Moses died, and Joshua (Greek, Jesus) took over their leadership. Under him, they entered the “Promised Land” and they successfully fought pagan Nephilim tribes; with help from God, eventually having for the first time a king (Saul); even though God had wanted them to only adhere to Him “in spirit and in truth”!
King David, the successor to Saul, ruled quite well until his later years; and despite his mistakes and sinning, God stated that “he is a man after My own heart” (1Sam. 13:14; Psm. 89:20 & Acts 13:22).
The Monarchy passed on to David’s son by Bathsheba, Solomon, but who, after a promising start became somewhat decadent; and at his death the Kingdom divided under Jeroboam and Rehoboam; and the “golden age” descended further into Godless attitude and behaviour; even to the point of blocking the Temple access for worship of Jehovah! (2Chron. 28:24).
This decline of National Israel into Godless and treacherous behaviour (they were not honouring their word given to God repeatedly to be faithful to Him; see Deuteronomy etc.); led to God leaving them, symbolised by His Glorious Presence leaving the Temple in Jerusalem (Ezek. 10:18) in approx. BC. 483; and He has never since occupied subsequent Temples; and will not until the Temple of Ezekiel 43!
They then in two waves, were captured by Nebuchadnezzar, and taken to Babylon and Assyria, where their bondage and exile lasted for 70 years, as had been prophesied by Jeremiah (Jer. 25:11). Their return to Jerusalem and their land under Ezra and Nehemiah, by the diligence of these two leaders and the new determination of the returnees, gave the Jewish people a new start, and they reaffirmed their pledge to Jehovah God.
In the following years, up to the first Advent of Jesus, the Scriptures (Torah) were debated and interpreted by three main groups, the Essenes, the Sadducees, and the Pharisees. The most dominant of these three turned out to be the Pharisees, who by the time of Jesus were controlling most of the lives of the Jewish people. See: Dr. David Ginsburg: Hebrew Scholar, Jewish Academic,
As is well known from the New Testament, Jesus, John the Baptist and later the Apostle Paul, were all engaged in attempting to show the Pharisees in particular, the errors of their teachings; which led eventually to the collusion between the Pharisees and the Roman rulers in the demise and execution of Jesus in particular; but also to John and Paul for their teachings on Jesus.
The Pharisees retained their power, even after the sacking of Jerusalem and the diaspora beginning; and has in the present day morphed into “Orthodox Judaism”. See: Jewish Scriptures:
The Apostle Paul, and other of Jesus’ Disciples, continued working for approx. 30 more years (see links below) after Jesus’ death, until the final Synagogue in Rome rejected the message of Christ Jesus (Acts 28), and by Acts 28:25-28 Paul declared an Administration (Dispensation); in which the Gentiles were to be the first priority of God (with the responsibility to carry the truth of God’s Word to the world); and the Jewish Nation became “Lo-Ammi” (not My people), for as a yet unknown period of time; and at Aug. 2020 is still the case!
At the same moment in time as the Acts 28:25-28 statement by Paul; the Gift of healing bestowed on to the Apostles in Acts 2:1-13; together with other Gifts; ceased; and the continuation of the Joel prophesied Holy Spirit Powers are in abeyance until Israel are again "Ammi" (My people)! Paul had no choice but to leave Trophimus sick, at a later date. (2Tim. 4:20)
However; as they celebrate their 70th anniversary as a renewed Nation on the 14th May 2018; their “Lo-Ammi" status may soon end! Biblical 7 and 70 Significance
That time period is called the "times of the Gentiles" Luke 21:24) which is still in play; after which the Jewish Nation will be readopted as “Ammi” (My people). See: Apostle Paul: Apostle Paul's Accusers & The Body of Christ and the Bride of Christ:
The Books of Malachi, Kings; Chronicles and Ezek etc., describe the massive failings of Israel, regarding its lack of fidelity to their Jehovah God; and the book of Moses, Deuteronomy 28 records the blessings for fidelity, and punishments, if Israel reneged on its oaths and promises to God.
The position since Acts 28:28 (approx. AD 62), is that the Word of God in Christ, has been sent to the Gentile Nations of the world (the time of the Gentiles, Luke 21:24) mentioned above, which is the current position (Aug. 2020). The majority of especially the established Churches are not zealous in this task, and have corrupted their teachings on many important issues over time, and particularly recently; which negates Bible Truth; (The Word of God), and have reached a stage similar to the Jewish decline before the First Advent of Jesus, which is a strong sign that this Age may be ending soon. Another major element indicating this Age may soon close; when taking the mid-East situation into account; and when considering the fact that Israel has been a temporal Nation again for 70 years in May 2018; is the fact of the significance of the number 70 in Scripture. (See: above Link).
The Jewish Diaspora started in AD 70 (70 years after the birth of Jesus), and is still in place. The tiny Nation called Israel at present is that granted by the UN (League of Nations) in 1948; but we know from Scripture prophecy that most, if not all Jews will eventually live in their own land; but not until they are “called” by their Messiah to the Land Promised to Abraham: (Isa. 11:12, Jer. 23:3, Ezek. 34:13 & Deut. 4:27-28), see: The Promised Land.
So; the question was asked at the beginning of this section:
What steps has God taken to move towards His goal of finding a people who by their own will, wish to relate to Him in truth, and also to deal with “the Mystery of Iniquity”, (2Thess 2:7)?
The answer is that He has provided Himself in Christ Jesus; as the substitute recompense for ALL sin and sinning; including the defeat and demise of Satan which allows the whole problem, starting with Satan’s rebellion in Ages past; and all aberrant Creation; and all the faults and sinning of Israel; and currently all the sins of all the world's peoples to be as nothing; for those that in their free-will turn in gratitude to HIM!
In Summary:
Only “the Begotten Son” could undo what was instigated by Satan in Eden; and bring to nothing Satan’s rebellion against God, and bring Satan to his eventual doom, after the "Millennial Reign" of Christ Jesus; Rev. 20!
Only “the Begotten Son” can give life eternal to any person who asks Him for it!
Only “the Begotten Son” can raise the dead person to life; as there is no “eternal soul” as many religions teach! (See: Soul and Spirit, The Error:).
Only “the Begotton Son” could, (as the “seed of the woman); take on Satan, (the god of this world 2Cor. 4:4 presently), which is Satan’s sphere of operation at present (Job 2:2). Only He (Christ Jesus) could be tempted and taunted by Satan (Matt. 4:1-11) and emerge sinless! Only He could be the “Substitute” for sin (1Peter 2:24 & 3:18); and deal with the “Mystery of Iniquity” (2Thess. 2:7); and, that had to take place in Satan’s domain, planet Earth (Isa. 45:18). When these elements have been dealt with, the Earth will be renewed (Rev. 21)!
Only He has been given the “authority” and power to raise dead people to life (Matt. 28:18 & Dan. 7:13-14)!
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