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Fred R. Coulter—March 8, 2008
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You have in your hands, if you pick up your Bible, the only book in the world that gives you the accurate information concerning God's plan, God's creation and what He's doing. It all hinges on the Passover.
from The Day that Jesus The Christ Died by Fred R. Coulter:
Forward: From eternity past, before the foundation of the world, God the Father and God the Son planned for and predetermined the day that Jesus the Christ would die. In the history of the universe, no other day can be compared with it. So profound was this day that it will always be remembered even into the ages of eternity to come.
This day of destiny was the ultimate culmination of the spiritual battle for the lives of men; a battle waged between Jesus the Christ, Son of God and Savior of mankind, and Satan the devil, adversary of God and destroyer of mankind. This fierce battle was centered in Jerusalem, but its outcome would determine the destiny of the world. It was the power of God versus the power of Satan, the Advocate vs. the adversary, love vs. hatred, good vs. evil, humility vs. pride, compassion vs. brutality, righteousness vs. sin and forgiveness vs. condemnation.
All the evil forces and powers of the world were gathered together against one man, Jesus the Christ—the Son of God. Who would be victorious? Would good finally triumph over evil?
We're going to see that all of this was planned before the foundation of the world! This will help us understand the great calling that God has for us. Just think! God has opened our mind and with His Spirit given us understanding of the great and tremendous value of the Word of God and what it shows us, tells us and what it brings to our mind and attention.
There are some things in Gen. 1 that we need to understand that tell us some very interesting things.
Genesis 1:1: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Is God eternal? Yes, indeed! Some people think that God didn't create the heavens and the earth until somewhere around 6,000 years ago, including the angels. What was God doing all that time in eternity until 6,000 years ago?
"In the beginning, God created the heavens…" those were created first. He didn't simultaneously create the heavens and the earth, and the Bible tells us that. After He created the heavens…
Job 38:1: "Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said." Don't wish for God to talk with you, by challenging Him. Some people say, 'I'll believe the Bible when God tells me personally.' Well, you'd better read the book of Job!
Verse 2: "Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Now gird up your loins like a man; for I will demand of you, and you shall answer Me…. [here's how God starts it out]: …Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?…." (vs 2-4).
I've never been able to figure out where on a round earth where 'the four corners' of the earth are? I've looked at a globe and analyzed it: North and South Poles, the Bermuda Triangle and the equivalent over in the far Pacific Ocean. Maybe that's it; don't know!
"…Declare it if you have understanding! Who has determined its measurements if you know? Or who has stretched the line upon it?" (vs 4-5).
Let's see something about the creation of heaven; let's see what God says about that; Isa. 40 has to do with God's creation, very similar to what we see in Job 38. This is always very humbling. It's amazing the vanity of men, especially atheists. God challenges them. We'll tie this in with the challenge of Job.
Isaiah 40:12 "Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out the heavens with a span?…." Today we have these glorious pictures of the universe. When you understand where the earth is in this galaxy in relationship to the rest of the universe, the earth is about the only place where you can look out and see the universe with clarity like we have here.
God says, "…And who has comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure…" (v 12)—whatever measure you want to take: measuring cup, measuring spoon, measuring shovel, whatever it is. God comprehends all the dust of the earth, everything that is here.
"…and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?" (v 12). They still cannot figure out how God made the mountains. I saw a special on National Geographic, the mountains that run from the tip of South America all the way up through So. America. You have a little low spot in Panama, and then the mountains go up into Mexico and into the Sierras, then the Rocky Mountains that go on up into Canada, and those go all the way on up into Alaska.
I remember the last time I went to Seattle, we were flying west of the Cascade Mountains and I counted seven volcanoes. I thought to myself: What would we do if all seven of them blew off at the same time.
There was a time when God was creating the earth that He used that as a means of creating the land of making the earth. This has all to do about it.
Verse 13: "Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, and who was His counselor that he might instruct Him?" O God, here the way to make that star. O God, here's the way to make this star. Let's make one of frozen methane. Let's make another one of gas.
It's interesting that of the first seven planets of the solar system, you have Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and they are all gaseous bodies. What do they do, they protect the earth from all of the asteroids that are coming toward it. You have a huge magnetic field coming out from the sun, reaching out to Saturn, and Saturn's magnetic field reaching back toward the earth, and the earth's magnetic field that keeps the earth the way that it is. It's fantastic the way that God has done it.
By the way there's no such thing as global warming. God has turned off the sun and we're headed for an Ice Age in a 100,000 years. Who taught Him?
Verse 14: "With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him and taught Him in the path of judgment, and taught Him knowledge, and made known the way of understanding to Him? Behold, the nations are like a drop in a bucket…" (vs 14-15).
How important is everything in the world compared to God? Get yourself an eyedropper and just drop one drop. Compared to God, that's it!
"…and are counted as the small dust of the scales; behold, He takes up the isles as a very little thing. And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts of it sufficient for a burnt offering. All nations before Him are as nothing; and they are counted by Him as less than nothing, and vanity" (vs 15-17).
Here' why God has to judge the world. They make idols, statues, worship Satan, worship demons, so God says:
Verse 18: "To whom then will you compare God? Or what likeness will you compare to Him?" then it talks about how the workman works it out and so forth.
Verse 21: "Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?" There's going to be a lot we're going to cover on the foundation of the earth. God's plan started before the foundation of the earth.
We're looking at the heavens and we're looking at the earth, but what I want to concentration on now is the heavens.
Verse 22: "It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers; it is He Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in."
They now have instruments that they can detect, but cannot see: energy matter, which they now call the fourth dimension. The whole universe is held together with cobweb-like structures, and when you come to the galaxies, there is a cocoon or halo around each one of them, and this is how God holds the whole universe together. What is being detected is the power of God that upholds the whole universe!
"…spreads them out like a tent to dwell in." That's a really good description of that!
Verse 23: "Who brings the rulers to nothing; He makes the judges of the earth as vanity. No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, then He shall blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away like stubble" (vs 23-24).
The reason that I'm going through this is so we can understand what God has done for us, and He has planned this long, long before the creation of the earth.
Verse 25: "'To whom then will you compare Me, or who is My equal?' says the Holy One." Here's where we begin to get humility, and this is also what happened with Abraham.
Remember what God said to Abraham, 'You come out here and look at the stars. Are you able to number them? So shall your seed be.'
Verse 26: "Lift up your eyes on high, and behold, Who has created these things, Who brings out their host by number?…. [every one of them is numbered] …He calls them all by names by the greatness of His might, for He is strong in power; not one fails."
Think of it at the other end of the scale. What did Jesus say about the sparrow? Even if a sparrow dies and falls to the ground, God is aware of it! Furthermore, all the hairs on our head are numbered. God knows us intimately. That's why He wants a relationship with us. That's why all the religions of the world are:
- bankrupt
- defunct
- counterfeit
- stealing the words of God
- stealing part of the laws of God
- all in the way of Cain
Though they proclaim themselves to be serving God!
How do you know who is serving God? Those who keep His commandments, love Him, teach God's way and live God's way! That's how you know, and there are very few!
Job 38:6: "On what are the foundations fastened to?…." Job says in another place that 'the earth hangs in heaven,' and God holds it all together by the energy of His power—the fourth dimension—and magnetism; that's how it's held together.
What is dark matter? We don't know what it is, but those seem to be central points of cleansing the universe by taking in all the trash that is generated from colliding stars and so forth! It also seems to be various power centers that uphold the universe.
I've got a book at home called The Energy Machine of Joseph Newman: An Invention Whose Time Has Come by Joseph Newman. I think he's right in his analysis of it: The whole universe is like one big huge 'flying saucer.' Or like a galaxy that is a spiral where the center is full and the arms go out to the side. The whole universe! Then within that are the galaxies and so forth. God has it all!
"…Or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" (vs 6-7). What does this tell us? God created the heavens and then He created the angels, before He created the earth! So, God did not create the heavens and the earth at the same time.
You can learn a lot of things when you watch National Geographic and the History channels. I was watching a special on dinosaurs, and scientists are beginning to understand that especially the two-legged kind are more like giant ostriches. Remember the people who put out about creation that you have footprints of men and dinosaurs together. Not so! Those footprints, which they say are dinosaur footprints, are exactly like ostrich footprints, only they're bigger. You don't have them with the round, elephant type, these are more the bird-kind.
They now know that some of these dinosaurs were more like ostriches and birds, and some of them had feathers.
This tells us that God created the heavens and then He created the angels. The angels were there when they laid the foundation of the earth. Do you think that's a fair conclusion to draw.
In measuring these bones, you have a big problem in measuring the age. If their measurements are correct with the soil that that they measure, what is the problem in measuring the age of the bones? The problem is that when they become fossilized, the minerals from the soil leach into the bones and replace the bone structure itself, and it becomes petrified like rock. You cannot tell the age of the animal but the bones that were left, by measuring the age of the bones; because you're not measuring their age, you're measuring the age of the soil in which the bones were buried.
However, God being God, and living forever and the vastness of the universe, demands that that part of eternity past has to be billions and billions of years.
The great serpent—the devil—rebelled. He took a third of the angels with him in the rebellion. So, there was war in heaven (Rev. 12). We also find that about the rise and fall of Satan (Ezek. 28; Isa. 14).
- Were the animals of the dinosaurs part of the creation that God original gave to the angels on the earth, before they rebelled?
- Is what happened to the dinosaurs a result of the rebellion?
- What happens when there is rebellion and war? There is chaos and confusion—the Hebrew 'tohu' and 'bohu.'
I think that we have a least understood this quite correctly in the past (Gen. 1:2). We have the sequence of creation is this:
- the heavens
- the angels
- the earth
The book of Jude seems to indicate that the angels' first estate was on the earth.
- the rebellion
- war in heaven
- war on earth
Genesis 1:2: "And the earth was [became] without form and void…" God didn't make it without form and void, because all of the angels rejoiced. Why would the angels rejoice? Because this was probably their inheritance!
- Why did the angels rebel?
- Why did the earth become without form and void?
- Why does the strata of the earth show two floods?
- One with the dinosaurs, one with warm-blooded animals at a later time!
The earth was covered with water; "…and darkness was upon the face of the deep…" (v 2). There you have it!
Why would the angels rebel? God gives all the creatures that He makes free moral agency! Just like us! But why did Lucifer and a third of the angels rebel? We'll see that God has His plan before the foundation of the world! What was it?
Psalm 8:1: "O LORD our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory above the heavens! Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings You have ordained strength because of Your adversaries, to silence the enemy and the avenger" (vs 1-2). God still does this!
You can read in 1-Cor. 1 about our calling. When we came here today, we didn't have trumpeters out there because 'the prince of so and so' was coming in here. Or the President was coming in here. God has chosen the things that are not because He's going to change us, convert us and qualify us to rule with Christ in the Kingdom of God. Furthermore, all human being who will eventually be saved will become like Christ, which means they'll be greater than the angels!
Verse 3: "When I consider Your heavens…" The way that you are humbled is to look into the heavens.
"…the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You care for him?" (vs 3-4).
Since most of them have been cutoff from God, what is man that God would be mindful of those whom He would call! I want you to understand that we have to pray for the Church of God. Too many of them are so involved in self, power and trying to tell God what to do, that God is going to have to punish them so severely in the near future that they're not going to know which end is up!
Just like Satan and the angels couldn't handle it when God revealed to them that He was going to make man, and man would eventually—through the process of salvation—become greater than they! We have been made privy to the greatest secret of God in the entirety universe! We need to grasp that. It's not a church so that we can become better and improve ourselves! It is church, when we gather together, to learn to become like God! God is dealing in our lives to bring us salvation and put us into a relationship with Him that even though the rest of the world can look at us and see us, they don't have a clue as to what is going on. That's an amazing work! Think of that! That is humbling, too, because who are we?
Here we are toward the end of man's rule and reign, and everything has been given to us: all the Word of God. We live in an age where everything is at our fingertips. He's given us this knowledge, and how do we treat it?
Verse 5 is the heart and core of it: "For You have made him a little lower than God…"—not the angels!
Yes, we're lower than the angels because the angels are spirit beings. But we're made lower than God for the purpose to become the sons and daughters of God!
Verse 6: "You made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet."
When God created the earth and then re-created it after the rebellion, then we have seven days of re-creation to prepare for man.
Now, after God set in order the seas and the earth—plants, birds, fish and animals—then we come to the creation of man. This becomes a key thing in understanding the plan of God:
Genesis 1:26: "And God said, 'Let Us… [God the Father and God the Son] …make man in Our image…" He didn't consult the heavenly host in this. After the earth was created, the angels of God shouted for joy. It didn't say that they participated in it.
"…after Our likeness…" (v 26). We have all of these tremendous abilities as human beings, but because we are imperfect and we're made flesh of the dust of the earth, we have all these imperfections.
When we visited our grandson in Waco we held him in our arms; he was beautiful and perfect, but he's still flesh, and as perfect as the flesh can be! However perfect that is, it is still limited!
But to be made in the image and likeness of God is to then be after the God-kind! I'm sure that this was revealed to the angels and that's why Lucifer and a third of the angels rebelled. Then God gave the man dominion of the whole earth, over everything. So, God is generous!
Genesis 2:7: "Then 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."
You know the story and account. God put Him in the garden and commanded him to dress it and keep it, and that also means to guard it! Then there was not a help meet found for Adam, so then God created Eve. They were married. They were created with a functioning language so they could talk and communicate. God could talk with them and they could talk with God and to each other.
We also know what happened. God told them to not eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. {note sermon: What the World Would have been Like If Adam and Eve had not Sinned.} God work it either way, just like with us.
How do you overcome sin today? With God's Spirit, help and power, you choose to overcome sin! They could have chosen not to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. But Satan came in, and he was 'more cunning than any of the other creation of God' and he comes to Eve and says:
Genesis 3:1: "…'Is it true that God has said, "You shall not eat of any tree of the garden"?'" And the woman replied, 'No, that's not right. We can eat of the trees, but the one, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, God says:
Verse 3: "…'You shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'" So, Satan in the form of a serpent, said, 'God's not telling you the truth, if you eat of it:
Verse 5: "For God knows that in the day you eat of it, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be like God…"
- Why would Satan say that?
- Did He know God's plan previously? Yes, indeed, he did!
He knew that mankind was destined to become the sons and daughters of God! So, he perverted it with a counterfeit saying, "…you shall be like God deciding good and evil" (v 5)—for yourself! 'You don't have to rely on God to tell you what is good and evil. You can do it yourself!'
With all the brain power and things that God gave human beings… Of course, human beings have this innermost feeling that they want to improve. All you have to do is just watch television, everything is to improve, improve, improve. Better this, better that, and make more money here, do this. Weigh less, look better, look younger, stronger and improve your mind and learn another language. Take this drug, and if it doesn't kill you…
It think it was epitomized when I saw part of a clip of Ophra Winfrey—a very damaging false prophetess—and I pictured Eve when I heard Ophra say, 'I am a free woman! I am a free woman, and I will do what I choose to do.' I thought! Whoa! I wonder if that's what Eve said.
Satan's way is to say that there's no such thing as sin. If you decide to choose for yourself, in dying you're not going to die. The old story, your soul will go to heaven. In the creation of man God also did something that is in:
Ecclesiastes 3:11: "He has made everything beautiful in its time; He has also set eternity in their heart…" God put the sense of something beyond himself! That's why there are all these religions trying to do it their way instead of God's way!
So, you know the story: Eve came up to Adam and said, 'Here, try this, you'll like it; this is pretty good stuff, I ate it.' Now, Adam was with her, listening to the conversation. Was Adam thinking to himself that if she takes it I won't be held accountable. I really want to eat it, but I don't want to pick it, I'll let her do it.'
Nevertheless, they ate it, and their eyes were opened to evil. What is the thing that they talk about today in the New Age Movement?
- free yourself from the shackles of religion!
- free yourselves from the bondage of laws and commandments
- you, by the goodness that's within you, can be illuminated
That's Satan's way of leading people down to death! It's what happened here with Adam and Eve.
God came and you know the rest of story. They were hiding from God, but you know that you can't hide from God! God found them and asked them if they ate from the tree, and Adam blamed the woman. God asked woman if she did it, and she blamed the serpent.
Genesis 3:14: "And the LORD God said to the serpent, 'Because you have done this you are cursed above all livestock, and above every animal of the field. You shall go upon your belly, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life."
When you understand v 15 this verse contains within it the whole plan of God in outline; v 15: "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed…"—the physical woman Eve and her physical offspring. We have the spiritual woman, the Church, and offspring of that.
"…He will bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel" (v 15)—talking about two things:
- crucifixion of Christ
- the elimination of Satan as a power
Where do we find that fulfilled in the Bible. We have the elimination of the power of Satan (Rev. 20). The crucifixion of Christ is prophesied all the way down through the Bible in various places. Let's notice something that we need realize, and this is part of the secret that God has shown us. Jesus said, 'We know things that have been kept secret from the foundation of the world!' No other book in the world goes from eternity past into eternity in the future.
One starts with the beginning and God created the heavens—eternity past, and then later the earth. Then when it's into the eternity into the future, after the plan of God is completed, and it all hinges on the Passover. The Passover and the crucifixion of Christ is the fulcrum of the whole plan of God. The eternity in the future is Rev. 21-22 and it gives us a glimpse of the New Heavens, the New Earth, New Jerusalem, etc.
All of the physical components that were found in the Garden of Eden and later in the tabernacle and the temple are found in New Jerusalem. This is something! Talk about knowledge that you have that God has given us; it's incredible!
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We just saw in Genesis about the prophecy of the coming crucifixion of a Savior. The only One Who can truly save mankind is the Creator.
Here it's talking about the end-time, Revelation 13:8: "And all who dwell on the earth will worship him… [the beast] …whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." He wasn't killed then, but God's plan determined—when God determines something even well in advance—it's as good as done.
From the foundation of the world, even before the creation of man, He knew that He would have to die. That's why human beings are made in the likeness of God, so He could become a human being.
When you take these verses and you apply them… All verses in the Bible can be applied in a macro or broad way like an overview. Or it can be applied in a personal way.
1-Peter 1:18[transcriber's correction]: "Knowing that you were not redeemed by corruptible things, by silver or gold, from your futile way of living, inherited by tradition from your forefathers." That covers more than Judaism; that covers every religion of the world, because every religion of the world has the tradition of the sages of Hinduism, Buddhism, Catholicism, Protestantism, etc.
Verse 9: "But by the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot; Who truly was foreknown before the foundation of the world… [God's plan was laid out way ahead of time] …but was manifested in these last times for your sakes; even for you who through Him do believe in God, Who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope might be in God. Having purified your lives by obedience to the Truth unto unfeigned brotherly love through the Spirit, love one another fervently with a pure heart" (vs 19-22). Then it tells what our behavior is to be!
Though it was foreordained before the foundation of the world, it did not occur until a particular, set time.
Romans 5:6: "For even when we were without strength, at the appointed time Christ died for the ungodly."
Now let's look at some Scriptures that tell us about this, and John 17 is part of the covenant that we have for the Passover. Then we will go back and see some of the prophecies of:
- what Christ would have to go through
- why He would have to go through it
- why human nature is the way that it is
- why God had to save mankind
- why He had to come in the flesh
No other being could have done it!
John 17:1[transcriber's correction]: "Jesus spoke these words, and lifted up His eyes to heaven and said, 'Father, the hour has come; glorify Your own Son, so that Your Son may also glorify You; since You have given Him authority over all flesh…'" (vs 1-2). That's why He said, 'I am the Way, the Truth and the Life and none can come to the Father except through Me.' No one!
- all the atheists are going to have to repent and come through Christ.
- all the Catholics
- all the Protestants
And the Protestants are losing it fast! There's an article that says that evangelicalism is in a death spiral!
Just think about all the Islamists are going to have to come to Christ! And the Buddhists! Think about all these ancient religions in the past. When they're resurrected in the second resurrection, they're going to have to come to Christ.
"…You have given Him authority over all flesh…" It says in John 5 that all who are in the grave are going to hear His voice and come to life. That's authority over all flesh living and dead!
"…in order that He may give eternal life to all whom You have given Him. For this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God…" (vs 2-3)—which He was at that time, because Christ in the flesh was not 100% God.
It's an impossibility! When you hear anyone say that Christ was 100% God and 100% man, the two can't mix together that way. All you have to do is read Exo. 33 & 34 where God told Moses, 'You can't see My face and live, because no man can look upon Me and live.' Was He 100% God when He showed His glory to Moses? Yes! So, He had to divest Himself of His glory and power to become a pinprick of life in order to be begotten in the womb of the virgin Mary. To be born as a human being after the likeness of men whom He created after His likeness, to become a human being and experience everything in life. Yet, not sin, and end up dying for the sins of all mankind whom He had created.
Every child that is born, regardless of what setting of time in the world is still a creation of God, because He gave the power of pro-creation. You can read in Psa. 119 how David said, 'How You have created me.' All new human life in the womb is a continuing creation of God.
When He was here, before He was resurrected, He was not true God. He was as much God that the flesh could handle as being God, and be the Savior of mankind. That's covered in The Christian Passover book.
Verse 4: "I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work that You gave Me to do." Then you can add all kinds of prophecies of that work from the Old Testament.
Verse 5: "And now, Father, glorify Me with Your own self, with the glory that I had with You before the world existed." Quite an amazing statement!
Anyone who says that Jesus did not exist until He was begotten in the womb of the virgin Mary is a spirit of antichrist! It's not only in the Protestant world, it's also within some Churches of God.
Verse 24: "Father, I desire that those whom You have given Me may also be with Me where I am, so that they may behold My glory, which You have given Me; because You did love Me before the foundation of the world."
How many times does it say, "…before the foundation of the world"? This is amazing!
Luke 11:49: "Because of this, the wisdom of God also said, 'I will send prophets and apostles to them; and some of them they shall kill, and others they shall drive out so that the blood of all the prophets, poured out from the foundation of the world…[that began with Abel] …may be required of this generation" (vs 49-50)—in type of the generation that Jesus was living in.
But in the end-time, the last generation that we are now seeing formed in this whole new age occult satanism that's rising in the world.
Verse 51: "'From the blood of Abel to the blood of Zacharias, who perished between the altar and the house of God.' Yes, I tell you, it shall be required of this generation." If you think it's required of that generation, wait until what happens here!
Isn't it absolutely an amazing thing that the number of years that we have been in the Church, and how that we know this in isolation, and we know that in isolation and you can associate a couple of things together, but then to get back and look at the whole overall picture of what God is doing, and to think in the one book—the Bible—you have everything you need to know from an eternity past down through man's history to eternity in the future!
Luke 10:17: "Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, 'Lord, even the demons are subject to us through Your name.' And He said to them, 'I was watching when Satan fell from heaven like lightning'" (vs 17-18).
This means that they rebelled before the restoring the earth in Gen. 1, because when the serpent comes on the scene he had already fallen. Again, this verifies the history.
Now let's see some things that took place and let's begin to examine a few of the prophecies of what God would have to go through in order to save mankind. Satan probably said, 'How can you do that?' Well, every time anyone limits God, do you think He's going to oblige? Of course not!
Let's see what happened to mankind, because before they ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and decided to take to themselves the prerogative of God to decide what is right and what is wrong, they were neither for God nor against God. They were probably in some sort of neutral area.
But something happened after they sinned with the judgment that God gave to them. Also, before they sinned, though they were in the flesh, they were not subject to eternal life—unless they ate of the Tree of Life—and they were not subject to death until after they ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
Genesis 3:16: "To the woman He said, 'I will greatly increase your sorrow and your conception—in sorrow shall you bring forth children….'"
That's not just the pain of birth, that is also your connection with your children all your life, because they came from within you, and the emotion and feelings that mothers have toward their children that is greater than what men have toward their children; just because men do not have the same emotional makeup as women and cannot feel the same way as women.
Therefore, regardless of the age of their children, if something goes wrong they are sorrowful, they worry, they're upset, and this is all a part of what it means here.
"…Your desire shall be toward your husband, and he shall rule over you'" (v 16). God made woman to be a sustainer beside man. When both husband and wife fulfill the role that God created, both have more fulfillment than off on their own doing their own thing. That's just the way that God made it!
Verse 17: "And to Adam He said, 'Because you have hearkened to the voice of your wife…"—when she gave you bad counsel. Now, if your wife gives you good counsel, like Abigail gave to David; remember what she said? Don't bother with him—her husband at the time—he's a fool, and God will take care of him! Sure enough, he got drunk and angry and died of a heart attack. David didn't have to raise a hand. That was good counsel.
But if you listen to your wife with bad counsel, you're going to get in trouble, as much as if you listened to anyone else giving you bad counsel.
"…and have eaten of the tree—of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it!'—the ground is cursed for your sake. In sorrow shall you eat of it all the days of your life. It shall also bring forth thorns and thistles to you, and thus you shall eat the herbs of the field; in the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return" (vs 17-19). No man or woman has been able to turn that back, not even the Pharaohs!
What do we see here?
- a change in the nature of man; now he's subject to death
- a change in the nature of the environment; now we're going to have thorns and thistles
When we analyze Isa. 11 where the nature of animals is going to be changed: the lion and the kid goat will lie down together, and the bears will feed with the cows and so forth.
- What did this change do to human beings?
- What happened?
- Our nature was changed and it's passed on by inheritance!
Because of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil human beings look to themselves and their nature, and there are good things that human beings can do. Look at your children, look how wonderful they are when they are doing good. Look how terrible and frustrating it is when they don't do good, especially when they get in trouble and they know better.
Why is that? And this is why human beings cannot save themselves or be perfect. This is why God had to be so severe to Job, because everything that Job did was what God had commanded. So, when you have done everything you are commanded, what are we to say? We are unprofitable servants because we didn't give glory to God! We didn't yield to God with love and thankfulness and gratitude.
Rather, Job was lifted up and said, 'God, I challenge Youto show me where I am wrong. I have been so good, I've done everything You have said.' Then he ends up with that, and his attitude turned sour and gets bitter. Then he had rebellion.
Romans 7:14: "For we know that the Law is spiritual…" All the Laws of God are spiritual, and they apply all the time, just as automatic as the law of gravity! All the Ten Commandments of God are spiritual! There are automatic penalties for breaking them; there are automatic blessings for keeping them. God is no respecter of persons. Even the Gentiles who do not know God, the things that they follow, which are in accord with God's Word, God blesses them to that measure. Otherwise, there would be no goodness in the world.
"…but I am carnal… [fleshly] …having been sold as a slave under sin" (v 14). Why did Paul say that? Here is the enigma of human nature that the world is frustrated with, but can't overcome it, but tries to do with the 'goodness' that within men. All you have to do is just get all men to be good and there will be peace everywhere in the world. Can you get all men everywhere to be good? Never happen! So, there will never be any peace!
Verse 15: "Because what I am working out myself… [what I do on my own, with my own human nature] …I do not know…."—or understand. Have you ever done something and you wonder why you did that 'stupid thing.'
"…For what I do not desire to do, this I do…" (v 15). That's epitomized with the problem with drug addicts; they are hooked. They want to do it, they don't want to do it. They need the high, but the low kills them. It just drags them down and destroys them.
"…moreover, what I hate, this is what I do. But if I am doing what I do not desire to do, I agree with the Law that it is good" (vs 15-16).
Like today with human beings, we're reaching a point with adultery and fornication, even pedophilia, that there are so many sex crimes going on that the only way to handle it is legalize all of it. In other words, do away with the law and have a lawless society. That's the way men do it. The way that you overcome sin is to take away the Law and you think there is no sin. But God doesn't take away the Law! That's where we're headed in all of this. The Law is good!
Verse 17: "So then, I am no longer working it out myself; rather, it is sin that is dwelling within me."
So, when Adam and Eve sinned, sin became a part of their nature. This nature is passed on to all of our offspring. That's why none of our kids are perfect. We wish that they were, when we hold them in our arms, and they're nice and sweet, young and beautiful. That human nature is still there, but it hasn't come to the fore, yet. Just like a poisonous snake. A newly hatched poisonous snake doesn't have poison to kill you, but let it grow up and you're dead.
Verse 18: "Because I fully understand that there is not dwelling within me—that is, within my fleshly being—any good…."
If you have sin dwelling in you, regardless of the good that you have, without God's Spirit and God's Law, there is no way you are going to put down the evil. Satan is there to take it from you. So, you can't really do any good within.
How many times have you done something good for someone, but at the same time had an evil thought? Was what you did in the outward action that was good, was that really you, or were you dissimulating and being hypocritical in doing something nice? At the same time you had evil thoughts toward that person? We've all done it!
"…For the desire to do good is present within me; but how to work out that which is good, I do not find. For the good that I desire to do, I am not doing; but the evil that I do not desire to do, this I am doing. But if I do what I do not desire to do, I am no longer working it out myself, but sin that is dwelling within me" (vs 18-20). We naturally sin, and it's within us!
Verse 21: "Consequently, I find this law in my members, that when I desire to do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the Law of God according to the inward man; but I see another law within my own members, warring against the law of my mind, and leading me captive to the law of sin that is within my own members" (vs 21-23). This is why God has to save us!
Romans 8:2: "Because the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has delivered me from the law of sin and death."
What happened when Adam and Eve sinned? The penalty was 'the law of sin and death' within every human being! You might say, 'God, that's not fair! And since it's not fair, God, what are You going to do about it?'
God said, 'Okay, I'm going to save you from it, My way!' We can be delivered from 'the law of sin and death' through Christ!
Verse 3: "For what was impossible for the Law to do, in that it was weak through the flesh…" Because when you know the Law and don't have the Spirit of God to lead you and guide you—and we are to be cleansed constantly with the 'washing of the water by the Word'—to overcome 'the law of sin and death' within us. That's why after we receive the Holy Spirit of God, we are able to recognize sin that's within that we didn't recognize before. You think:
Why do I have these thoughts in my head? Because God is exposing it to you, so you can repent and have it cleansed! It's a process.
Let's see what Christ did. Just knowing the law of itself—The Old Testament shows that the knowledge of the Law can't keep you from sinning. There's the sin within, the law of sin and death, and even though people may be upright in their lives and have no overt sins, that doesn't change or convert the mind. So, something else has to happen. So, here's what God did:
"…God having sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh" (v 3).
How did God make it fair? Since God is righteous and perfect of His own being and naturally would not sin! So, this is where 'Docetism' is wrong; that the Christ possessed the body of the man Jesus so He wouldn't sin. NO! God made it fair! Jesus took upon Himself the same judgment that He gave to Adam and Eve. This is why He is so great!
"…God having sent His own Son in the likeness… [Greek: 'homoiomati'—in the exact sameness] …of sinful flesh…" (v 3)—a double adjective in the Greek. He didn't' just come in the flesh, but took upon Him 'the law of sin and death' within His own members. God was risking everything of His whole plan through Jesus Christ to redeem all mankind, by taking upon Himself the curse that He gave to Adam and Eve!
Did it not say that 'He became a curse for us' (Gal. 2)? Yes! So, this is why when we come to God and confess our sins through Christ, He understands, because He was tempted in everyway like we are, but yet did not sin!
The thing that's important is this: It wasn't impossible for Jesus to sin, otherwise any temptation against Him would not carry any weight of anything.
Example: Suppose you had a, impervious, invisible wall in front of you that would deflect every weapon—whether a gun, bullet, a spear, laser, atomic bomb, hydrogen bomb, whatever. If Christ came in that way, He couldn't be tempted. If it's impossible to tempt Him, how could He 'be tempted in every way like we are, yet, without sin' unless He had come exactly as it says, "…in the likeness of sinful flesh…" He had every pull within, but never sinned!
- How great is that?
- What kind of salvation is that?
- How fair for all the rest of human kind is it that God—Who created humankind—would do this to save His creation?
That's fantastic, brethren! He did it and planned it from the beginning of the foundation of the world! So, this is not a haphazard thing that God is doing. This is the secret that has been held secret from the world until the coming of Christ. Isn't that something?
We can go through all the Psalms. I want you to review from The Christian Passover book, or The Day that Jesus the Christ Died all of the prophecies about what He would go through. We're just going to look at two of them.
This is the reason that the sacrifice of Jesus Christ is so great and marvelous, because He had to experience everything and depravation that all human beings would go through. He had to experience it Himself. Then to top it off, to be killed and crucified, beaten and scourge by His own creation that He made with His own hands: to save them! He had to experience what every human being experiences.
Psalm 22:1: "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me, and why are You so far from helping Me, and from the words of My groaning?" These are the very words of that He spoke while He was on the cross!
- He knew what He was going to go through
- He knew how it would happen
- He knew what the crucifixion would be like way before He ever created mankind
It was so bad that He said, v 6: "But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men and despised by the people. All who see Me mock Me; they shoot out the lip; they shake the head, saying, 'He trusted on the LORD; let Him deliver Him; let Him rescue Him, since He delights in Him!'" (vs 6-8).
Notice the thoughts of Christ. I have often thought that when David received this Psalm, I wonder what he thought when he had gone through it and written it out? Think of that!
Verse 9: "For You are He who took Me out of the womb, causing Me to trust while on My mother's breasts. I was cast upon You from birth; You are My God from My mother's womb. Be not far from Me; for trouble is near, for there is none to help. Many bulls have encircled around Me; strong bulls of Bashan have surrounded Me" (vs 9-12).
These are likened to the high-powered demon spirits; probably circling around the crucifixion laughing hideously and saying, 'We got Him! We got Him! He's going to die! He's going to die! We are going to succeed!'
Verse 13: "They opened wide their mouths at Me, like a ravening and a roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all My bones are out of joint… [beaten beyond recognition] …My heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of My bowels. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and My tongue clings to My jaws; dogs have surrounded Me; a band of evildoers have encircled Me; they have pierced My hands and My feet; and You have brought Me into the dust of death. I can count all My bones; they look and gloat over Me. They divide My garments among them and cast lots upon My vesture" (vs 13-18).
Verse 19: "But You, O LORD, be not far from Me; O My strength, hasten to help Me! Deliver My soul from the sword, My precious life from the power of the dog" (vs 19-20).
Psa. 53—despised, rejected, turned back to save us! Think about what He has done!
Ephesians 1:3: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly things with Christ."
- what a blessing to have the Holy Spirit of God
- what a blessing to know and understand the Word of God
- what a tremendous thing to have in our hands an to hold the knowledge from eternity past into eternity future
Everything to do with the essence of mankind!
Verse 4: "According as He has personally chosen us for Himself…" God has reached down and called us. This was His plan] …before the foundation of the world…" That those who would answer the call and repent. Not that we're predestinated way back then, but that we answer the call.
"…in order that we might be Holy and blameless before Him in love; having predestinated us for sonship to Himself through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His own will" (vs 4-5).
Look at the exaltation here that Paul has been given to write. I read this, and wonder what Paul thought when he wrote this:
- What were his thoughts?
- What were his prayers?
- What was it that he went through?
It inspires me tremendously!
Verse 6: "To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He has made us objects of His grace in the Beloved Son; in Whom we have redemption through His blood, even the remission of sins, according to the riches of His grace, which He has made to abound toward us in all wisdom and intelligence; having made known to us the mystery of His own will… [which came before the foundation of the world] …according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Himself; that in the Divine plan for the fulfilling of the times, He might bring all things together in Christ, both the things in the heavens and the things upon the earth; yes, in Him, in Whom we also have obtained an inheritance, having been predestinated according to His purpose, Who is working out all things according to the counsel of His own will" (vs 6-11).
Brethren, when we look to the coming Passover, let's keep this in mind and have great thanksgiving to God for:
- His mercy
- His kindness
- His grace
- His love
- the knowledge that He has given us
So that we in the end-time can have in our hands and in our minds, and understand in a way that probably has not been understood in ages past: the magnificence of the love and glory of the plan of God!
All Scriptures from The Holy Bible in Its Original Order, A Faithful Version
Scriptural References:
- Genesis 1:1
- Job 38:1-5
- Isaiah 40:12-18, 21-26
- Job 38:6-7
- Genesis 1:2
- Psalm 8:1-6
- Genesis 1:26
- Genesis 2:7
- Genesis 3:1, 3, 5
- Ecclesiastes 3:11
- Genesis 3:14-15
- Revelation 13:8
- 1 Peter 1:18-22
- Romans 5:6
- John 17:1-5, 24
- Luke 11:49-51
- Luke 10:17-18
- Genesis 3:16-19
- Romans 7:14-23
- Romans 8:2-3
- Psalm 22:1, 6-20
- Ephesians 1:3-11
Scriptures referenced, not quoted:
- Revelation 12
- Ezekiel 28
- Isaiah 14
- 1 Corinthians 1
- Revelation 20-22
- John 5
- Exodus 33; 34
- Psalm 119
- Isaiah 11
- Galatians 2
- Psalm 53
Also referenced:
Books:
- The Energy Machine: An Invention Whose Time Has Come by Joseph Newman
- The Christian Passover by Fred R. Coulter
- The Day That Jesus the Christ Died by Fred R. Coulter
Sermon: What the World Would have been Like If Adam and Eve had not Sinned?
FRC: bo
Transcribed: 10/7/18
