Part 1: Most all of us have read as it is written: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And THE SPIRIT of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, 'Let there be light'; and there was light.", but few have ever notice that Genesis 1:2 really doesn't seem to fit in and/or be harmony with THE GOD Who is THE GOD of LIGHT and THE GOD of Order(liness). For we read in Genesis 1:2, "The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep." But then, if we were to read it once again, in it entirety, and with a few English meanings from some of the Hebrew words of the Original Text, it just might begin to reveal something that very few people know about regarding certain Beings and things prior to the Creation of mankind: "In the beginning [of Time] God created the heavens and the earth. And [a conjunction from verse 1 to verse 2] the earth was without form (formless; a great big glob), and void (in a state of total chaos); and [Touchable] darkness was on the face of the deep [beginning at earth's surface and extending downward]. And THE SPIRIT [THE POWER of GOD] of God was hovering [Brooding; much like a hen over a nest] over the face of the waters [Now, don't miss that word, 'waters']. Then God said, 'Let there be light' (God just SPOKE it. . .); and there was light (. . .and IT was so)." I have stated elsewhere, and it bears repeating here, that ALL Physical reality has its source(s), in that which IS Spiritual. Here's a classic Example: Before there was a physical Garden of Eden ("The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden. . .Gen 2:8a"), there had already been a Spiritual Garden of Eden ("You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, Beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes Was prepared for you on the day you were created. . .Eze 28:13"). Now, just looking at the last Scripture, we can readily see two thing: 1) "You", which means "somebody", and "created", meaning the "somebody" was "made" by A Creator. We can also see from that passage, that whatever this "created You" was, it was something nice to look at, because it looked really goooooood! For we are told, ". . .Every precious stone was your covering: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, Beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes Was prepared for you. . .". And finally, whatever this "created You", that looked so good was, at least two things are inferred here: 1) This "created You", no longer looked good! 2) And THE CREATOR of this "created You", was taking him/her on a trip down 'memory lane', just note the past tenses, "was" and "wasprepared"; now whatever you do, don't you dare miss that word "prepared", because you will see it again elsewhere! To be continued... JESUS CHRIST + nothing =EVERYTHING!
A flood of words and not a drop of sense. If God were to write a Bible so that everyone could believe in him, why would he make it so difficult to understand that we would have to trust men to explain it to us when God explicity states not to trust men? I really don't get people's insistence on making the Bible more difficult to understand than it really is. The things that make it hard to understand are people's insistance that certain things are just not possible, to make it say things it doesn't say and to ignore things it does say.
Part 2: It is written: "You were perfect in your ways from the day that you were created, until iniquity was found in you. (Eze 28:15 MKJV)" Here we have some words that we’ve seen previously: "You", "the day", and "created"; However, we are now being introduced to some new word that may need some explanations, in order to shed some greater light as we go about to discover who this "created You", once was. The words: "were perfect", "in your ways", "until iniquity", and "was found", all seem to facilitate the unraveling of the identity of this "created You". But let’s allow, again, the English equivalent of the original Hebrew to shed even more insight to, "You were [for certain, but now past tense] perfect [entire: literally, figuratively or morally]; also (as noun) integrity, truth: - without blemish, complete, full, perfect, sincerely (-ity), sound, without spot, undefiled, upright (-ly), whole.] in your ways [a road (as trodden); figuratively a course of life or mode of action, along, away, because of, conversation, custom, (east)ward, journey, manner, passenger, through, toward, (high)way, (path)way(side), whither(soever)] from [properly a part of; hence (prepositionally), out of in many senses: - above, after, among, at, because of, by (reason of).] the day [from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next, or figuratively (a space of time defined by an associated term).] that you were created, until [as far (or long, or much) as, whether of space (even unto) or time (during, while, until) or degree (equally with).] iniquity [(moral) evil: - iniquity, perverseness, unjust (-ly), unrighteousness (-ly), wicked (-ness).] was found [properly to come forth to, that is, appear or exist; transitively to attain, that is, find or acquire; figuratively to occur, meet or be present] in you." Before moving on, I need to clear up something critics/unbelievers of THE WORD of GOD/The Scriptures seem to love to so ignorantly promote: 1. "The Bible is full of contradictions". 2. "If GOD knows Everything (Omniscient), and/or is so HOLY, why would HE Create a Being that HE Knew would Sin? 3. "If GOD Created Everything, then didn't HE also Create Sin? The answer to the first statement, is a resounding YES IT IS!. . .and this is especially True when the critic/unbeliever goes to "the Bible", expressly looking for ‘contradictions’. Why? Because, just as Scripture states: ". . .for he that comes to GOD must believe that HE IS, and that HE is a rewarder of them that diligently seek HIM (Heb 11:6)." GOD is definitely not into attempting to convince HIS critics and any unbelievers that HE IS. Think about it, Scripture teaches that GOD knows how many "hairs" are on your head, now that’s something that you don’t even know (even if you're a member or the President of "the Hair Club for Men"), and it your head! So, its as though GOD is thinking, ‘. . .here comes this unbelieving critic, looking for contradictions. So I’ll give him/her just what they're looking for. But here’s a little known tidbit of info that the unbelieving critic always fail to take into his/her, severely lacking, investigative skills: Any contradictions in THE WORD of GOD/"The Bible", is always a result of what the unbelieving critic DOES NOT KNOW, rather than what he/she knows. Here’s what I mean, remember the Scripture in the last paragraph, ". . .for he that comes to GOD must believe that HE IS, and that HE is a rewarder of them that diligently seek HIM."? Now answer this question: Who is GOD "a rewarder" of? Answer: "them that diligently seek HIM"! So then, if you're just an unbelieving critic perusing "The Bible", only seeking for more dud ammo, to further facilitate your ignorance, then you're not, at all, "diligently" seeking "HIM". You're just there trying to make [your CREATOR] GOD look like HE Doesn't Exist, and/or attempting to make HIM look Bad. So in order for HIM to have the ‘last laugh’, by eventually, thoroughly, and totally destroying "the wisdom of the [worldly] wise...", and bringing "to nothing, the understanding of the prudent [intelligent]", HE has so Tailored, Ordered, Dictated, and SUSTAINED HIS WORD (even through all the various translations), that to the unbelieving/unsaved critic, he/she can find only ‘contradictions’, because THE ALMIGHTY GOD, has given "them over to a reprobate [worthless (literally or morally): - castaway, rejected] mind...". And please note that "reprobate", is in the Present Tense! In addressing the second point/question, "If GOD knows Everything (Omniscient), and/or is so HOLY, why would HE Create a Being that HE Knew would Sin?", one thing should be made abundantly clear, and that is what we call "FreeWill". In Scripture, we're informed that when GOD planted this Garden in Eden, HE placed there every kind of Tree imaginable. So putting it mildly, there must have been in that Garden of Eden, at the very least, 1,000 trees. And these trees were the kind that grow food that humans can eat. And we're even told the names of two specific Trees: 1) "The Tree of Life", and 2) "The Tree of knowledge of good and evil". Now, keep "Tree" #1 on the ‘front burner’ of your contemplation, because we'll need that "Tree", in order to fully and appreciatively understand "FreeWill". Now then, we come to GOD’s explicit instructions to Adam, "You may freely [‘Help yourself/Pig out!’] eat of every tree [this would include ‘Tree’ #1,as well] in the garden, but you shall not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil [and this would be ‘Tree’ #2; the ONLY ‘Tree’, that Adam couldn't eat from. . .FIRST!]. For in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die (Gen 2:16-17MKJV)." Now, I know what you're thinking, ‘God why put a "Tree" there that you didn't want Adam to eat from, when you know that he would?’ And I am so very glad you asked that question. "FreeWill" is Only "FreeWill", provided you have a choice between opposites, or in GOD’s case, something in HIS Creation (because GOD has no opposite). All of mankind has the ability, just as Adam had, to choose between "Life" and "Death (the opposite of ‘Life’)". In the case of those who have no mental ability to choose "Life" over "Death", they receive "Life" by default (this is very consoling to me when I consider all the unborn babies that are murdered through abortion because of "pro-Choice"). GOD wanted and wants all of HIS Created beings to Choose "Life"; and to make it such a "no brainer", HE made "Life", and all it encompasses, FREE and EASY to obtain and/or keep! Scripture bears this out. At least seven of all the people who existed before Abram [Abraham] lived lives in excess of 900 years (Noah was 500 years old when his first recorded son, Shem, was born); At least six of all those before Abraham, lived lives between 400 and 895 years of age; and there’s no telling how long Enoch (365 years) would have lived had not GOD "walked" him right on into Heaven, without Enoch ever experiencing physical death. GOD, originally, made "Life", so Easy, that no human has ever been able to take his own life, except through and by means outside him/herself. Don’t believe me, try it yourself: Hold your breath for 15-20 minutes. Then after you ‘come to’, you’ll discover that, just as the Psalmist said, you are so "fearfully and wonderfully made", that while holding your breath, at worst, you'd only pass out, and immediately start to breathe again. Now, while GOD wants all of us to Choose "Life", His rationale for wanting that to happen is solely in and of HIMSELF. Ergo, GOD’s ultimate purpose for all of us, HIS Created beings, is for us to Choose, firstly and foremost, HIMSELF. GOD wants all Mankind to Choose HIM. And there is no greater display of whether a person has chosen GOD first and foremost than, by that person taking HIM at HIS WORD. Finally to the third point/question: "If GOD Created Everything, then didn't HE also Create Sin". No! And the reason can only be understood, when one knows and understands what Sin is. Sin, according to Scripture, is: 1. Contrary to the Sovereignty and Lordship of GOD. 2. Anything (and Anybody) of GOD’s Created Order, that we serve and/or worship more than THE CREATOR GOD. 3. Falling Short of all that GOD Created you and me to be. GOD has revealed HIMSELF to us in 3 Personages, a) HIMSELF, b) HIS WORD, and c) HIS POWER. ALL of THESE are just ONE GOD. GOD has no Equal, Opposite, nor Superior. . .neither does HIS WORD, nor HIS POWER. HE is Sovereign and LORD all by HIMSELF. Anything and/or Anyone, that attempts to, or we permit and/or allow to replace HIM, HIS WORD, and/or HIS POWER, is Sin and/or Sinful; and for us has become our own little personal ‘god’. And what all of this does, is to fall way short of all that GOD IS, and what HE intended and intends for us to be. To be continued. . . JESUS CHRIST + nothing =EVERYTHING!