"The Earth was without Form, and Void..."

     The very first verse in the Bible states the earth was created in the beginning.  The second verse states that the earth was without form and void, and ‘darkness was on the face of the deep’.

     The Hebrew word for ‘darkness’ as used in the present context is choshekh which means figuratively blindness or to be obscure.  For example:

     “In that day…the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness.”  Isaiah 29:18

  In God’s perfect ageless plan, for those whom He was soon to create in His own image, He was preparing to implement that matchless plan.

     “…And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”  Genesis 1:2b

     The Hebrew for ‘Spirit’ is wind and the same Hebrew word is used in the following:

     “…And God made a wind to pass over the earth…”  Genesis 8:1b

     And so it was, God visited the desolate earth.

     “Then God said, ‘Let there be light’, and there was light.”  Genesis 1:3

     The term ‘light’ in the present context is from the Hebrew or meaning illumination or enlightenment.  Light is also associated with life, wisdom, and justice.  The Hebrew meaning of light in the present context also represents God’s glory.

     If the preparation of the earth for man began with God providing light, why then, was the solar and lunar systems required?

     “Then God said, ‘Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years…and let them give light on the earth…’  Genesis 1:14-15

     The Hebrew base for ‘light’ in the above verse is maor meaning a luminous body or a lamp.

     One’s first thought when noting the word ‘seasons’ in the above might be the four seasons experienced by the earth being tilted on its axis 23.5 degrees as it makes its annual journey around the sun.

     However, a more specific meaning is revealed from the Hebrew moedh which means festive gathering, appointment, or signal.  It was to signal the timing of the subsequent Jewish feast days.

     The Hebrew for ‘days’ in Genesis 1:14 means time, either between two points on the linear time span or a specific point of time on that span.  The Hebrew word for ‘years’ means a revolution of time, or to return, and/or repeat.   Such describes the earth’s annual journey around the sun which defines a year.

     It will be illustrated in future columns that the concept of time would be necessary to appreciate the grandeur of God’s word as He lays out history in advance and ascribes specific measures of time to future events.

     After God prepared the earth to sustain life, i.e. land, sea, and sky, He created Adam.

     “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image... let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’  So God created man in His own image… male and female He created them.  Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it…’”  Genesis 1:26-28a

     After God created man and every provision to sustain him, He was very satisfied and approved all He had done.

     “Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good.”  Genesis 1:31a

     Man created in the image of God is the highest of God’s creations.  God’s plan for man, which He devised countless years before He brought it into being, had now begun. 

     The subsequent journey would be endless and the result will be as originally intended, i.e. to fulfill God’s purpose.  The journey will prove man’s ineptness without his Creator and simultaneously reveal God’s holiness, righteousness, justice, longsuffering, and love.

     It will take millennia for man to come to the realization that he can’t do it on his own, if in fact he ever realizes it.  Those that accept man’s impotence and those that don’t, define the two categories of all mankind.

    

His Truth is marching on!

     During the recent celebration of Independence Day, many patriotic songs were sung with great exuberance.  One of the most popular was the Battle Hymn of the Republic.  The words of this powerful song link the historical American Civil War with the great war of the future.

     “Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;

       He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;

       He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword:

       His truth is marching on.”

     The Biblical background for this great song is found throughout the scriptures ending in the Book of Revelation.  References are found as far back as the 9^th century BC.

     One of the great truths of the Bible is that Christ will return to earth and judge the nations, in addition to Israel.

     “Come near, your nations, to hear; and heed, you people! ...For the indignation of the LORD is against all nations…The sword of the LORD is filled with blood…For it is the day of the LORD’s vengeance…”  Isaiah 34:1, 2, 6, 8

     The above passage confirms that Christ will, on the appointed day, return to earth and deal with the nations.  The term ‘indignation’ signifies the righteous anger of Jehovah.  Isaiah then tells that the LORD will return with a sword that will be filled with blood.  The term ‘vengeance’ means revenge, retaliation, and/or punishment.  Vengeance belongs solely to God.  And then note God’s indignation is against all nations.

     Isaiah subsequently reaffirms his message in more detail.

     “Why is Your apparel red, and Your garments like one who treads in the winepress?  ‘I have trodden the winepress alone…for I have trodden them in My anger, and trampled them in My fury; their blood is sprinkled upon My garments, and I have stained all My robes.  For the day of vengeance is in My heart…’”  Isaiah 63:2-4

     Isaiah again speaks of the LORD’s anger in the day of vengeance.  Notice that he also speaks of the LORD’s garments sprinkled with blood and likens that with the results of one who treads in the winepress.

     Even several centuries before Isaiah, the Prophet Joel spoke of the same future events using similar descriptive language.

     “Let the nations be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations.  Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe…for the winepress is full, the vats overflow – for their wickedness is great.”  Joel 3:12-13

     Joel used the metaphor of reaping with a sickle.  The sickle was used when the crop was ready for harvest.  He also used metaphoric language of the fullness of the winepress meaning the height of the nations’ wickedness.

     Joel wrote nearly three millennia ago.  The words of Isaiah and Joel are summarized by the Apostle John as he wrote of future events which gave birth to the words of the Battle Hymn of the Republic.

     “And another angel…cried... ‘Thrust in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe.’  So the angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth, and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.  And the winepress was trampled outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress…”  Revelation 14:18-20

     John then confirmed the words of Isaiah and Joel.  The returning King would judge the nations resulting in an extremely bloody war.  The power of His sword is His spoken word.  Christ personally will execute God’s righteous judgment on the nations and then will rule them with a rod of iron.

     “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse.  And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war…He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood…Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations…He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.”  Revelation 19:11, 13, 15

     Glory, Glory, Hallelujah!  His truth is marching on!

     America, prepare to meet your God!

God's Chosen and His Registry

     It has been determined that God’s plan for His chosen was devised before the foundation of the world, or long before He breathed life into Adam.  In fact those creation activities beginning with Genesis 1:2 were the beginning of the implementation of His eternal plan for man.

     Many shun the concept of predestination.  They feel that everyone has complete freedom to choose their future.  Both positions are true, i.e. predestination and free choice are entirely compatible.

     The Bible reveals that not only was God’s plan for man devised from the foundation of the world, so were the participants of His plan.  Note the past tense of the verb, i.e. were.

     “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who…chose us in Him before the foundation of the world…”  Ephesians 1:3-4a

     This verse introduces the participants in His plan.  Following are more details about the plan itself.

     “…that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will…”  Ephesians 1:4b-5

     God’s plan for His chosen was to adopt them as sons by the sacrifice of Christ, and the reason was solely because He desired to do so.

     Paul goes on to confirm God’s purpose for His elect.

     “In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who worked all things according to the counsel of His will.”  Ephesians 1:11

     The Greek base for ‘predestine’ is to determine or decree beforehand.  Then when writing to the Christians in Rome Paul tells of both the eternal plan as well as the eternal participants.

     “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son…Moreover whom He predestined, these He also…justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.”  Romans 8:29-30

     Note again the past tense of the verbs foreknew, predestined, justified, and glorified.  According to God’s master plan, we are between justified and glorified, and since ‘glorified’ is in the past tense; there is no way to prevent that event from becoming reality.

     God’s overall purpose is for His chosen ones to be conformed to the image of His Son.

     The term ‘foreknew’ in the above context means ‘foreordained’.  In other words it defines those events that God deliberately ordained in eternity past for His purpose which will last through eternity future.

     In eternity past prior to the creation activities beginning in Genesis 1:2 God recorded the names of His chosen in a registry.

     The registry of God’s chosen participants is called the Book of Life.

     The Bible states specifically that the Book of Life was prepared before time began.

     When the anti-Christ makes his appearance during the tribulation period great power will be given to him to perform God’s will.  All people from all nations whose names were not recorded in the Book of Life will bow down and worship him.

     “All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”  Revelation 13:8

     This powerful verse confirms that not only was the Book of Life filled at the foundation of the world, but the slaying of the Lamb of God was also foreordained from the foundation of the world.

     The reality is, however, that not everyone is named in the Book of Life.  Recall Jesus’ teaching relative to the saved.

     “…wide is the gate…that leads to destruction…narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”  Matthew 7:13-14

     Those whose names are not in the Book will stand before God at the great white throne.

     “And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened…And the dead were judged according to their works...”  Revelation 20:12

     Those not recorded in the Book of Life had rejected God’s remedy for sin.  That remedy was the vicarious death of Jesus.

     “And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”  Revelation 20:15

    

    

Images we can Cling to...Conclusion

     The writer of Genesis also wrote of an image to cling to and celebrate.

     “So God created man in His own image…male and female He created them.  Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it…’”  Genesis 1:27-28

     The Hebrew for image is similar to the Greek, i.e. resemblance, representative, model, manifestation, and embodiment.  Man is the only of God’s creations made in the image of God.  A separate feature given to man above all other of God’s creations is the ‘breath of life’.

     “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”  Genesis 2:7

     ‘Breath’ is synonymous with wind or spirit meaning that God imparted divine life into Adam.  The Hebrew for ‘life’ in the present context includes everlasting life, spirit and soul, and interestingly, fresh running water.  Thus when it was told to Adam that he would surely die if he disobeyed God’s command, it meant he would no longer have the Spirit of God within him.

   So Jesus is the express image of God who took on Himself the form of a man to renew the life that Adam had lost due to sin.

     This was all part of God’s plan and purpose for man before he was created.  And recall that God’s chosen ones were written in the Book of Life before the foundation of the world.

     “For whom He foreknew (foreordained), He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son…Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.”  Romans 8:29-30

     Paul summarized the unfathomable grace and love displayed by the Godhead for lost man.

     “And so it is written, ‘The first man Adam became a living being.  The last Adam became a life-giving spirit…The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven…And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.’”  1 Corinthians 15:45-49

     God’s plan is far beyond comprehension and reason for man.  What assurances do we have of its validity and completion?  The God/Man Jesus prayed on our behalf for its completion.

     “Jesus…lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said… ‘I do not pray for these alone (the eleven disciples), but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You…Father, I desire that they also…may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me…’”  John 17:1, 20-24

     There, we have it.  God’s plan and purpose for man could only be fulfilled by man completely fulfilling the law, i.e. God’s required standard of righteousness.  The Bible confirms that no man could do that.  Therefore, the God/Man Jesus took on the form of a man, a bondservant, became obedient even unto death to pay for the sins of those who could not.

     Whenever we find our self suffering in any number of ways we are prone to ask, ‘why me Lord?’  Perhaps that question is more fitting after trying to comprehend why God would offer His Son on our behalf.

     The writer of Hebrews stated that those who rejected Moses’ law died without mercy.  He compares rejecting Moses’ law with rejecting sin’s remedy by the vicarious death of Jesus.

     “Of how much worse punishment… will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant…a common thing... For we know Him who said, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord.”  Hebrews 10:29-30

     The following words describe man’s dilemma and God’s solution.

      “He paid a debt He did not owe,

       I had a debt I could not pay.

       I needed someone to take my sins away…

       And now I sing a brand new song,

       Amazing grace all day long,

       Christ Jesus paid the debt that I could never pay.”