Category: Reformed

How do we love Christ while maintaining a common faith? At Reflection, we explore this question and more as we look at the Bible to answer this question. We look for help from great men who wrote and defended the faith through dark times.

Psalms 65 Outline

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Translation: NASB 95

Key Terms:

Covenant between God and Humans: An authoritative agreement between God and humans. God is the one in authority, giving commands for humans to follow. There are rewards and consequences in this divine agreement.

Verses 1-3: Forgiven humans come to God through Jesus Christ alone. Only through Jesus Christ can any human come and find peace for their sin. Remember, God does not hear the prayers of humans lost in darkness who are in open rebellion. Now humans can come praise the glorious triune God where God will hear their prayers. As humans who rest in Christ, humans perform what God requires of them as explained in a covenant. As humans follow the covenant and promises made by God to humans, God receives their prayers and forgives confessed sin as outlined through the covenant.

Verses 4-5: Humans who rest in Jesus Christ have great encouragement. Remember, salvation is brought about by God, who grants faith and grace as a gift. This gift leads humans to repent, as in rejecting darkness with a change of mind turning to the light. A change of mind loves the light, instead of darkness. This repentance puts humans in a covenant with God. God is king, granting great encouragement for these humans. These forgiven humans come to praise God with song, in their daily lives, and servicing in God’s church. Forgiven humans are satisfied being in God’s presence. God’s presence is not a mystical experience, but an experience explainable and definable by God’s holy Bible. There is repentance as defined by the Bible, yet there is joy coming from salvation beyond emotions like being happy. Being with the Holy God only through Jesus Christ has God responding to His people. This should bring great encouragement for humans resting on Jesus Christ. God’s people should be satisfied with God responding as these humans turn to the light away from inflicting and remaining darkness.

Verses 6-13: God created the world, yet Adam rebelled, condemning the race. God works in the world silencing the storms and rebelling humans. Either through salvation or God’s justice, the uproar of humans is calmed. This is a great sign of God’s power. All humans including God’s people should approach God with healthy respect. Still, God provides food and supplies for human needs. For Israel this was a great reward for following the old Covenant that ended. For God’s people now, it is a reminder of God’s mercy and of who sends the rain to grow the grain and have animals multiply to supply humans with food. God is all around planet earth working His desires with great power beyond any human ability. All humans should praise God for His power and might. Amen!




Garden Temple Lost #3

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Ends Teaching Outline – Lost of the Garden Part

Revelation 21 speaks of a new creation on the earth. Why? Adam broke the agreement God made with him in Genesis 2, causing the corruption of a pure but unstable creation. The first creation provides humans a place to thrive. Humans had food, a comfortable place to live in the garden, and God met with Adam and Eve. God spoke with humans. Adam ruined paradise for his wife, his children, and himself. Curses like difficulty growing food and women having increased pain when giving birth came. Changes in creation are part of the consequences of Adam breaking the agreement. The new creation deals with removing physical curses while making a comfortable place for humans again. When God creates the new world, He will establish a place to meet with humans.

Every human washed in Christ’s blood will dwell with God on the new earth. God will remove the curses of the earth as He recreates the pure earth, untouched by evil. Darkness stains and consumes the human soul. No one does good, but goes astray from birth. Please see Psalms 58:3 with Romans 3 and 1 John 1. Unless God is lying, no human is like Adam before the fall. Adam is in a good but fallible state, as seen in Genesis 2. By the end of Genesis 3, Adam and Eve are in a dark state, knowing good and evil. Every human after Adam and Eve is born into darkness. Adam’s children know darkness only. Please study Genesis 4 through Genesis 12. Every generation shows the effects of darkness living in the human soul. What does this have to do with end times? End times is a response to the darkness in each human. God is not in heaven planning to hurt innocent humans and putting billions of innocent humans into hell forever. Because of human rebellion, God sends his justice to destroy nations and put rebelling humans in hell forever. Please see Jeremiah 17 to 19 and Revelation 21:8. The human soul is the start of the end times, as God deals with rebelling humans. God, working through Christ, deals with some humans, cleansing them of their darkness. God will give the new earth to these humans who are clean, having no darkness. Praise be to God for the three divine persons of the one God saving some.

Point 1: Approach Darkness as God sees Darkness

Christians, be careful of how you approach the topic of darkness starting at birth. If Christians ignore texts like Psalms 58:3, then end times will not make sense. Why? God responds to humans in darkness, starting at birth. Some Christians think darkness starts with a human choice to have darkness in the soul. Humans need to decide not to have darkness in the soul, so not to be a rebel in God’s sight. For others, there is a teaching that children under a certain age may commit dark acts, but God overlooks them. Often, this is called the age of accountability. God never reveals the age when children are accountable for dark actions, or to know when a child is in darkness. The age could be 30 years old and God must treat them as wonderful humans. The response often is when a child understands right and wrong. Can a human understand what is right and wrong besides Adam and Eve? No human after Adam is in the garden walking naked with God in the temple garden. There is a lack of knowing what is good and what is evil as darkness taints everything after Genesis 3. Exploring the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20 for a lifetime will not yield a complete understanding of right and wrong, because darkness taints the world and humanity. Darkness hides what evil is. Without God explaining how this works, the age of accountability could be any age. If humans are not accountable for their actions, why would God treat wonderful humans with his justice as seen throughout Revelation? Other Christians quote a passage like Romans 3:21-26 saying all humans rebel against God, but reject that the liars goes astray from birth. If liars do not go astray from birth, why does every human rebel against God? Why does all from Romans 3:23 mean all humans? Could there be some humans who are good at birth and do not enter rebellion? Tampering with God’s full message about what darkness is leads to inconsistencies that will affect other areas. Any idea saying humans are good or have a slight injury by darkness do not fit God’s description of darkness. The End times is the response to what darkness is. Please see Ephesians 2:1-5 with Romans 11:30 and 2 Peter 2. Death reigns in the souls of humans at birth, that multiplies into a giant plant with fruits of death. These fruits are a mockery of God. God is patient, sending warnings through local faithful churches as Christians explain the Gospel. In Genesis 6, God responds to an evil generation leading to a global flood. God does not describe wonderful humans being wiped out in Genesis 6. God responds to an evil generation, deciding that He has been patient enough with humanity’s rebellion in Revelation. Please see Revelation 22:14-15 with Revelation chapter 6 through chapter 9, Revelation 9:20-21, and Revelation 21:8. Christians, when you change darkness starting at birth, you change God’s response to humans. God can be in fellowship with wonderful humans, like He did with Adam before the fall. There is no need for the mediator Jesus Christ, or for God to fellowship with humans. If humans are good, maybe with a slight injury from darkness, there is no need to share Christ’s forgiveness with words, as humans can have fellowship with God already. Good humans have enough merit to meet with God.

God’s nature is holy and stands against darkness. He must respond to darkness. Please see Psalms 11:5 with Psalms 55:12 and Psalms 5:3-6. Jesus’s life on Earth, death on the cross, and resurrection back to life does not resolve any human of accountability. It is the opposite. God makes a way for humans to leave darkness behind. Yet, humans keep the war going with acts of darkness. There is a way open for humans to leave darkness, but most will not leave their darkness. God’s people proclaim Christ’s forgiveness through words. These words make humans more accountable. Why is there more accountability for humans? Humans hear the warnings of what is coming for those outside of Christ and there is an escape from darkness through Christ alone. Christians, when you witness about Christ, start with explaining the darkness of the human soul and its effects. Darkness requires God to respond with justice, yet Christ takes on the consequences of darkness for his people alone. God’s people are humans who trust and rest on Christ to have freedom from darkness and its consequences. After God saves from darkness, all Christians should seek to be baptized in water to reflect the new way of life seeking after the one true God. Water Baptism does not save as Christ only saves from darkness, nor is it a requirement for salvation. Around the time of water baptism, new Christians should join in with the local church and submit to her authority. Local churches should equip Christians who are new to the faith. Overtime, all Christians in the local church should learn and speak about darkness in the human soul and Christ’s freedom from darkness to non-Christians. Please see Luke 23:33-49, Acts 2, and Romans. Still, humans in evil reject the message of God, but should know God will respond to their darkness with many consequences. This knowledge of God responding to darkness and there is a way out of darkness makes humans more aware of darkness, yet the dark soul says no like pharaoh. Romans 2 speaks of God’s word in every human soul. The Jews had it written in the first five books of the Bible, like Exodus 20, but the non-Jews had it in the soul. The soul contains anything that is not physical in the human body, like emotions or the ability to think. Souls of non-Christians have darkness being revealed by the moral standard written on the soul while suppressing this knowledge. Please see Romans 1. Is God cruel, wanting humans to perish in darkness? Let no one suggest this. God is not cruel, wanting to see his creation suffer in hell forever. God is desiring humans not to face him in justice. Christ came to provide freedom from darkness. God frees his people from the just consequences of darkness, treating humans better than they deserve. As Christians proclaim the Bible, God opens the hearts of some humans through the Holy Spirit. Christians remember nothing compels God to do anything like saving humans. Non-Christians say no to Christ’s grace. This person is accountable for acts of rebellion. See Acts 16:12-15 with John 3:15-21, John 6:34-46, John chapters 14-17 and Luke 24:45.

Point 2: Seek to harmonize the Bible, not rip it apart

Christians, when you approach any part of the Bible and then compare it with other parts of the Bible, seek harmony. Seeking harmony means understanding the Bible by having all parts work together. Many Christians have the tendency to pick a set of verses that they like while ignoring or changing other verses. Take 2 Peter 3:9 and Acts 16:12-15. For many, it presents a problem as God opens the heart of some, but God desires all to turn away from darkness. God wants all men to repent of their rebellion, so God should save every human in darkness, but He does not. The objection, at least for some, is God desires to save everyone, so God must save everyone. Christians, do you see 2 Peter 3:9 as an imbalance? Does 2 Peter 3:9 say that God will save everyone? No, it does not. The passage shows God’s infinite caring nature, that He would rather every human come to Christ for free and full forgiveness of darkness. Yes, God desires all humans to turn to Christ, but notice the passage does not say God must save every human in darkness. God, in his perfection, is just to leave all humans in darkness. Yes, nothing in God or outside of God compels him to save any human besides his sovereign choice among the three real persons of the one God. A proper reading of 2 Peter 3:9 says God desires all humans to repent. God is not obligated to save every rebelling human. Every human must respond to Christ with a bent knee resting in his grace. What do rebelling humans do? Humans say no like Pharaoh and keep rebelling. Christians, do you see how God was patient with pharaoh wanting him to repent? Like pharaoh, God is patient with rebelling humans. If any human is to be saved from darkness, God must reach out to save some with his favour. The misuse of 2 Peter 3:9 is a denial of human responsibility. Why? Repenting, as in turning away from darkness, is a human responsibility. Please see John 3:15-21. Turning 2 Peter 3:9 into God must save every person rejects the idea of humans repenting. God becomes the one who needs to repent in place of humans. May this never be. Humans are required to turn away from darkness. God, being a king over everything, does not resolve humans of the decision each makes. Acts 16:12-15 shows a sovereign king saving some as God is not cruel, but patient. This is a small discussion of one objection. Christians, when you study the End Times, balance each passage with each other, not changing passages to favour one passage over another.

Point 3: The start of Darkness in the Human Soul

Where does darkness start in history? Genesis 3 is the start of darkness living in the soul of each human. The garden temple, where God met with Adam and Eve, is the seed that leads to God’s justice in the End Times. When Adam ate the forbidden fruit, he broke the agreement that God made. What entered his soul? Darkness entered his soul. Christians, remember Romans 5 as Adam brings death to all humans while Christ brings life to some humans. Do not let Adam’s act of rebellion, eating from the tree, and what he passes on to his children confuse you. God will hold Adam accountable for his own actions. Then why do darkness and death pass on to Adam’s children? Adam introduced evil into the race, as seen in Genesis 3 and beyond. Cain in Genesis 4 did not eat of the tree as God removed Adam and Eve from the Garden. Eve and Adam made Cain with rebellion against God in him. The unlawful murder of Abel is because of the darkness in Cain. Darkness among humans grew over many generations. God wiped out humans in Genesis 6 through Genesis 9. Noah and his family escaped God’s justice by God having mercy and saving this family through water. Humans being drowned in the global flood were not wonderful humans or God would accept them like Adam in Genesis 2. Genesis 3:1-14 is the start of the fall for humans.

Genesis 3:1-14 NASB 95 1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; 3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” 4 The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! 5 “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make [one] wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings. 8 They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 He said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.” 11 And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom You gave [to be] with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” 14 The LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, Cursed are you more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you will go, And dust you will eat All the days of your life;

God revealed himself to Adam as they met in the garden temple. A priest represents the people before God and communicates the words of God to the people, like Moses does with Israel and Christ does in the church. God met with Adam as a priest. Adam represents humans before God during the time of no darkness in the garden. Adam was beyond a gardener. Christians, how do we know this? Whether darkness entered the world or stayed out of the world rests on Adam’s obedience to the agreement made in Genesis 2. This covenant in Genesis 2 has Adam as a bridge where he represents all humans before God. God would speak to Adam and explain topics like the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Eve is there to assist Adam, as seen in Genesis 2:18-22, not to lead or rule over him. Adam is there to lead his wife and his children, as there is no other representative before God. God made the covenant with Adam alone in Genesis 2:15-17. Adam’s failure to be a priest to keep this agreement with God leads to darkness entering the world. Before the fall of darkness, Adam met with God naked, without shame. After the fall, Adam covered his naked body along with Eve and then hid from God. Notice how Eve ate from the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, but darkness did not enter the world. Eating the forbidden fruit is not enough to bring darkness into the world, despite the action being rebellion against God. The human eating the fruit needs to represent humans through an agreement with God. Eve receives the life or death from Adam, along with any children. In Genesis 4, Adam’s children reveal darkness has spread as the first unlawful murder with Cain killing Abel. Only Christ can keep a covenant without failing to be the priest before God after Genesis 3. Any future agreements with God rest on Christ and his exceptional ability as God to be the perfect priest. What are the first signs of darkness in Adam and Eve?

Adam could have approached God for mercy. Adam and Eve, knowing good and evil, know God’s mercy and goodness. Instead of accepting accountability and relying on God’s forgiveness, they blamed to evade personal responsibility. Genesis 3 shows a breakdown of authority. Adam and Eve broke their relationship with God. Adam knew from Genesis 2 not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Eve knew from Genesis 3:2-3 the fruit of the tree of knowledge is not safe to eat. Yet, Satan deceived Eve and she ate. Eve blames Satan for her actions. Adam takes the fruit from Eve and eats the fruit. Adam is to lead his wife as she is there to assist him, as seen in Genesis 2:18-22. Remember, Adam is the gardener, as seen in Genesis 2:15. He knows the safe fruits to eat. Adam knew the unsafe fruit. Since Adam knew the forbidden fruit and was to lead Eve, Adam should have responded to Eve with “what are you doing?”. Why is the forbidden fruit in your hand? Did you eat of the forbidden fruit? Who has deceived you into disobeying God’s word? Unfortunately, Eve deceived Adam, and then darkness entered the world. Again, Adam blames Eve, Eve blames Satan, and Satan used his abilities to tempt and deceive. Adam and Eve do not take responsibility for their actions in approaching God for forgiveness. They make clothing and hide from God. God knows what happened and knows where they are hiding. Humans learn over a lifetime. God does not, as He decrees all things. God knows everything since he wills it to occur. Please see Ephesians 1:11 with Proverbs 16:33 and Proverbs 20:24. God has to come to them and forces a confession through conversation about their dark actions. Back in Genesis 2, God made a covenant with Adam. When Adam ate the fruit, darkness entered the world, tainting himself and Eve. Notice how when Eve ate the fruit, it did not taint Adam and the world. Adam is responsible, as seen in Romans 5 and 1 Corinthians 15. The signs of darkness are disobeying God’s word, blaming and not taking responsibility for personal actions, and trying to hide from God. In Genesis 4, the first unlawful murder occurs. Then, in Genesis 6, God will wipe out humans because of darkness except for one family. Christians, like with Adam and Eve, minor acts of darkness lead to large acts of darkness with great consequences. Be careful in how you should live. Grace and God’s direction found in the Bible alone are there to help us avoid darkness in actions, speech, and thinking.

Point 4: Christ is the better Adam

Christians, there is good news for you. Where Adam falls into temptation, Christ overcomes temptation. Satan tempts Jesus in Matthew 4:1-11. After forty days and forty nights, Christ is hungry and weak since he fasted without food. Satan comes along to tempt Jesus with telling Him to make bread out of stones, calling on angels to save himself after asking Jesus to jump off a tall place, and Satan giving Jesus all the kingdoms of the world. The last temptation is the false worship of worshipping Satan as God. Throughout these four temptations, Jesus, being fully human like Adam yet being fully God, says no to Satan’s deceitful statements. Where Adam fails the agreement with God and imputes death to his physical children, Christ keeps the plan for salvation, imputing life to his spiritual children. Impute means to credit or give something to another person. The great God and saviour Jesus Christ is the better Adam who will save his people from Adam’s curse of darkness entering the world.

Hebrews 9:13-16 NASB 95 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 15 For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were [committed] under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. 16 For where a covenant is, there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it.

Adam’s fall into darkness destroys the temple garden. Is there any hope for humans? God prevents access to the Tree of Life in Genesis 3:22-24, which will grant life to Adam and Eve. The Bible offers few insights into the Tree of Life. In Genesis 3:22, this tree is opposite to the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil where it brings life. In Revelation 2 and Revelation 22, the Tree of Life comes up again. The Tree of Life’s fruits are for God’s people, from Adam to Revelation, they will eat of it. This tree has some attachment to salvation through Christ. The Tree of Life is the only item to at least remove death and restore the darkened soul to the light of God after the fall. Who should every human turn to for salvation from Adam’s curse? Jesus Christ is the one who saves throughout history. Please look at Hebrews 9:15. Salvation is not for one particular covenant, but for many. Christ, not offerings of young cows or goats, provides King David’s salvation. Abraham found salvation through faith in Christ alone. Please see Romans 4. Every human should call on Jesus Christ and follow Abraham’s humility to resolve the darkness given by Adam.

Point 5: Darkness Spreads among Adam’s children

Noah’s salvation in Genesis 6 through 9 is not because he is good. Like the rest of Adam’s children, Noah and his family have darkness. Despite the darkness in Noah and his family, God uses water to wash away darkness, yet keeps Noah safe. The global flood acts as a weapon of death to wipe out evil humans, yet keeps afloat the ark to keep Noah and his family alive. Christ is similar, but superior. Christ washes and cleanses darkness away in his people, but becomes an instrument to condemn the world of darkness. How? Christ is the foundation of salvation. Humans who trust and rest on this foundation receive salvation and security away from darkness. Those who reject this foundation to stay in their darkness will find this foundation becomes a stone of stumbling. Please see Romans 9:30-33 with 1 Peter 2:7-11. The foundation of Christ is the stone that brings life, like a piece of stone keeping a large building up. However, the rejection of this stone destroys the building. Any human who rejects the foundation of Christ has no salvation. Without salvation, like the floodwaters in Noah’s days, Christ becomes a place of judgment as there is stumbling over salvation, then the rejection of God’s foundation to save from darkness. Please see Titus 3:5 with John 3:15-21, James chapter 2 with Romans chapter 4, and Psalms 58:3 with 1 John.

The destruction of the temple garden leads to God using his justice. God’s justice is not anything outside himself, but is an attribute in himself. Christians, God is not a mixture of parts. There is not some love and some justice along with other different amounts of attributes. God is love and justice, among other attributes. Along with love and justice, God acts from his divine holy nature. When rebelling humans refuse to turn to God for salvation with unending acts of darkness, God eventually acts after much patience. Christians, remember, who is rebelling. God acts out of his wisdom and purity. Look at Exodus 1 through 12. God commands the Pharaoh, King of Egypt, to let Abraham’s family go. The commands start with letting the Israelites worship God in the desert for several days to let these people leave Egypt. In Genesis 47, the Pharaoh owned all Egyptians and Egypt’s land because of a severe famine. The Egyptians spent all their money and sold their animals to the Pharaoh, so they could only sell their land and themselves to survive. Abraham’s children lived in the land of Goshen, where the Pharaoh provided food during the famine. At some point, between Genesis 47 to Exodus, Abraham’s children became under the same or similar control of the Pharaoh as the Egyptians. The king of Egypt in Exodus refuses to listen to God by ignoring God’s command. The Pharaoh committed evil acts. How? Pharaoh did not listen to God and rebelled against God. Darkness will not listen to God through ignoring his words. The more Pharaoh said no, God gave Egypt more justice. The blessings of large crops, as found in Genesis, ceased. God destroyed the food, killed the animals, and sent darkness during the day and swarms of insects as warnings. Yet, the dark heart of Pharaoh led him to say no despite the significant loss to Egypt. Then God killed all the firstborn sons of the Egyptians. God spared Abraham’s family, Israel, from many of these judgments, including the death of the firstborn.

Christians, think about the stubborn soul of Pharaoh. Humans ignore the God who spoke the world and universe into existence from nothing. A small and weak, rebellious human, who is slow to listen and refuses the repeating command by saying no. This is stupidity. Pharaoh from Exodus is not alone. The curse of Adam imputing his darkness to others is in Pharaoh, like every human after Genesis 3. Without God’s grace, Adam’s giving darkness is alive in every human. There is murder, stealing, lying, jealousy, no respect for authority, not treating God with respect and creating worship to replace God. Christians, do not let the influences of darkness turn you into Pharaoh. Be sensitive to the word of God. Sensitivity to the word of God means to follow it by receiving the words with care to fill your mind with the Bible, then pursue the words as fast as possible. Remember, God’s grace is strength now. God’s grace pardoned true Christians from Adam’s imputed darkness, resolving God’s legal judgment. Yes, every human is guilty of being a servant of darkness. Now, grace is the strength to be pure from darkness. There is no reason for Christians to follow darkness, as grace makes following the Bible possible. God has given his directions and the ability to follow his directions. Therefore, no Christian should seek a life void of God and not following God’s directions. When Christians become void of God and follow darkness for a time, they become Pharaoh for a time. Christians like this should expect God’s disapproval, where there is a loss of closeness with God. This loss of closeness presents itself in a lack of praying, a lack of receiving God’s word, the lack of comfort in the soul, and the consistent thoughts of their darkness to turn away from. There are more effects of being under God’s disapproval. Who God loves, He will discipline. Please see Hebrews 12:1-17. If God does not discipline, this person does not belong to God’s family. Yes, undisciplined Christians must reject Adam’s imputed death and embrace Christ’s imputed life. This person has yet to be born of God. Pharaoh and other servants of darkness will receive great judgments in this life and the next life after death. In this life, God will reprove Christians. Be careful how you should walk, Christians. Please see 1 Corinthians 12:11-14.

Christians struggle to walk on the narrow road with God as darkness has influence. God provides spiritual care through disciplining his people to restore them to the narrow road. For a time, God’s discipline seems harsh, unfair, and uncaring. Remember, God knows best for his people as He created them, washes away their darkness, and knows how to train faithful servants. Christians, be thankful that God cares enough to train you to be a faithful servant spreading Christ through words while learning the Bible.

Losing the temple garden has many effects requiring God to respond. The meeting place for God to meet with Adam is gone. Adam’s representation of humans leads to darkness destroying fellowship with God. The agreement between God and Adam the priest has turned wonderful humans into rebelling humans. All humans live with the effect of the darkness as darkness grows, shrinks, and changes. Humans lost in darkness act like Pharaoh. Each rebelling human says no to God. After saying no, each goes their own way. Non-Christians have God waiting with much patience, but will receive judgments while being on this earth. What happens to Egypt is an extreme example. Many humans will have minor struggles compared to Egypt. Some struggles may be laziness or lying. Humans will suffer from the consequences of their dark actions, as God does not prevent such consequences. This is God’s justice. There are many other acts of darkness and effects of darkness that will affect humans. Humans now do not have a meeting place with God like Adam had. God and humans are in an open war where God can crush all humans like an enormous foot stepping on small bugs. If God wipes out all humans, there is an eternal place waiting where there is no turning to Christ. This place is a dark and terrible place. Without God opening dark hearts, no human will come to Christ. Please see Acts 16:14 with Acts 14:27 and Mark 9:38-50 and Luke 16:19-31. There is forgiveness available in Christ now. Come to Christ today.

Chapter Review:

Point 1: Approach Darkness as God sees Darkness
Point 2: Seek to harmonize the Bible, not rip it apart
Point 3: The start of Darkness in the Human Soul
Point 4: Christ is the better Adam
Point 5: Darkness Spreads among Adam’s children

End Times is not only about the end of the world, but a broad topic throughout the Bible. Without the temple garden, there is no need for salvation. Yes, no darkness means no Christ giving life. Without the darkness, there is no need to handle the Bible well. The Bible is here to explain salvation. Why does each human need salvation? All of Adam’s children have the darkness coming from Adam in them. As darkness grows and spreads among humans, God responds to them with his justice, like seen with Pharaoh in Egypt. God will have fellowship with cleansed humans. Still, most humans will be in rebellion against God by their choice. Humans make dark choices only. Please see Romans 3 with Romans 8. This is the foundation of the End Times as humans act with darkness and God responds. A connection exists between the temple garden and the events leading to a new heaven and a new earth. Without darkness infecting and corrupting humans, fellowship with God without Christ is possible. Darkness in humans is the greatest threat known to humans. How does God respond to darkness throughout history?

The next two chapters will explore God’s pure and holy response to the darkness in history. Chapter 4 will discuss God’s response to darkness on a personal level. Each person rebels against God, fighting the 10 Commandments. Exodus 20 is the best summary in the Bible to see God’s perfect standard. God responds to personal acts of rebelling against His standards. Chapter 5 will discuss when nations rebel against God. Yes, evil nations are under God’s justice. God is not required to make an agreement with nations like Israel to show his justice. Nations are to make wise and good laws. Please see Romans 13.1-5. The 10 commandments are the standard God uses to judge nations. God and who he is above any agreement, along with his standards for each human or nation. Whether a human rebelling or a nation rebelling, God has a standard to dispense his justice with no darkness in himself or any darkness influencing him. God’s justice is pure at the perfect time.

Being Known by God – Vol #1 Fix

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Being Known by God Edition 2 – First five chapters in volume 1.

These are concise musings on the benefits of Christ knowing his people. The first five chapters explain how Christ defeats the darkest valley of death. Then, the discussions explore the Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts, which empower God’s kingdom as sin is defeated. Blessings in Christ!

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Garden Temple Lost #1

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Ends Teaching Outline Lost of the Garden Part – The Earth Cursed

Point 1: The Bible explains Revelation

This chapter is to summarize Adam’s curse of darkness entering God’s perfect world and the garden temple, causing many effects on the earth.

Think of a beautiful place where it is comfortable with no distractions. You can spend the entire day or many days there carefree having your needs met. Then a disaster comes, destroying your paradise. Where there was comfort, now there is trouble for you. Now, you must work hard to eat, to sleep, and have a home, as meeting your needs is difficult.

Revelation explains a new creation of the earth. Why? Adam ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, leading to the loss of paradise for humans. Human’s lost a place to walk and speak with God as in the garden temple. To understand the Book of Revelation and God’s purifying action is to understand Genesis 1 through Genesis 3. God needs to remove the curses of darkness from the earth. Why? God speaks of a place on a new earth of where his people will join with him forever. The curses that Adam introduced need to be cleansed so an eternal temple can exist.

To know why there needs to be a new earth, Genesis 3 explains the curses. Throughout the Bible, it explains why Christians need new bodies. There are many moments where God displays his justice, but why? By studying the Old Testament books, we can gain an understanding of many instances where God displays his justice. The Bible repeats many plagues and disasters found in Revelation. The New Testament books explain the power of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. Christians, we already won and defeated Adam’s curse through Christ. Amen!

Adam and Eve had a place of paradise, then lost it. From the fall of darkness, curses came. The curse now afflicts the earth. Let’s turn to Genesis 1-2 to understand the purity the earth had with a temple. This will not be a verse by verse analysis.

Point 2: Genesis 1 to 2 shows a perishable paradise

Genesis 1:

Before the creation of the world, God was there. God the Father, God the son as seen in Jesus Christ, and God the Holy Spirit always existed in the one being of God. These three divine persons of God, who share the same essence without division, decided before the creation of the world to save some people from darkness. God did this, knowing Adam and his children would rebel. This is called the Covenant of Redemption, as the Trinity will save some humans from the curse of darkness and evil. A covenant is an agreement with rewards and consequences. The reward is God saves humans lost in the sea of darkness with no other hope. If the Trinity cannot provide salvation, no one can find deliverance from darkness. See John 17:1-5, John 17:24, Ephesians 1:3-6, and 1 Peter 1:17-21.

What does this have to do with the creation of the world and the fall? God has a plan to show his divine nature through revealing attributes of himself while cleansing darkness away.

Genesis 1:1-2:

God exists, deciding to save his people and care for them, but has he created anything yet? Nothing exists yet. God, in his infinite power from his divine attributes, speaks the planet earth and the universe into existence. Is this creation ready for humans to live in and thrive? No. There is no light, food, seasons, and other elements needed for humans to survive.

Genesis 1:3-23:

God speaks from his power, creating more. Instead of creating something out of nothing, God creates something where something already exists. During the process of creation, God creates seasons with plants, fish and animals, light sources in the sky, stars like the sun, and protections around the planet. The sun that provides light to Earth is deadly without certain protections. Humans cannot thrive without certain protections surrounding the Earth. God designed humans with the need for a specific environment to thrive. Humans need enough light from the stars, farmland to grow food, clean water, clean air, and resources to make clothes, among other items. In God creating earth’s environment, God reveals his care as he put Adam and Eve into a comfortable place to live. Everything for humans to thrive exists. The curse of darkness still allows humans to thrive, but it is more difficult now. Creation of the world takes 5 24-hour days.

Genesis 1:24-2:25

God finished creating the world and the universe in 5 24-hour days. Then God creates Adam and Eve on day 6. On day 7, God rests in Genesis 2:2-3. Humans can thrive because God’s creating actions are complete, with a sustainable place to live. God puts natural patterns in place, like a season of rain, to a season with more sun. Why? Plants need water and the sun to grow. The plants will feed the animals and humans. The sun keeps the oceans, seas, other bodies of water warm enough for the fish to live. Animals and humans eat the fish to survive. God created a paradise for humans to live in for many generations, with no rebellion against him.

Why does God rest? God is infinite, so a rest is not required, as God cannot lose strength. Then why the rest? Look at Revelation 1:10 with Acts 20:7 and 1 Corinthians 16:2, Exodus 16:26 with Exodus 16:29 and Leviticus 16:31 and Leviticus 23:3 and Deuteronomy 5:10-16. The references provide a pattern starting in the creation week. God rested to create a day for his people to rest. There is a day devoted to God to hear his teaching taught through the Bible while avoiding distractions. For further information, please review Remember the Lord’s Day by Peter Masters and Getting the Garden Right by Richard Barcellos.

The Garden of Eden is a place for humans to live. Adam had instructions from God to cultivate the land and tend to the Garden of Eden. The garden is to be ruled over by Adam in Genesis 2:15. A gardener today rules over the land by cultivating it and tending to it. Adam is no different. See God speaking with Adam in a place with no darkness. There is a meeting place between God and humans. The garden is acting as a garden to feed any humans there and a temple to fellowship with God.

Notice God is speaking to Adam without going through Christ. Adam lacks any rebellion and darkness against God, allowing him to meet with God. Adam will fall, like creation. Creation and Adam are corruptible. After the fall, any human needs a mediator in Christ to approach God. Why? Every human is born in rebellion against God as each lies. See Romans 3 with Psalms 58:3. Through Christ, God’s people will become incorruptible from darkness along with the earth.

In Genesis 2:16-17, God provides an agreement with Adam, not with Eve. Remember, God puts this agreement in place before creating Eve in Genesis 2:17. This agreement is called the Covenant of Works. There are other names for this agreement like the Covenant of Life or Creation Covenant. God instructs Adam to live in the Garden of Eden and eat from every tree except one. This was the one thing Adam was not to do. God forbids Adam from eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. This agreement says eat and enjoy the garden, and you shall live, Adam. If Adam does this one thing that is forbidden, death will come and you will die. Adam’s performance is all that is required to keep this covenant. This is the only covenant that has a human keeping it. God’s grace upholds all the other agreements. Humans after Adam cannot please or submit to God. The fall into darkness removes this ability. God needs to care for his people through his grace, which is a gift from God. See Romans 8 and Ephesians 2:7-8.

God creates Eve in Genesis 2:18-25. Eve does not receive her name Eve until Genesis 3:20. This explains why Eve is called the woman until after the fall, like in Genesis 3:12. The instructions for tending the garden and the covenant of works apply to Adam. When Eve ate from the forbidden tree, nothing happened. Why? The covenant of works applies to Adam, not Eve. Part 2 of this subject will explore this further.

Many object, saying there is no agreement in Genesis 2. God gives Adam a task in the Garden to cultivate it. Along with gardening instructions, God makes a covenant with rewards like enjoy life with nourishing food and the consequence of you will die, Adam. Genesis 2 provides a picture of an agreement with simple conditions. If there is no agreement, then Adam could not fall into darkness. Why? There is nothing to violate as in an agreement. Genesis 3 points to something being violated, with curses being applied. Remember, Genesis 2 explains instructions with at least a reward and a consequence. Again, many object, saying there is no agreement in Genesis 2. What of it? Genesis 2 defines a simple agreement with rewards and consequences. A term, as in a specific word, does not need to be in a passage for an idea or event to occur. Many want the word covenant or agreement to be in Genesis 2. If the word is not there, many will reject that the concept is there. This is no way to read a Bible.

To understand the Bible well is to be sensitive to how God wrote the Bible. Some want the word agreement or the word covenant in Genesis 2 to affirm there is an agreement. God does not have to write in this way, as he is free to express himself in the way he wants. No person is God’s counselor. God describes through words the creation of the world, the making of Adam, then describes an agreement. Genesis 2 is clear that God communicated instructions with rewards and consequences for Adam to keep. Either Christians receive how God wrote the Bible, or Christians can fight the Bible by putting traditions and expectations over the Bible. God is ruler and king with his freedom over humans, so God can communicate in this way. Christians, do not make God to be your equal. Humans are not the same as God, but lower than him. God is king over all humans! See 1 Timothy 6:13-16 and Revelation 17:14.

What does this outline have to do with the End Times? Humans have lost the garden paradise and the garden temple. Each human needs to find a place with no curse of darkness while having restored fellowship with God. It is easy to speak about events of death, of war, of famine, and of plagues. If this is the Christian focus, it shows a focus on death and darkness. How? There is a sick fascination with darkness and its consequences. Why is it a sick focus? Instead of being focused on sharing Christ through words, many Christians focus on how billions of humans will die and meet God’s justice. Yet, these same Christians will not share Christ’s free forgiveness of evil through words. The over focus of timelines becomes the Christian’s great delight. Once the Christian stops sharing Christ with words and devotes themselves to the timeline, this Christian has gone too far. Yes, there is a place to understand a general timeline as God presents one through an unclear outline of end times. Unlike Daniel 9, that states vague ideas then explains vague ideas, Revelation does not. If a Christian has the time to understand the general ideas of Revelation, and share Christ with words, then there is no issue. Ends times should bring Christians joy, since the ultimate defeat of darkness is complete. Christians will go home to be with God forever. Before that, remember Matthew 28:16-20. The church has the mission to share Christ through words and be outstanding students of the Bible as in learning every part over a lifetime.

Point 3: Genesis 3 shows the consequences of Adam breaking the covenant

Genesis 3:

At the beginning of Genesis 3, a new cunning creature is in the garden. Satan comes into the Garden. Unlike other animals that Adam could rule over with his intelligence, Satan is more intelligent to tempt humans. Genesis 3 and other places never explain the reason for Satan being in the garden. Everything that happens, whether good or bad, is by God’s will. God decrees everything to occur, yet tempting no one. If bad happens, it is a human or other creature like Satan deciding to act against God with hostile motives. If anything, God limits dark actions raising from evil motivations. The good news is God made a covenant to save rebellious humanity before the creation of the world. His ways are not like ours. God’s decree and understanding is unsearchable and wise. Please see Genesis 50:19-21 with Genesis 37, Ephesians 1:11 with Psalms 147:5 and Isaiah 40:28 and Romans 11:33, James 1:13.

For whatever reason, the fall into darkness in the garden is starting. Satan is in the garden and then found Eve. The Devil says to Eve, “Has God really said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” Eve explains she is free to eat from any tree, but from the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the middle of the garden. Satan replies to the woman in Genesis 3:4-5, you will certainly not die and God knows you will know both good and evil. In Genesis 3:6, Eve fell into the temptation and ate from the forbidden tree. Nothing happened. Remember, God made an agreement with Adam only. When Adam ate from the forbidden tree, Adam and Eve knew good and evil. In Genesis 3:7, they realized they were naked and made clothing out of leaves to cover their waists.

Remember, Genesis is a book where you have to read with care at a slow pace, as the details can be vague. Other books of the Bible explain details as bright as day compared to the darkness of night. Throughout the Bible, details on many subjects come through repeating themes. Genesis starts with minor details that lead to the End Times. God responded to Adam’s rebellion like He to darkness in the End Times. In response to darkness, God acts with his justice. God will remember his people through salvation. Despite God’s justice, God will still care for his people. Amen!

After the one bite from the fruit of the forbidden tree, the world changed forever. This small seed is the start of the End Times. Why? The darkness consuming a fallible yet perfect creation, humans’ rebellion against God, and God showing his justice throughout history all start here. All of Adam’s children will inherit this dark and cursed nature, making every mind to be full of evil. Dark actions from humans come from a dark mind. God has to respond with his justice. No external standard compels God to respond with his justice. God’s nature does. Praise be to God for agreeing in a covenant to save some. Without compulsion from evil humanity or anything else, God, out of his love and his grace, saves. God’s grace solves Adam’s problem that will keep spreading until Christ’s return. After Christ’s return, there is no more spreading of darkness. See Revelation 21 to 22, Habakkuk 1:13 with Psalms 19:2 and Psalms 5:5.

Let’s turn to Genesis 3:8-19.

Genesis 3:8-15 speaks about the changes in Adam and Eve. Notice, again, God is in the Garden to speak with Adam. As darkness entered the world, changing it, there are obvious changes. Adam blamed Eve for darkness entering the world instead of appealing to God’s mercy and grace. The woman, who is Eve, blamed Satan, as Satan brought temptation to her. Both Adam and Eve should have taken responsibility asking God for salvation, knowing God’s goodness. Adam and Eve knew God’s goodness. God cursed Satan. Satan will go on his belly, eating dust. As Satan stays on the belly, Satan will strike Christ’s ankle. In return, Jesus Christ crushes Satan’s head, ending him and the darkness introduced into the world. Satan, with other rebelling angels, will go to a place of torment in the lake of fire. See 2 Peter 2:4-7 and Revelation 20:10.

God designed Adam and Eve to make children. Adam and Eve had no human parents. Anyone after Adam and Eve should leave their parents to become one with the opposite gender. There is only male and female to join with. The body has gender built into it and how it functions. See Genesis 2:22-24.

Males and females who are in good health have unique body parts visible at birth. Anyone looking will know the gender. Darkness can distort this distinction. Male can mimic being female while female can mimic being male. Darkness in the mind cannot change functions in the body. The Gospel of Christ restores a proper distinction. How? God explains through his word what male and female are with different roles.

Genesis 3:16 reveals the effect of darkness on Eve and any woman after Eve. A woman is someone who has the body parts to grow children inside a womb after the body develops to a certain point. Women have breasts to feed a newborn and a young child. A woman’s body has these instructions to guide the body when the body functions normally. The body has built-in female instructions since conception. Providing medical surgeries to make a male to have female functions does not make this person a woman. To have children after the fall is now a painful process when giving birth. See Genesis 2:22-24.

Adam is a male. A male is someone who has the body parts to get a woman pregnant inside her womb. After development into a male who is in good health, he can create many children with a woman. The male body has instructions that guide it in how it should function. Male instructions exist in the body since conception. Providing medical surgeries to make a woman to have male functions does not make this person a male.

Verses 17 to 19 in Genesis 3 reveal Adam’s curse. Before the darkness entering the world, the descriptions provided in Genesis show a place of comfort and ease for humans to thrive. There are lush plants growing to feed Adam and Eve, of which Adam, at least, is the caretaker. After the fall, the lush garden turns into a harsh land. The land to meet with God is gone. Where it would be easy to grow food, now other plants like thorns, prickly plants, and weeds will grow. To grow food is now difficult. Adam and his children will have to go to great lengths to grow food to survive.

Adam and Eve and their children could have stayed in the garden meeting with God while being in comfort. The temple garden is gone, but will return.

Let’s turn to Genesis 5:28-29.

Lamech fathered Noah in Genesis 5:28-29. There is hope that Noah would help bring comfort from working with cursed ground. This is a repeat of Genesis 3. After Adam and Eve’s death, the ground remained cursed and challenging to cultivate for crop production. Even today, producing food is difficult, as many things have to go right to grow healthy crops in a large amount. What is the solution? Christ needs to remove the curse on the earth and the curse on the human body. Through Christ, God will remake the earth and provide new bodies to his people only after displaying his justice.

Point 4) Revelation 21 reveals a heavenly country as God’s people’s home

Let’s turn to Revelation 21:1-7 to see God creating a new world free of darkness.

Verses 1 through 2 speak of the earth and heavens being recreated. The purity and holiness of God fills this heavenly country as a recreated earth and heavens. The heavenly country is full of God’s people. Christ alone saves his people from the fall into darkness until His return. The corruption of darkness will not be here, so the cursed ground is gone. The seas are gone. This may mean no oceans, or no seas, or no large bodies of water, or all these options. All of God’s people will have a new body freed of darkness and its curses. Somehow, God’s people with new bodies and God, being spirit, dwell together. What humans see and touch today is not like this place. It is a special physical place with unique features. Why is God doing this? God is creating a place where his people are together with him forever. The temple garden has returned. See Genesis 2:24, John 4:24, 1 Corinthians 15:38-48, Hebrews 11:12-16, and 2 Peter 3:10-13.

Verses 3 through 7 speak of God dwelling with his people in his temple. Notice how this language reflects God’s agreement between himself and Israel. Often, God speaks about his holy dwelling place when interacting with Israel. See Exodus 29:45-46, Leviticus 26:11-13, and Psalms 114. Why? Israel foreshadowed the New Covenant, as found in the Book of Hebrews. The New Agreement starts after Christ’s death and resurrection. Please take some time to study the Book of Hebrews with John Gill’s commentary and John Owen’s commentary for further information. God declares to his people that He is with them forever, with no darkness. God removes death, crying, illness, moaning, and pain by doing away with the first earth and heavens. The Garden of Eden is a picture of paradise that fell into darkness. Each Christian has an imperishable seed of salvation. Christ, being the word, is the imperishable seed living in the soul of his people through any age. Only Christ can defeat darkness and all its consequences. Rejoice that Christ is the defence against corruption of darkness and a repeat of the garden of Eden. This place gets better. God rewards his people with this place. Why? Instead of being a servant or a slave of God, all of God’s people are his sons and daughters forever. This shows a profound, caring relationship with God forever. God cannot reject his people, who he holds in his hand. See Isaiah 65:17, Isaiah 66:22, John 10:28-29, and 1 Peter 1:22-25.

Point 5: A Return to a heavenly Temple with God forever

The point of Revelation 21:1-7 is returning to a paradise with a temple. Yes, the garden of Eden by its design is a place where God could speak and fellowship with Adam and Eve and their children. The Garden of Eden is corruptible. Yes, it is comforting to know death and pain are gone. It is better to know that there is an incorruptible temple for God’s people. The first temple fell, the second one is superior where God dwells without end with his people. Christ accomplishes all this and defeats darkness in the heart of his people through his death on the cross. Amen!

Let’s review the points in this outline.

1) The Bible explains Revelation.
2) Genesis 1 to 2 shows a perishable paradise.
3) Genesis 3 shows the consequences of Adam breaking the covenant.
4) Revelation 21 reveals a heavenly country as God’s people’s home.
5) A Return to a heavenly Temple with God forever

This outline is part 1 of 2 to understand how the garden is a temple that fell into darkness. Adam’s actions cursed God’s creation and all his children. Outline 1 focused on the physical aspects of a place to live in an earthly home and a heavenly home. Outline 2 will focus on the spiritual aspects of the temple in the garden and its recreation. Both parts need to be understood together to see the fullness of Christ’s Gospel, as this is the climax of Revelation.