A Contrast of Worship
Book of 1 Kings Chapters 12, 14, 15
What is worship? Worship is homage rendered to Jehovah which is idolatry to render to any created being.
Exo 34:14 For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:
Isa 2:8 Their land also is full of idols; “they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made”:
It is sin to worship any created being!
It is sin to worship an angel, who is also created beings!
We are to worship only the Living God!
Jer_10:10 But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation.
We know that Israel was now a divided nation. Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, was king of Judah, which included the tribe of Benjamin.
Jeroboam was now the King of Israel which included only the ten tribes now called Ephraim.
From this point forward the Books of 1 and 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles will record the histories of the different kings of the divided nation of Israel.
What is idolatry?
Idolatry is image worship or divine honor paid to a created object, including mankind and angels.
Rom 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
Rom 1:22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
Rom 1:23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
Rom 1:24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
Rom 1:25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
How can we best describe those who are lost, keeping in mind that we were once lost?
Rom 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
Rom 1:29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
Rom 1:30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
Rom 1:31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
Rom 1:32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
The forms of idolatry are,
(1.) Fetishism, or the worship of trees, rivers, hills, stones, etc.(created objects on earth)
(2.) Nature worship, the worship of the sun, moon, and stars, as the supposed powers of nature.(created objects in the heavens)
(3.) Hero worship, the worship of deceased ancestors, or heroes.(all created objects)
Idolatry in Christian doctrine is anything that interferes between the soul and our Creator is idolatrous and is to be shunned!
1Jn 5:19 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.
1Jn 5:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
1Jn 5:21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.
Jeroboam turned the northern tribes to idolatry.
Idolatry is the religion of Satan! Remember Lucifer was just an angel created by Jehovah.
1Ki 12:26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David:
1Ki 12:27 If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah.
1Ki 12:28 Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
Jeroboam was face to face with the greatest opportunity of his life.
Should he have determined to serve the Lord he might have easily been the mightiest monarch in the history of Israel.
God would have certainly been with him.
But if he disregarded the Word of God his kingdom would have come to nothing which it did.
It was a Prophet of God Ahijah that had told him of these things.
The only safe path of any ruler is the right path!
We could ask ourselves does God truly have any rulers on His side?
We know that the heart is the center of mankind’s personal activities.
Gen 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
The world created by God before the flood was destroyed because of idolatry which led to wickedness!
Gen 8:21 And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; “for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth”; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.
We get a firsthand look at how false religions get started. They are conceived in the mind of some man or some woman!
Jehovah had already told Jeroboam how to get His blessings.
Jehovah has told us all how to get His blessings!
1Ki 11:38 And it shall be, if thou wilt hearken unto all that I command thee, and wilt walk in my ways, and do that is right in my sight, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did; that I will be with thee, and build thee a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel unto thee.
Jeroboam made Shechem his capital city and then Jeroboam does something very foolish.
The apostasy of Jeroboam was willful, it was designed, and it was done deliberately!
He consulted with himself instead of consulting with Jehovah who had made him King of Israel.
The Lord Jesus Christ makes this thing simple to understand.
Luk 6:45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
Our hearts must be fixed upon the Lord!
Psa 112:7 He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD.
The fact of the divided kingdom did not mean that the Northern Tribes were exempt from their covenant obligations to Jehovah!
They were still to observe the Books of Moses as much as the Southern Tribes.
All the tribes of Israel had the same Book of Moses!
These things caused stress upon Jeroboam, and he even became afraid for his life.
Jeroboam forgot the promises of God!
We tend to look at the world and forget the promises of God when we know that God has proven to us that He will never break a promise.
We do not need advice on how to do evil, we are born that way!
Jeroboam wanted advice on how to do a bad thing in the best way. He did not consult with God and God would not have answered such a request!
So many churchgoers today go to a place of worship that is convenient rather than seek a “Bible Believing” House of worship.
It is a fact that we will take the easy way out when it is available!
Just as a certain political party did in the days of Covid 19 when it made it a law to abandon the Church for fear of catching the disease forgetting the power of God.
Jeroboam shaped a new religion for his own purpose.
This is the way of radical Islam and other such religions. They rewrite their literature to adapt to changes they see in the world.
The Holy Scriptures never have to change because they were written by Jehovah and are perfect in any age!
Jeroboam even framed his words by the Word of God during the Exodus.
Exo 32:4 And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
Exo 32:5 And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the LORD.
Exo 32:6 And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.
Jeroboam proposed a perversion of the proper worship of Jehovah God.
“Calf is not a good translation of the Hebrew egel. A young bull in his first strength is meant: for instance, the word can describe a three-year-old animal.
Gen 15:9 And he said unto him, Take me an heifer “of three years old”, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.
A three-year-old bull would be a bull closer to his prime than a calf.
Jeroboam placed these idols of Baal in two separate locations.
(get pictures)
1Ki 12:29 And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan.
1Ki 12:30 And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan.
The name Bethel means “house of God” and this city was ten miles from Jerusalem.
This is the same place where Jacob had his vision of the angels of God ascending and descending on a ladder whose top reached into Heaven.
Gen 28:12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.
Gen 28:13 And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;
Gen 28:14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
Gen 28:20 And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on,
Gen 28:21 So that I come again to my father’s house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God:
Dan, which means (a judge) on the other hand is located at the foot of Mount Hermon.
This is the same place where the Danites stole the shrine of Micah and set up false worship.
Jdg 18:29 And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born unto Israel: howbeit the name of the city was Laish at the first.
Jdg 18:30 And the children of Dan set up the graven image: and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land.
Jdg 18:31 And they set them up Micah’s graven image, which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.
Jeroboam took advantage of this situation as he felt they would have no problem accepting his idols of Baal.
Jeroboam then installed false priests and false worship.
1Ki 12:31 And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi.
1Ki 12:32 And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he offered upon the altar. So did he in Bethel, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made.
1Ki 12:33 So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Bethel the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel: and he offered upon the altar, and burnt incense.
We should be very clear. Once we are aware of our Creator, we then must worship Him!
This is why the bible begins with the Book of Genesis.
This is why the world clings to the lies of evolution.
Evolution has proven to be wrong so many times it is pathetic that the world clings to it because they have no other theory except now where they use the word aliens so often.
We have only one duty as created beings!
Ecc_12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
Jeroboam decided that his idols would also need temples as a place to worship and priests.
He was not about to use priests from the tribe of Levi because they might teach the truth of God.
Deu_10:8 At that time the LORD separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to minister unto him, and to bless in his name, unto this day.
Jeroboam chose priests from every tribe but the Levites, going against the Word of God in any way that he could think of.
This is the way of almost all false man-made religions. They always will change the rules if people start leaving for the truth.
There are a few false religions that have some truth in them, but Christianity is all or nothing and based upon the truth of Jesus Christ and the true Word of God.
Jeroboam chose the eighth month and the fifteenth day to be as close to The Feast of the Tabernacles as he thought would work.
The Feast of the Tabernacles was on the fifteenth day of the seventh month.
Jeroboam did not consult with anyone else to create this false religion!
The people already understood that Jeroboam was chosen by God to lead this new nation, and Jeroboam kept it that way.
The Prophet Amos had confronted one of Jeroboam’s false priests with the truth:
Amo 7:10 Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel: the land is not able to bear all his words.
Amo 7:11 For thus Amos saith, Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of their own land.
Amo 7:12 Also Amaziah said unto Amos, O thou seer, go, flee thee away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there:
Amo 7:13 But prophesy not again any more at Bethel: for it is the king’s chapel, and it is the king’s court.
Amo 7:14 Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet’s son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit:
Amo 7:15 And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.
It may have been the king’s chapel and the king’s court but he was the wrong king.
Our Lord Jesus had some things to say about man-made religion:
Mat 15:7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,
Mat 15:8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
Mat 15:9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
The Holy Spirit says: Heb 3:12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
Those who serve false religion have to understand the judgment of God will come upon them.
1Ki 14:15 For the LORD shall smite Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water, and he shall root up Israel out of this good land, which he gave to their fathers, and shall scatter them beyond the river, because they have made their groves, provoking the LORD to anger.
1Ki 14:16 And he shall give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who did sin, and who made Israel to sin.
Jehovah had placed Jeroboam on the throne of Ephraim, but it was Jeroboam who had turned against Him.
Jeroboam could have been a mighty king of Israel, but he rebelled against the truth of God.
Jeroboam is still suffering the judgment of God today and he will throughout eternity!
Now comes judgment upon the people who knew better.
Moses had warned these people:
Deu 4:27 And the LORD shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the LORD shall lead you.
Deu 4:28 And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.
Deu 4:29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.
Now judgment would come to Israel, and they would be scattered on the other side of the Euphrates River.
Politics had caused the people of God to sin!
During Covid 19 many of God’s people were directed to sin by our government and many of those who left the Church have never returned.
The Holy Spirit has also warned the Church of the coming judgment of God:
Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
Rom 1:19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
Rom 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
Rom 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
There will be no more warnings and judgment could come at any time because the “Rapture of the Church is the next thing on God’s timetable.
Once the Church is removed this world will rely on wickedness and idolatry just as those before the flood.
King Rehoboam and his son had also turned against Jehovah and God began his judgment upon Judah beginning with the King of Egypt.
1Ki 14:23 For they also built them high places, and images, and groves, on every high hill, and under every green tree.
1Ki 14:24 And there were also sodomites in the land: and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.
1Ki 14:25 And it came to pass in the fifth year of king Rehoboam, that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem:
No doubt that Jeroboam had stirred up this king against Judah, and Shishak broke his peace agreement with King Solomon.
1Ki 14:26 And he took away the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king’s house; he even took away all: and he took away all the shields of gold which Solomon had made.
We know that King David had placed all his treasures in the Temple and so had many others.
We know that those golden shields would be valued at over thirty-three million dollars today.
There is a record of these events in Egypt.
With Judah humbled at the hand of this Egyptian King, Jeroboam had free reign to attack Judah at any time and he did so.
It was in the time of King Asa that change came to Judah.
*1Ki 15:9 And in the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel reigned Asa over Judah.
1Ki 15:10 And forty and one years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom.
1Ki 15:11 And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, as did David his father.
1Ki 15:12 And he took away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made.
1Ki 15:13 And also Maachah his mother, even her he removed from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove; and Asa destroyed her idol, and burnt it by the brook Kidron.
Finally, a king who was faithful to the Lord.
We should notice that Jehovah is still keeping his promises to King David and He will continue because the prophecy of Kings of Judah will last until King Jesus sits upon the throne of David.
King Asa reigned for forty-one years, and we can see that he had not been influenced by his grandmother Maacah’s false worship.
This Maacah was the daughter of Tamar the daughter of Absolom.
Asa removed his father’s idols.
Asa removed his wicked mother as Queen and her idols burning them in the Brook Kidron.
Asa removed the Sodomites from the land of Judah.
Asa did not remove all the high places of worship, and we do not have an explanation, but we can imagine politics were still involved.
Asa gave his treasures to the House of the Lord.
Amen
The Living God
Jesus Christ Has A Better Message
A Better Message
Book of Hebrews Chapter 1
Notice how this epistle to the Hebrews begins without a greeting from an author, or an address to the Church, or even words of introduction.
All other books of the New Testament contain these things.
We do not know who the author was for certain, but most all the Church agrees that the author was the Apostle Paul though this is not certain.
By the words that are said, we can determine that those Hebrews this epistle is written to, would certainly have known this author.
Even though this great Book of the Bible was written to these Hebrews, we know that all the Word of God was written to the Church.
This audience according to the author, would be those Hebrew speaking Jews as distinguished from those who spoke Greek.
It is very possible that the Book of Hebrews was written before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD simply because this destruction it is not mentioned.
1) The purpose of this terrific book was to show these Hebrews that much of the fulfilling of the Old Covenant is fulfilled with this New Covenant of Jesus Christ!
2) Another purpose of the Book of Hebrews was to invite these Jews to join the Church. It is Judaism that will convert to Christianity and not the revers.
2) Another purpose of the Book of Hebrews was to warn these Jews of the consequences of neglecting the salvation of Jesus Christ.
This is the same message that we are to carry to the world.
This is why the Book of Hebrews begins as it does:
*Heb 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
Heb 1:2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
We should understand that most of these Jews have always looked upon the prophets of God as great men with the message of God.
Another thing we should consider is, that humanity has always felt an inner drive to live forever in a perfect world and we know from history this world we live in is far from perfect, and there has been no perfect place in all this world after God shut down the Garden of Eden to humans.
This is behind much of the money that is spent in an attempt to find such a world somewhere in outer space which will also never happen.
There is a place, and it is called Heaven but you cannot get there in a spaceship.
You can only get to Heaven by the Lord Jesus Christ!
The Bible teaches us where to look for this perfect world and it also shows us how to get there.
Joh 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
Joh 14:2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
Joh 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
Joh 14:4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.
These words of the Lord Jesus Christ tell us the truth of this perfect world, and it is only by Jesus Christ that we can get there.
Most of this world which is called Earth reject the truth of God!
The Book of Hebrews is written so all the Jews could understand these truths.
Since the Bible is written for the Church, then the Church had better understand these things also.
The Lord Jesus Christ is God in the flesh, but He is also the greatest of all Prophets.
He is the greatest of all kings!
He is the greatest of all lords!
He is God in the flesh which is the message of this Book to the Hebrews!
Remember a prophet of God must speak the truth because all their words came from God and cannot lie nor deceive.
We could say that all the Bible is written prophecy because all the Word of God comes by the Lord Jesus Christ and is insured correct by the Holy Spirit!
The Bible speaks of the “last days” and much of the Church always wanted to know when these “last days” began and this Book of Hebrews is specific, these “last days” began when the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ began on this earth.
This passage also reveals again that the Lord Jesus Christ is our Creator!
This book begins with (using my words) “God, at many times and in many diverse ways spoke in the past by prophets who He had “called” and “these prophets could only speak what God told them to speak”.
Deu_18:22 When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.
“But since time has grown short to be saved, God came to this earth as the true Prophet, the Lord Jesus Christ”
This same Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, is also our Creator!
This same Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, is also our Savior!
This same Messiah will return to get the Church because He is our Redeemer!
I believe the Apostle Paul was the writer of the Book of Hebrews, but this is not as important as the message to the Church and to these Hebrews.
The writer says: “it is time to stop teaching the Old Covenant and time to teach the New Covenant of God!
Mat 26:26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.
Mat 26:27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;
Mat 26:28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
Yes, this is a “blood covenant” the blood of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, the “Gospel”.
1Co 15:1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
1Co 15:2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
1Co 15:3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
1Co 15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
The prophets of God were incredibly special servants of God.
The prophets of God had such a special message.
The prophets of God could tell others how to be acceptable to God
The prophets of God could tell others how to live to please God.
You see, no one man could ever tell us all we need to know about God.
The Lord Jesus, God in the flesh, had many things to say but He chose specific things for us, enough to give us His salvation message
God and the truth of God is far too big for any one man.
Joh 21:25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.
Then, the Lord Jesus Christ being the ultimate Prophet of God is the supreme spokesperson of God!
One of the first things that we can understand is that God loves humanity.
God does not want us to be in the dark in our understanding of our God!
He wants us to know where we came from.
He wants us to know why we are here, our purpose.
He wants us to know where we are going.
He wants us to know how we can conquer the trials of life, how to conquer evil and wickedness, and especially how to conquer death.
Because all these things are so important God sent His Son the Lord Jesus Christ who is the “express image” of God.
*Heb 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Heb 1:4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
We should understand that God used His Son Jesus to be the Creator of all we see and all that we cannot see.
**He is our Savior, and He is also our Maker!
We see here another reason that the Lord Jesus is far above any prophet even all the prophets of God!
We know that it was the Lord Jesus who Created all the worlds or all this universe.
We know that all the great universe that can be seen so far, is vast with many solar systems, but we should keep in mind that the Greek word (aiones) could also mean (Ages).
**Jesus Christ is the Maker of all our vast universe and all the ages that roll one after another.
Jesus Christ is in control of all of time, as it moves forward to its end.
Event to event and generation to generation, will all come to their conclusion with the beginning of eternity or the time of no time.
Col 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Col 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
Col 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the “Glory” of God Himself!
There is no human that can compare to our Savior and our Maker!
The Lord Jesus Christ possessed the glory of God before He came to this earth to make away for our freedom from sin!
Jesus Christ has always existed as the “Glory of God”.
Which means all those places in the Old Testament where we read of the “Glory of God” we are reading about the Lord Jesus Christ!
Just as the glory of the Sun reaches down to earth and touches the lives of mankind, then the Lord Jesus Christ has in every Age been that glory of God that has reached down to this earth to touch the lives of all mankind, but most of the world has ignored Him.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the “express image” of God, which means in every way He is the exact representation of the God of the Bible!
The Lord Jesus Christ is the physical being of the God of the Bible because He is the God of the Bible!!!
**Jesus Christ is the very substance the very Person of God!
Joh 10:30 I and my Father are one.
Joh 14:9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
Joh 14:10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
**Jesus Christ is the Sustainer of this thing called our Universe.
All Christians that accept that “climate change” is because of humans, have forgotten that the Lord Jesus Christ is the sustainer of our Universe.
Yes, we could do a better job in all things that relate to our home planet, but we are not in control of it, it is the Lord Jesus Christ who allows or does not allow all the things that are going on, good or bad!
It is the Lord Jesus Christ who is the glue that keeps our Universe together!
Col 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
**The Lord Jesus Christ our Redeemer
It is our Maker who sacrificed Himself so that we can live in eternity!
When we believe, when we truly believe in all the things of our Lord Jesus Christ, the righteousness and the death, then God takes this faith and honors it by counting that man or woman or child as being in the righteousness and the death of His Son and therefore pure enough to enter into Heaven, their sins being washed away by the blood of Christ.
1Jn 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
Rev 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
Rev 1:6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
You see all the things written down for us about the Lord Jesus Christ are then true!
At least in the KJV Bible which is an English translation of the “Received Text”!
**It is by the Lord Jesus Christ that we can have a conversation with our God!
He is Mediator and Intercessor and the only Person who has the right to represent us before God!
Jesus Christ is not our Judge; we have already been judged by the Word of God.
Jesus Christ stands before God to plead for us, and to offer His own righteousness and His sacrificial death for us.
God will now deal with us in love and not in judgment!
Heb 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
**The Lord Jesus Christ is superior to all life in Heaven but His Father, and He is on equal standing with His Father because they are One and the Same.
*Heb 1:4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
Heb 1:5 For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?
Angels do actually exist, and they are glorious beings created by the Lord Jesus Christ to be His messengers and also His servants.
They are spiritual beings who live in God’s presence, but we are wrong to look to angels instead of Jesus Christ.
When we take any attention that should be shown to the Lord Jesus Christ and offer it to the angels, we have made them false gods!
This is a terrible sin!
They have their purpose, but it is not to be mediator or intercessor between us and God!
Yes, we are unworthy to approach God, but the Lord Jesus solved this problem for us and not some angel!
God is never too busy to hear from His children and no angel is ever needed to take any message to God for us.
We are never to seek an angel to meet face to face even though we may meet an angel during our lifetime.
The angels are assigned by God Himself to do as He pleases, and they are not for our use!
Much of the world does not believe that Jesus Christ is the only Mediator, and when they seek help from the spiritual world through some angel or person in the spiritual world, this is an abomination in the eyes of God because He has told us all that the Lord Jesus is our only Mediator.
God does not ever send His angels for any of these things!
They are “messengers” and in some case provide protection for God’s children.
They may deliver believers through some trials of life:
Act 12:7 And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.
Act 12:8 And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me.
Act 12:9 And he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision.
Act 12:10 When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him.
Act 12:11 And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.
Psa 34:7 The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.
Psa 91:11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
Isa 63:9 In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.
The Lord Jesus Christ is far superior to all angels!
Jesus Christ is the Son of God and nowhere in the Bible does it say the angels are the sons of God!
Psa 2:7 I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
God did not send nor cause any angel to be born in this world, and you cannot be a child of God without being born into this world!
God sent the Lord Jesus Christ to secure perfection and righteousness for mankind and Christ obeyed, and by His obedience He forever established a relationship between God and man
Jesus Christ is far superior to any angel because God is a Father and Jesus Christ is the only Son of God.
It is Jesus Christ who made our way to meet God face to face.
No angel could ever have accomplished this!
*Heb 1:6 And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.
When we understand that the Lord Jesus is the “first” begotten, we should understand the superiority of the Lord Jesus being above all others.
It is the Lord Jesus Christ who is to be worshipped and praised and not some angel!
When the Lord Jesus Christ was born into this world by His mother Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit, He was attended to and worshipped by the angels.
When the Lord Jesus Christ returned to Heaven, He was attended to and worshipped by the angels.
When the Lord Jesus returns to this earth, and it is not as far away as we might think, He will be attended to and worshipped by the angels!
Mat 13:41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
Mat 13:42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
The Lord Jesus Christ entered into this world to save mankind!
He did not send that angels to do this for Him!
He is that person who conquered life, death, and Hell to save mankind not the angels!
It is Jesus Christ by whom we can make it to Heaven and not some angel!
Php 2:9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
Php 2:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
Php 2:11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
It is the angels who are commanded to worship the Lord!
*Heb 1:7 And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.
Heb 1:8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
Heb 1:9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
The Lord Jesus Christ is God’s heir, angels are only created beings to serve God in the operation of His creation!
The Lord Jesus Christ is not a created being, but God in the flesh!
The Lord Jesus Christ is the Sovereign Majesty of this universe and of all His creation!
He is God Himself!
It is the Lord Jesus Christ who has a throne that is eternal, forever, and forever!
Joh 3:31 He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.
It is the Lord Jesus Christ who has been anointed with the oil of gladness above all people!
That word “fellows” means all creatures in Heaven and all creatures upon this earth!
Jesus Christ is above all angels.
Jesus Christ is above all prophets, all priests, and all kings.
Jesus Christ is above all believers, living or dead!
Jesus Christ is exalted because He is God!
Jesus Christ rules and reigns in righteousness.
Jesus Christ hates sin and iniquity.
Therefore if we look to angels for help, we will get no help, we must look to the Lord!
God loves His Son Jesus enough to believe everything He says!
Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Rom 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
If we place our faith in anyone else but Jesus Christ, then we will fail, the angels cannot help us but by the command of the Lord Jesus Christ!
*Heb 1:10 And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:
Heb 1:11 They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment;
Heb 1:12 And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.
Everything Christ Jesus made in the beginning will perish!
All His children will have been “Born Again”
Everything that has been “Born Again” will survive throughout eternity.
It is our Creator we owe our life to, not some angel!
It is our Creator that will keep us throughout eternity and not some angel.
The only ones who will live in eternity are the Lord Jesus Christ and those that He has saved to be with Him.
Eph 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
Eph 3:10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,
Eph 3:11 According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:
Eph 3:12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.
We need to quit wasting our time on fallacies, and grab hold of our Savior and never let go!
Time grows shorter every day.
Jesus Christ has finished all the work on this earth as the faithful Son of God and we will meet Him in the clouds on Redemption Day better known as the Rapture of the Church.
Jesus Christ has conquered the forces of sin and death, so that we may live and be with Him forever.
Jesus Christ now sits on His throne in Heaven and is the Right Hand of God, which means it is He who has the power of the Living God!
God at no time has ever told any angel to sit at His right hand and some say it is these things that caused Lucifer to rebel.
As believers we are to look to the Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation and life!
Angels are powerful creatures but under the direct control of the Lord Jesus Christ, for it is He who is Captain of the angelic hosts.
Angels are servants and not lords.
Christ and Christ alone is Lord, of all His creation!
Amen
In The Beginning
The Beginning of Creation
Book of Genesis Chapter 1 Verses 1-25
The Book of Genesis or better said the Book of Beginnings.
If it began then it began just as it is written in the Book of the Beginnings!
The Bible has only one story and it is the story of God and man!
The Bible has only One main character and that person is the Lord Jesus Christ!
We could stand and argue about the oldest books ever written.
We know the Book of Job as an old book maybe the oldest.
There are old books from Babylonia that tell some things about creation.
There are other books that tell about the flood.
There are many books that tell us of things, some true and some just old wife’s tales.
There is not another Book in existence like the Bible, and there is certainly no greater book ever written that tells us about our beginnings in a way that is easy to understand.
The Book of Genesis opens up by teaching us about our creation and our purpose.
No guesswork.
No lies.
Just a Creator and His creation!
The truth of life!
*Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
We should begin by asking ourselves, “what is eternity”? Eternity is a place without time.
You see Elohim (God) lives in eternity. Elohim is a plural form of Elohi, ” which does not mean many gods but as we learn “One God” in three persons.
God the Heavenly Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
We need to understand this from the “Beginning”!
Elohim, the Almighty, All Powerful, the Living God.
It is only by Elohim that creation took place.
That “beginning”, is our beginning not the beginning of Elohim who lives in eternity.
What does this Almighty, All Powerful God do? He “creates”. He is the Master of “life”!
To create means He called things into existence that had never existed before.
He created our universe (Cosmos) out of nothing.
He created the heavens from nothing.
There is no one then nor now who has this ability, even though some claim it.
The key word is “nothing”.
Elohim just speaks and things take place. This is what our Creator does.
Those who try to create today must use something that God has already created to get started. A big difference.
There are certainly many intelligent people, but they lack “the power” to create!
The Bible then is a portrait of human history after we had our beginning!
Some people get confused about this, but Heaven did not exist.
Again Elohim lives in eternity and does not need a place to live.
We need to understand. God does what God wants to do anytime God wants to do it!
Isa 46:8 Remember this, and shew yourselves men: bring it again to mind, O ye transgressors.
Isa 46:9 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,
Isa 46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:
He is just a loving God full of “Mercy And Grace”!
By the order it is written, we know that Elohim created Heaven out of nothing before He created Earth out of nothing!
God then decided to shower His creation with “Love”!
It is this Elohim, God in three persons, who declared to us all that He is our Creator!
If we as humans had any sense at all, we would listen to what our Creator has to say.
As we go through the Bible, we will see that God refers to us as sheep. Not because they are not a clean animal, but simply because they are the dumbest animal in all creation.
You can train fleas, but you cannot train sheep to do very much.
The most important training you can do to a sheep is to get them to follow their Shepherd whose job it is to keep them safe.
We cannot live without our Creator!
So, let us see about this earth.
*Gen 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
Every time I read about God’s creation; I think about that farmer who has a piece of land that he is willing to work to make productive.
Does this mean that God’s creation began in chaos absolutely not!
What God is saying is, He first created the “matter” from which all life has its beginnings.
Matter is the material which occupies space!
Matter is the material that we can acknowledge because of our senses.
Matter makes itself known by its properties.
It can be said that the ultimate reason for all movement in our Cosmos is the force that God gave it at the beginning of creation.
These things are clearly scene by all people, even so-called scientist who reject these things, simply because they would have to acknowledge that there is a Supernatural Being.
Rom 1:19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
Rom 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
Rom 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
God set these things in place, but they were never to be eternal. God has a much greater plan than what we see here.
It is those invisible things where we can see the power of God, the architect of life.
The Holy Spirit moved, but the hands used belonged to the Messiah!
Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Joh 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.
Joh 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Joh 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
Joh 1:5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
The “Word” is our “Messiah” not only our “Maker”, but also that “Light” that overcomes spiritual darkness!
We can say that each individual human is matter that is molded into form by our Creator, and He made each one of us a little different from each other.
Every created being was made to give glory to our Creator!
Every created being was given a purpose by our Creator!
Everything that has life was given that life by our Creator!
Every created object was made to give glory to God!
At the very beginning there was no life!
At this first step of creation there was no life, but these things had to be created to bring forth life.
Job 9:8 Which alone spreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the waves of the sea.
Job 9:9 Which maketh Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and the chambers of the south.
Job 9:10 Which doeth great things past finding out; yea, and wonders without number.
Remember the farmer, he has to prepare the land for life.
We must also understand that the power of God is demonstrated by the actions of the Holy Spirit.
When the Holy Spirit (Holy Ghost) moves things happen, according to the thoughts and the words of our Heavenly Father.
It was dark!
A world without life would be very dark!
Every time a child is aborted our world gets a little bit darker!
Every time some innocent person falls victim to the murderer our world gets a little darker!
Notice we start getting the truth of Elohim, as the Spirit of God makes a move upon the face of the deep.
We can understand this word “deep” to mean waters.
The “deep” are the seas, the waters, the oceans.
Isa 40:12 Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?
Isa 40:13 Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught him?
Isa 40:14 With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?
Isa 40:15 Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.
We now have the soil, “the matter”, covered with water, and the next thing the farmer needs is “Light”.
We must not be fooled, “Light” is a creation of God!
Our spiritual “Light” is the Lord Jesus Christ who part of the Triune God!
*Gen 1:3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
Gen 1:4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
Gen 1:5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
Time as we know it today had just begun.
As we go on, we will see the Sun and the Moon and the Stars a little later which means “Light” is a separate creation.
The truth is there are stars in our Universe today that their light has not yet reached this earth.
It amazes me that new stars claim to be discovered that have been there all along, their light just now reaching our eyes.
Scientists are so foolish; they know these things, yet they claim a new discovery every time.
God said, “let there be Light”.
“Light” is a good thing, so we immediately see the spiritually speaking “darkness” is a bad thing.
We need the darkness, as opposed to without light, to moderate the temperature of our earth!
We do not need “spiritual darkness” which is sin!
We have never needed sinful darkness, yet we must all go through temptation.
God has now created the twenty-four, hour day.
Throughout the Bible we will see that the Israelites keep the day as it is written in the Book of Genesis.
The day begins in the evening (around six) and goes twenty-four hours to the next evening.
The evening and the morning were the very first day.
Most of the rest of the world begin a day at midnight and go twenty-four hours to the next midnight designated AM and PM.
We should completely understand that Elohim is creating an environment especially suited to humans and it was a good thing in His eyes.
End of day one, the very first “twenty-four” hour day and almost every day since that time has been for twenty-four hours except for a couple of days when God altered them, and those days are written down for us in the Bible and some true scientist have proven this to be true.
*Gen 1:6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
Gen 1:7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
Gen 1:8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
The firmament is that expanse above us that we call the heavens. The Bible describes three separate parts of heaven.
The atmosphere that is the source of our breathable air and where the birds fly is the first heaven.
The remainder of what we can see, the home of the stars and moons and the entire solar system and galaxies would be a part of the second heaven.
Then there is the unseen realm of our Heavenly Father which is the third Heaven. The Heaven of heavens!
The word firmament gives us the idea broad plates of metal beaten into thin plates and polished to shine like the stars do shine and such as a mirror.
Job 37:18 Hast thou with him spread out the sky, which is strong, and as a molten looking glass?
How is Heaven described in many passages?
Exo 24:10 And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.
Then come the dividing of waters.
That water above the firmament is not the material of the stars, but the material of the clouds.
This is what we now call the hydrologic cycle.
Ecc_1:7 All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.
I personally believe it was different before the world-wide flood than it is today, but it is still the way our water is continuously purified.
The water below the firmament is our oceans which are another mechanism to purify our waters and our air and our fresh water, but there is also our underground water table, which helps to moderate the temperature of our Earth.
There is so much information about creation, it is a study in itself that we cannot cover in these short lessons.
We should understand that we breath God’s air and drink God’s water and it is we the people who pollute both these sources that are tied to our good health.
God made a way fight our pollution, but we could do more to help these things ourselves!
Why have life spans become shorter over time? We have not been good stewards of the things our Creator made for us!
This has absolutely nothing to do with climate change which is something else entirely.
There is a reason our Creator separates these things into days, and great lessons begin as our Creator begins His teaching process.
*Gen 1:9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
Gen 1:10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.
We know that after the farmer has planted the seed there is a great need for water.
He may not understand all these things, but he knows since the beginning of time, that once the soil has been prepared and the seed planted then it is up to rains and water sources to cause the seeds to germinate.
Notice how our Creator has had the soil under water and now causes it to come into place.
Humans need a place to live.
Humans need a place to grow food.
Humans need a moderate environment.
Gen 9:20 And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard:
Humans need variety and beauty to behold.
It is the soil, the Earth, that we find the elements of human life.
Gen 2:7 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 soul.
Humans need to witness the glory of God in our creation, to know that we are not alone, and not some accident.
Gen 2:8 And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.
Gen 2:9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
Isa 40:22 It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:
The dry land is called Earth!
Psa 136:6 To him that stretched out the earth above the waters: for his mercy endureth for ever.
At this time all the continents that we know of today were all joined together into one plot of land.
The Bible states this as a fact thousands of years ago and most all scientist agree on this thing today, even though it is not important that they do this.
They do not agree on much of the Word of God which is the basis of all science that deals with facts. Science is to be based on facts!
All the Seas were touching one another just as they do today but at this day in our history all those Seas were fresh water and they remained that way until after the flood of Noah’s day.
Psa 24:1 The earth is the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
Psa 24:2 For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.
There were no storms and no rains, this soil had its own irrigation system.
Gen_2:6 But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.
This was another of the good things in the eyes and thoughts of our Creator.
The soil was now prepared to produce fruit, but God did not plant seeds.
The plant, whatever kind, had to come first to produce the seed! This should answer that age-old question. Which came first the chicken, or the egg.
Obviously, God created the chicken first.
God planted the tree that would produce that seed.
God planted that grain that would produce that seed.
*Gen 1:11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
Gen 1:12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
Gen 1:13 And the evening and the morning were the third day.
You see Elohim is the God of “Life”!
Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and “the life”: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Mat 22:32 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? “God is not the God of the dead, but of the living”.
Again we see that God speaks and things happen, just as the Lord intended it to happen.
The earth was created to be a habitation for people and the animals, but along with this the earth had to produce a food source, a housing source, a medicinal source, and all the other needs of humanity.
Elohim would be the Spiritual source so that all needs could be met!
Elohim did not just call on food and resources for those immediate humans as Adam and Eve, but He created a continuous supply of those resources if man would do his part after the curse.
Before the curse, which will come later after sin, humans need only to reap the harvest and tend the garden.
God said this was a good day!
*Gen 1:14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
Gen 1:15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
Remember on the first day God created Light. On this fourth day God created the source of all those different lights.
We know that a light beam travels a distance at a precise rate without outside influences. In fact in our galaxies they are measured according to how far that light can travel in a year or “Light-years”.
The light from our Sun reaches earth in just over one day. The light from the Moon a great deal quicker because of its closeness.
There are stars that God created on this fourth day that their light has not made it to the Earth as of yet.
Our heavens are constantly changing and believe it or not, if our world were billions of years old, the scientist would not still be finding new stars or new solar systems, simply because light travels at a constant speed in pure space. There are some things that can distort light!
It has nothing to do with technology it only has to do with the distance that the “light” has to travel!
The light from the distant planets are reflected light from our Sun, just as the light of our Moon is reflected light from our Sun.
We should be praising Elohim because He placed our Earth exactly ninety-three million miles from our Sun. Much closer and we would burn up. Much farther away and we would freeze to death.
Earth was created for humans and there is, absolutely no other beings in this universe.
The only aliens that exist are those whose Father is Elohim because their names are written down in the Lamb’s Book of Life!
Heb 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
Heb 11:14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.
Heb 11:15 And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.
Heb 11:16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.
God now provides that moderate temperature for all humans.
*Gen 1:16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
Gen 1:17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
Gen 1:18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
Gen 1:19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
Our “sun”, as a permanent source of necessary light as long as this world last, and the moon, stars, and planets are in place to show the glory of our Heavenly Father.
The sun is near the center of the entire universe, just as earth is at the center of God’s attention.
At just the right distance, the sun provides energy and warmth in precise amounts. If the sun were any closer, we would burn in unlivable heat; any farther, and we would be locked in ice.
The moon’s gravity causes the tides to continually circulate and freshen the oceans, without which life would not flourish as it does.
The larger planets guard earth from incoming solar bodies. The heavenly bodies were also given for timekeeping and regulation of life.
Our rotating earth and galaxies give us signs!
The planet earth spins on a tilt. It is probably the only planet in existence that does so.
It is this tilt of the earth that gives us our four seasons!
When the northern hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun, that’s summer, and when it is tilted away from the Sun, that’s winter for the Northern Hemisphere.
The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the Equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is defined as being in the same celestial hemisphere relative to the invariable plane of the solar system as Earth’s North Pole.
How does Earth’s tilt affect climate change?
Gradual shifts in the Earth’s tilt can cause climate changes!
More tilt means more severe seasons, meaning that it is hotter in the summer and colder in the winter. Less tilt results in moderate seasons: warmer winters and cooler summers.
Sunspots also cause our climate to change!
You see these things could not have happened by accident, but by a Holy God in His creation of “Life”!
Every day has been a twenty-four day since the first day.
These are all gifts to mankind that could have come from no other source!
All these preparations were precisely made, and it was now time to bring forth the living creatures.
*Gen 1:20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
Gen 1:21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
Gen 1:22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.
Gen 1:23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
Without all the things that our Heavenly Father had put in place before this day, there would be no life on earth.
These things could not have taken place by some accident!
It takes a foolish person, who cannot see the precise plan put in place by our Supernatural Father in Heaven.
The key word in the passage is “living”!
God commanded these living creatures to produce, we could say reproduce and we see that they would produce after their kind.
There is no life through evolution.
Obviously, animals and all living creatures have to adapt to their surroundings, their environment, but this is not evolution where one living creature becomes another creature of a separate family or some separate “kind”.
This day in the creation cycle God commanded living creatures to come about.
All life associated with water habitats had their beginning on this day.
Life did not have its beginning in some glob of protoplasm that evolved over millions of years.
And yes, water related dinosaurs came about this day.
It is true that every spoonful of water contains millions of microscopic creatures!
In that same voice, the microscopic creature and the great whales and seafaring dinosaurs all came to life!
As far as water born creatures, it is the great whales that give us an idea of the power of God in relation to a microscopic organism, that is also show God’s creative power.
It is creation week, that should remind us that when Elohim speaks nothing is impossible for Him!
Mat_19:26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
We should never think otherwise!
Another day comes and goes and the gifts for mankind keep piling up.
*Gen 1:24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
Gen 1:25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
As the waters brought forth water-based life, so the soil will now bring forth land-based life.
What we have seen is that Elohim, the Almighty Living God, has taken His creation and from that creation he has brought forth “life”.
Animals were created from the resources of this earth, by God’s command!
1) God does not tell us how these things came about only that He commands, and all His creation listens and performs.
The waters, the soil, the plants, the water-based animals, and now the land-based animals.
2) Scripture is very clear, God made all the animals from the earth! Any other man-made theory is wrong and can never be proven.
Theories are just that theories that have not or cannot be proven!
3) Scripture will be very clear, that our Creator has done all these things in preparation for His greatest creation which is man!
Notice again that the animals are made after their kind.
If any species could cross breed with any other species all these things would have failed into non-existence.
The same cow Adam saw is still a cow today.
The same horse that Adam saw is still a horse today and yes, a burro is still in the horse family.
All animals reproduce from their own kind.
You cannot take a cat and a dog and make something new!
There are no breeds caught in between to different species!
There is no Sasquatch, or Moth Man, or any other such thing!
Animal life did not just happen by some accident. If we look at all the so-called accidents of evolution, it is easily seen that they are impossible.
Elohim, God, tells us systematically what He did each day and the materials He used, and all these things can be proven, except for that part where God spoke these things into existence which we need to accept as the truth.
There is no other explanation that comes close to what God says took place!
There is no “by chance”.
There is no “by random”.
There is no “impersonal force or energy bringing basic cells and DNA together to form animal life”. (This is impossible)
There is no “physical laws in existence, past or present that began animal life”!
Animal life was created by or Creator, just as He has said!
By the “power of His spoken Word, God caused all these things to happen.
It is not far-fetched it is just reality!
God does not do things halfway!
God is a God of order.
God is a God of progression. (This is not progressive)
God is a God of perfection!
God is still involved with all His creation even today!
God said these things are good things.
Not perfect, but good, in fact “very good”.
God cause all the animals to populate this earth and yes, all the land dinosaurs were created on this same day!
God cause these things because all these animals would play some part in the food chain.
God cause these things because these animals would bring beauty to this earth.
God cause these things because many of these animals would be companions to mankind.
We should just try to imagine living on land and never see anything but other humans.
God created nature for us to enjoy His creation!
Psa 8:4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
Psa 8:5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
Psa 8:6 Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:
Psa 8:7 All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;
Psa 8:8 The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.
Psa 8:9 O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!
Without worrying about the climate, which the average man has no control over, we should still take care of the things God created for our pleasure.
Elohim took great pleasure in making all these things for His greatest creation man!
Rev_4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
Amen
LESSONS IN GOD'S WORD 