You want the good life?
Well here is good news! God wants you to have the good life too! Listen to what God says,
We live in a divided world. Our world is divided by differences in religious beliefs...
It is divided along ethnic and racial lines, by age - the so-called generation gap,
by cultural and educational backgrounds, by sexual differences and preferences...
It is divided by different political philosophies and governmental regimes...
It is divided in more ways than we care to imagine.
Most of these differences are a matter of choice. Although our race and sex is not a matter of choice, our attitudes and the divisions caused by them are. And though most do not have a choice in the cultural, political and religious philosophies they are brought up in, our life and beliefs are still full of choices.
2000 years ago Jesus came into a world dominated by the Roman Empire. He began preaching the gospel - the good news - of the Kingdom of God (Mark 1:14). The multitudes welcomed His message because the Jewish nation at that time was living under the oppressive rule of Roman occupation. They were occupied by foreign soldiers, had excessive taxation, were abused and had little religious freedom. The Jewish religious authorities themselves added many restrictions and rules ("traditions of the elders" - Mat 15:1-3,6-9) of their own as well as submitting to the abusive authority of the Roman rulers. In short, much of their freedom of choice was taken away. Jesus' message gave them hope.
In nations that enjoy a high degree of freedom of choice the tendency is to take those freedoms for granted without considering the consequences of those choices.
We all have to make many choices every day - choosing constantly between various thoughts and courses of action. What shall I wear today? What shall I eat - healthy food or junk, after all it does affect your health? What should I believe? Should I accept the status quo and believe what I was taught or should I check out other possibilities? Should I conform or should I rebel? What about following the crowd and trying drugs or premarital sex? It's your life and your choice!
Many of our choices may not have life or death consequences, but some choices do!
In Genesis chapter 2, God used two trees to illustrate the two most consequential choices we have to make on a daily basis (Gen 2:9,16-17; Deut 30:15-20): One, the tree of life, represents God's way of "life and good" - blessings - the fruits of Gods Spirit and Word (Gal 5:22-23). The other, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, represents man's knowledge and deciding for himself what is good or evil - the way of death and evil - curses (Prov 14:12) - the lusts and fruits of the flesh or carnal mind with the lust of the eyes and pride of life (Rom 8:5-9,13; Gal 5:16-21; 1 John 2:16). All of mankind's problems result from choosing this way (see "Mankind's Greatest Experiment").
| The Two Trees - Choices (Deut. 30:15,19) | |
|---|---|
| Tree of Life - God's Way Gen. 2:9; Prov 3:13-18; 11:30; Rev. 22:2 |
Tree of the Knowledge of Good & Evil - Man's Way Gen. 2:17; Gal 5:17-21 |
| Jesus chose this way John 5:30; 15:10; 6:30-35,44,63 | Satan tempts man this way Gen 3:1-6; 2 Cor 4:4; Eph 2:2; John 6:64; 8:44 |
| God's Way of Righteousness & Giving Mat 4:4; 5:19; Psa 119:172; Acts 20:35; Rom 8:32 |
Decide for self what is good or evil Jud 21:25; Prov 14:12; Rom 8:5-7 |
| God's Commandments, Statutes, Laws & Judgements lead to life and good Ex 20...; Deut 5...; Mat 19:16-22; Rev 21:6-7; 22:11,14 |
All mankind chooses fruits & way of the Flesh Rom 3:10-23; 5:12; 1 Cor 2:9-14; Gal 5:16-21; James 4:1-3; 1 John 2:16; Jude 11 |
| Way of Blessings & Eternal Life - Gifts & Fruits of God's Spirit & Word Deut 28:1-14; Rom 8:1-6,10-11; 1 Cor 12:1-11; Acts 5:32; Gal 5:22-23; 1 John 3:1-3; Rev 21:3-7 |
Way of sin & death - Cut off from God & Eternal Life Gen 3:22-24; Lev 26:14...; Eze 18:4; Rom 6:23; Rev 21:8; 22:11,15 |
The first man, Adam, and his wife, Eve, the mother of all living (Gen. 3:20), after having been taught by God Himself, were allowed to make their own choices. God told Adam about the two trees and his choices in the Garden, the way of the "tree of life" and the way of the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil." And in His love, God commanded them not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, warning them that if they did, they would surely die (Gen. 2:9,16-17). However, just like most people today, they were not really fully convinced that what God had taught them about the consequences (fruits) of choosing their own way - the way of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil - was true. When they were allowed to be tempted by that fallen cherub, who rebelled against God and became Satan the devil and appeared as the serpent,(Gen. 3:1-6; Rev. 12:9), they were enticed by what the serpent said:
"...through one man (Adam) sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned" (Rom. 5:12).
Can we see the effects of our choices today? Unfortunately, we seldom realize that many of our actions are life and death choices. Why? Because the effects of wrong choices are not always immediate (Ecclesiastes 8:6-11).
"Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil" (vs. 11).Adam and Eve did not die immediately physically, they lived a long life, but they did die as God had warned (Gen 5:5). And because they were cut off from the tree of life, they became dead spiritually from that very day and brought on themselves the sentence of death (Gen 2:17, 3:22-24; Eze 18:4; Rom 6:23; 1 Cor 2:11,14; Eph 2:1) Our tendency is to do what we want or think is good for us and then learn the consequences the hard way. As the proverb says,
"There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death" (Prov. 14:12).
Choosing the way of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is choosing to decide for oneself what is right or wrong (good or evil) - in place of what God says is right or wrong (Mat. 4:4). God's word is a tree of life (Prov. 3:1-18; Mat. 19:17). God warned Adam that choosing the way of the tree of human knowledge - ignoring God's instruction and deciding for oneself what is good or bad - choosing what makes you feel good at the moment - is the way that leads to sin and death. The spiritual law says,
"The soul that sins shall die" (Ezekiel 18:4).
Choosing our own way - whether its what we think is right or what we desire - over God's way is rejecting the tree of life and God's gift of the Holy Spirit, which we need to guide us to understand truth and discern the difference between good and evil, right and wrong (Gen. 2:17; John 14:26; 16:13).
Why do we make the choices we do, and Why does man reject God's way and His spiritual gifts?
God's Word gives the answer. Our carnal (fleshly) mind, with its ego or pride, is blind to spiritual things and cannot see it's need for the guidance of God's laws and Spirit, which are represented by the tree of life.
God created the human brain (the mind - intellectual level of the brain; and the heart - emotional level of the brain) with all its unique and awesome abilities to learn, think, reason and be creative and with complex emotions above all the animal kingdom. When God created man and gave him dominion over the earth and all the animal kingdom (Gen 1:28), God also put within man's mind the "spirit of man," which imparts unique intellectual reasoning and creative abilities above animals:
"For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of man which is in him?" (1 Cor. 2:11).
But even with the addition of the spirit of man to the human mind, which makes us superior to the animals, the human mind and heart were still not complete. Our human brain is far more complex than man's most sophisticated computers. But the Human Mind needs God's Divine Operating System (HM-DOS) to function properly. God's Divine Operating System, which is the knowledge of God's law and the Holy Spirit, was not innately installed into the human mind and heart when it was created. They must be installed after birth through a process of learning and free choice. Our natural carnal (fleshly) mind or brain lacked the qualities from God produced by the tree of life. Listen to what God inspired the apostle Paul to write in the New Testament:
In the beginning God revealed Himself to man, but "...when they knew God, they [honored] Him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations; and their foolish heart was darkened..." (Rom. 1:21)
See also what God revealed through the prophet Jeremiah in the Old Testament:
"O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his steps. O Lord correct me, but with justice; not in Your anger, lest You bring me to nothing"(Jer. 10:23-24).
This self deception of human nature is clearly demonstrated in the various philosophies and religions of man.
On one end of the spectrum is the philosophy of secular humanism which discounts the existence of God or anything supernatural and looks to human reason to explain everything and to solve all human problems. Many agnostics, atheists, rationalists and skeptics embrace this philosophy.
At its best, the Council for Secular Humanism, in a declaration of beliefs, claims to be "explicitly committed to democracy and opposed to all varieties of belief that seek supernatural sanction for their values or espouse rule by dictatorship." They formulated principles to counter oppressions to freedom of thought by dogmatic authoritarian religions and totalitarian governmental regimes. They give credit to their philosophy and science for the emancipation of hundreds of millions of people from the exercise of blind faith and fears of superstition, and view dogmatic authoritarian religions and cults of unreason and bizarre paranormal and occult beliefs, such as belief in astrology, reincarnation, and the mysterious power of alleged psychics, as standing in the way of solutions to the world's most serious problems.
Their principles include free inquiry and free exchange of opposing opinions to discover truth. They espouse man's science and scientific beliefs, yet they reject all knowledge that might be associated with a supernatural God or Creator - apparently because of the tyrannies of man's false or hypocritical religious movements.
They believe that moral development should be cultivated in children and young adults, but deny that morality needs to be deduced from religious belief or that those who do not espouse a religious doctrine are immoral. For secular humanists, ethical conduct is, or should be, judged by critical reason, and their goal is to develop autonomous and responsible individuals, capable of making their own choices in life based upon an understanding of human behavior - that is deciding for themselves what is right or wrong - good or evil - apart from God.
Secular humanists find that traditional views of the existence of God either are meaningless, have not yet been demonstrated to be true, or are tyrannically exploitative. They find insufficient evidence for the claim that some divine purpose exists for the universe and reject the idea that God has intervened miraculously in history or revealed himself to a chosen few or that he can save or redeem sinners. They believe that men and women are free and are responsible for their own destinies and that they cannot look toward some transcendent Being for salvation. They reject the divinity of Jesus, the divine mission of Moses, Mohammed, and other latter day prophets and saints of the various religious sects and denominations nor do they accept as true the literal interpretation of the Old and New Testaments, the Koran, or other allegedly sacred religious documents, however important they may be as literature.
They see that religions have made positive as well as negative contributions toward the development of human civilization, having at their best, encouraged the spirit of love and charity, but have also caused human suffering by being intolerant of those who did not accept their dogmas or creeds and being at times fanatical and repressive, narrowing human hopes, limiting aspirations, and precipitating religious wars and violence. Though religions have offered comfort to the bereaved and dying by holding forth the promise of an immortal life, they have also aroused morbid fear and dread. They have found no convincing evidence that there is a separable "soul" or that it exists before birth or survives death and therefore conclude that the ethical life can be lived without the illusions of immortality or reincarnation. They believe human beings can develop the self confidence necessary to ameliorate the human condition and to lead meaningful, productive lives.
Secular Humanism believes the scientific method, though imperfect, is still the most reliable way of understanding the universe and man's place within it - though they are not so naive as to believe that reason and science can easily solve all human problems. They recognize that human beings are prone to err, and are aware of, and oppose, the abuses of misapplied technology and its possible harmful consequences for the natural ecology of the human environment, and are open to the modification of their principles, including those governing inquiry, but are opposed in principle to any efforts to censor or limit scientific research without an overriding reason to do so.
They commend the great benefits that science and technology (especially basic and applied research) can bring to humankind, but also recognize a need to balance scientific and technological advances with cultural explorations in art, music, and literature.
Though they admit that the theory of evolution cannot be said to have reached its final formulation, or to be an infallible principle of science, they deplore the efforts by religious fundamentalists (especially in the United States) to invade the science classrooms, requiring that creationist theory be taught to students and requiring that it be included in biology textbooks and consider this a serious threat both to academic freedom and to the integrity of the educational process (see "10 Questions to Ask Scientists and Atheists About Evolution").
The conclusion is that secular humanistic reasoning places trust in human intelligence rather than in divine guidance and believes human beings are responsible for their own destinies (see "Mankind's Greatest Experiment").
On the other end of the spectrum and perhaps an even more subtle and maybe more diabolical aspect of the enmity of the natural human mind against God is that brought out by some of those inclined to strong religious beliefs. Man's religions have been fraught with a multitude of contradictions as observed by the secular humanists. Many people have been murdered and martyred in the name of religions and many so called "Christian" nations have gone to war against one another seeking divine guidance from the same god.
There are hundreds of distinctly different denominations of "Christianity" in the world today. How can so many different beliefs come from one book, the Bible? The truth is, many of the different beliefs of traditional Christianity and Judaism do not come from the Bible. Religious leaders often use the Bible to give themselves credibility while teaching for doctrines their own beliefs or "traditions of men" (Mat 15:1-3; Col 2:8). The same can be said of other religions including the Islamic religion and the Quran.
Why did God give man the freedom of choice (Deut. 30:19) if the consequences of sin and rejecting of God's way are so horrible and tragic? Why have all humans made wrong choices (Rom. 3:10-23)? Why was man made mortal, subject to death (Gen, 3:19)? What is lacking in our human minds that make us incomplete?
The answers are revealed in God's purpose for creating man. God's plan and purpose for man is a mystery to the world (Eph 3:9-11)!
God (O.T. Hebrew, "Elohim", N.T. Greek, "Theos") is the Almighty Creator. God created the angels (Heb. 1:7) and "God created the heavens and the earth" (Gen. 1:1). The natural man does not know God because "God is Spirit" (John 4:24), not limited by the properties on matter and energy. And "God is Love" (1 John 4:8), that is God's character as revealed by Jesus Christ (Heb. 1:3).
Because of God's great love and desire to share that love, God planned to expand the God Family and create children after the likeness and character of God (Gen. 1:26; Eph. 3:14-19).
Look in Genesis 1:26 and Hebrews 2:5-12. We were created to become God's spirit born sons - sons of God - created in His likeness to inherit eternal life (Mat. 19:28). But first we must develop the holy righteous character of God - that is to come to know and learn to discern the difference between good and evil and learn to choose the good, God's way of righteousness and LOVE ("agape", a spiritual quality - Rom 13:8-10; 1 Cor 13), which is the way of eternal life, over evil - even in the face of great temptations to do otherwise (Hebrews 5:14; Mat. 4:1-11; 5:48).
Developing character requires freedom of choice - Choices of the Mind (intellect) and Choices of the Heart (feelings and emotions). God gave man the freedom to choose between right and wrong, good and evil, the freedom to learn, think, believe and do what we want. Many, especially young people, operate at the level of feelings and emotions and their life is a pursuit of whatever makes them feel good. This is not all bad, but they are easily tempted to lie, steal, do drugs, immoral sex, join gangs and even murder to feel good rather than to learn and obey God's laws which would fulfill their desires without unwanted consequences (Psalm 37:4). These are choices between good and evil - life and death!
God created man ("man" meaning mankind including male and female) in the image of God (Gen 1:26-27; 5:1-2), but man was made mortal with free moral choice, subject to corruption and death (Rom 8:20-21; 1 Cor. 15:35-50) for the purpose of developing the holy (pure) righteous character and love of God (Lev. 19:2; Mat 22:36-40; 1 John 4:8).
Even before mankind and the earth were created, God knew that man, with free moral agency, would make wrong choices. And God knew what would be required to redeem man from corruption and death and He knew the grief (Isa. 53:3-4; Mk. 3:5) He would have to endure just as parents do in seeing their children suffer when they choose to do wrong. But His love is so great that He will not take away man's freedom of choice. God planned from before the foundation of the world for the Messiah (Jesus Christ - 1 Pet. 1:13,18-21) to come and give His life to save man from their wrong choices - from sin, thereby demonstrating the greatness of His Love (John 15:12-13; 1 John 4:9-10 - see "Mystery of Salvation" and "Passover...The Beginning of Salvation"
Many will say, "What's so bad about a little sin?" What really is sin? What effects does it have?
The Bible defines sin as "the transgression of the law" (1 John 3:4).
The original Greek word in the New Testament for sin is "hamartano," which means to miss the mark, to err, to deviate, missing the true goal and purpose of life. To miss the mark or deviate is like driving down the road and running into the ditch or heading for a special destination and never getting there. The law is designed to help guide us to keep us on the road toward our destination, so that we will arrive there safely. Our true purpose or goal in life should be to seek eternal life in the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Mat. 6:33)
Jesus gave examples of missing the mark in Matthew 7:13-14 when He said,
Another biblical definition of sin is "...whatsoever is not of faith is sin" (Rom. 14:23).
What does that mean?
Faith is a word meaning to believe. It is primarily used in the Bible in reference to believing in God and the Word of God, which includes the law of God. So we could say, "Whatsoever is not of, or according to, faith in God and His law is sin," because it is or leads to a transgression of the law.
Faith - belief and trust in God and His instructions - is necessary for making right choices. Trusting in ourselves or in man and man's knowledge, beliefs, theories and ideas will lead to making wrong choices, which lead to death (Prov 14:12).
Some claim to know and believe in God, but reject His law. But the apostle John wrote,
"Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, 'I know Him,' and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him" (1 John 2:3-4).
Paul adds, "For by the law is the knowledge of sin" (Rom 3:20).
"...I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness except the law had said, 'You shall not covet.'" (Rom 7:7).
James, the brother of Jesus, adds to the definition of sin:
"...you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that. But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin" (James 4:17).
What is good? The apostle Paul writes, "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (Rom 12:21). Good, therefore, is the opposite of evil and God's law defines what is good and evil.
Jesus summarized the good we should do in what is called "The Golden Rule,"
"Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets" Mat. 7:12).
Now if sin is the transgression of the law, then, what is the law? In the Old testament, the first five books are called the books of the law (Lk 24:44). This includes the ten commandments and the statutes and judgments which God taught Adam and Eve in the beginning and again to His servants including Noah, Abraham and Moses and gave to Israel on Mount Sinai (Gen 26:5; Ex. 20; Deut 5; 2 Pet 2:5).
In the New Testament, when a rich young ruler came to Jesus and asked Him, "What good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?" Jesus told him,
In what is called the sermon on the mount in Matthew 5, 6 and 7, Jesus taught His disciples some of the requirements and laws of the Kingdom of God. He said to them,
Jesus then went on to expound the spirit or intent of the law in greater detail.
Later Jesus summed up the law in the two great commandments, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind... And...you shall love your neighbor as yourself"
(Mat. 22:37,39; Deut 6:5; Lev 19:18).
The apostle Paul reiterated what Jesus taught:
Paul, in another epistle, further expounds on the meaning of love.
The truth is God's laws, commandments, statutes and judgments tell us what we are doing wrong or what we are not doing that is right to love and honor God and our fellow humans.
Because Jesus came to establish the new covenant, some, calling themselves Christians, have assumed that the Laws of the Old Testament were done away. But Jesus said,"Think not that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill..." (Mat 5:17).The essence of the New Covenant is the Law!
"This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,
"Then He adds, 'Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more" (Heb 10:16-17; see also 8:7-12 and Jer 31:31-34).
Why, If God is love, does He allow Satan and his demons, spirit beings who turned evil, to tempt humans? Did God create Satan and the demonic beings?
Before God created the earth and mankind (Job 38:4,7), God created angelic beings for the purpose of helping prepare the earth for man (Eze. 28:13-14) and to serve as,
"ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation" (Heb 1:7,14).But one of the three great archangels, whose name in Hebrew was Heylel (from halal, meaning brightness, to shine, boast, be foolish, rave - mistranslated Lucifer, Isa 14:12), who with one third of the angels under his charge (Rev 12:3-4,7-9) was placed over the earth to help prepare it for man, became jealous that God was going to make man to rule over him (1 Cor 6:3; Heb 2:5-8). He began a rebellion to thwart God's plan (Isa 14:13-14). He said in his heart:
He became the adversary of God and man, called Satan (1 Pet 5:8; Rev 12:9), who deceives and entices man to sin through pride - the exalted ego of believing oneself to being like or equal to God (Gen 3:5). Self-exaltation of undue pride is the most subtle of sins and the antithesis of God's character.
Because of Satan's sin, God saw that He could use him to test and perfect man's character. The book of Job is the story of how God used Satan to test Job's faith and humble his pride to perfect his character (Job 1:9-11; 38:1- 42:1-6).
Though God, in His love, does not want us to be ignorant of Satan's evil intents and subtle cunning devices to destroy man by causing him to sin (2 Cor. 2:11; 11:3,12-15; 2 Pet. 5:8). God gives us many warnings in His Word, the Bible, but how many believe what it says about Satan and his demons? (See "Take Heed...Be Not Deceived!").
Just as Adam and Eve began the first human experiment in the garden of Eden ("Mankind's Greatest Experiment"), mankind has continued Adam and Eve's experiment. What can we learn from it?
When Adam and Eve sinned, they hid themselves from God. The Lord God sanctified (set apart for His holy purpose) the seventh day as a Sabbath (rest) day for man (Gen 2:3; Mark 2:27-28) to come down to be with His children to fellowship with, teach and encourage them (1 John 1:3-4). But after Adam and Eve sinned they hid themselves because they were afraid (Gen. 3:6-10). When God confronted them they did not repent, so He revealed His plan of salvation to them (ver. 15). They choose to do things their own way, but little did they understand the sweat and toil and grief they would have to endure - though God had told them (Gen. 3:16-19). Now they had to be put out of the garden, that God in His joy prepared for them in Eden (Eden is a Hebrew word meaning pleasure and delight), to prevent them from eating of the tree of life without repentance from that time into the future (Vs. 22-24).
Cain and Abel learned what had happened. Abel believed God and offered a sacrifice of the firstlings of his flock showing he had a humble and repentant attitude and understood that he needed a Savior (Isa 66:2; Heb. 11:4). Cain didn't believe. He made an offering of the fruit of the ground, but God rejected his offering, because Cain would not obey. Cain became angry at God and was jealous of Abel and he slew his brother (Gen 4:3-8; 1 John 3:12).
That civilization before the flood grew and multiplied and filled the earth, but only a very few believed and obeyed God accepting the gospel of God's plan of salvation. The whole world then became corrupt and evil and corrupted God's way on the earth... (Gen. 6:5,11-12).
But Noah, a just man and perfect in his generations who walked with God, found grace in the eyes of the Lord. God warned that society for 120 years through Noah (Gen. 6:3; 1 Pet. 3:19-20; 2 Pet. 2:5), but they perished in the flood because they believed not and rebelled against God. They ignored the message and knew not until the flood came because none were willing (they chose not) to repent and believe the gospel (Mat. 24:39; Mk. 1:15). Only Noah, his wife and three sons and their wives survived from the preflood world (Heb. 11:7).
What is the destiny of those who lived before the flood? Will they have an opportunity for salvation? Does God have a plan for them? (See "God's Holy Day Plan - The Promise of Hope for All Mankind"
After the flood Noah continued to preach righteousness and Shem's line after him was chosen to teach God's way on the earth (Heb. 11:7; Gen. 9:26-27).
But as people multiplied again on the earth, leaders rose up who rebelled against God's ways (Gen 10:8-12. The Lord (Hebrew "YHVH," translated "Yehovah" and "Jehovah" - meaning The Eternal) had to come down and confound their languages and scatter them abroad over the face of the whole earth to put down the despotic government and rebellion (Gen 11:3-9) started by Nimrod - so that God's laws could continue to be taught for God to accomplish His purpose for mankind.
Nine generations later, God called Abraham to leave his father Terah's household and kindred in Mesopotamia (Gen 12:1-4; Acts 7:2-4). His father's family had become idolaters following the false gods and religious cults started by Nimrod (Baal) and his sister/wife Ishtar (Ashteroth - Josh 24:2; Judges 2:13; 10:6). God called Abraham to teach His laws and His message of salvation as a blessing to all mankind (Gen. 18:19; 26:5). God made a covenant with Abraham promising national greatness for his offspring and also that the Savior, the Messiah, would come from his seed (progeny) (Gen. 22:18; Gal. 3:16-17).
But first, to test Abraham's faith and obedience, God told him to take his promised son Isaac to the land of Moriah on one of the mountains God would show him (located in Jerusalem where later Solomon built the temple, 2 Chron. 3:1), and offer him there as a burnt offering. When Abraham did all that God had told him to do and did not withhold his son from Him, God stopped him and provided a ram to offer instead of his son (Gen. 22:1-14). And God confirmed His covenant with him on that day (Gal 3:17). Isaac became a type for the offering God would make of His first born Son, Jesus Christ, when He was crucified some 1900 years later on Passover, the 14th of Nisan in 31 A.D.
God desired to make Abraham's children through Isaac and Jacob (whose name was changed to Israel) a great nation - a kingdom of priests - as a blessing to the world to demonstrate and teach His laws and ways (Gen. 18:17-18; Ex. 19:3-6).
Exactly 430 years later - on that very same day (Ex. 12:40-42) - beginning the Passover feast of Unleavened Bread, God delivered several million of Abraham's descendants out of Egyptian slavery to make them a great nation as He had promised (Gen 15:13-16).
In the third month after delivering Israel out of Egypt through Moses - on the Day of Pentecost (Feast of Firstfruits) - God made a covenant with promises of great blessings to Israel. The Lord God personally came down on Mount Sinai (Ex. 19:20) and gave them His law, His commandments, statutes and judgments, which the people agreed to do (Exodus chapters 19 through 24). And He restored to them His Sabbath and gave them seven annual prophetic feasts (the Hebrew word translated "feasts" is "moed" meaning appointed times, appointments - times to assemble before God - Ex. 16:4-5,22-27; Lev. 23) - Holy Days - to reveal God's plan of salvation for all mankind in which they were to play a major role.
Israel was to be God's firstborn, His model nation (Ex. 4:22). The proposition God made with them included the covenant laws of the Kingdom of God, "the perfect law of liberty" (James 1:25; Deut 4:1-14), the same laws Jesus kept and taught as He expounded their spiritual intent and meaning (Mat. 5, 6, 7).
Israel became a type and forerunner of the New Testament church, the church of the firstborn (1 Cor. 10:1-11; Heb, 12:23).
Israel had everything going for them. But incredibly, even after all the miracles and blessings that God poured out on Israel, they began rebelling against their God...just days after the miracle of crossing of the Red Sea (Ex. 15:22-26; 16:2-4,27-29). And again right after the Lord Himself came down on Mount Sinai and gave them His commandments. When Moses went up on the mountain of God for 40 days, they turned back to the pagan idolatry of Egypt (Ex. 32:1-6). Then again, when God was about to take them into the promised land flowing with milk and honey, they rebelled and would not go (Deut. 1:21-33).
Because of their rebellion and unrepentant attitude, God led them for 40 years in the wilderness until all those who rebelled died there without seeing the promised land. Though they were fed with manna and their clothes never wore out during those 40 years, that generation was not willing (never had the heart) to repent, nor did they perceive or understand and acknowledge their attitude of rebellion and sin (Deut. 1:34-45; 2:14; 29:2-6; 31:27-29).
God, in His love and mercy, fulfilled His covenant promises to Israel, despite their rebellion. They reaped the fruit of their ways - the blessings when obedient and curses when they rebelled - just as God had told them (Lev. 26; Deut. 28; Isa. 3:10-11; Jer. 17:10). God interceded for them time after time when they cried out to Him in repentance in their distresses brought on by their rebellion.
The history in the Old Testament chronicles the lessons of Israel and other nations as they obeyed God's commands and when they rebelled.
"Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted" Those lessons "...were written for our admonition, on whom the ends of the ages have come" (1 Cor 10:6,11) that we should learn to choose the way of life and blessings and not death and curses.
Because of their continual rebellion against God, the people of Israel and Judah were eventually allowed to be taken into captivity and scattered among the nations for many years. A remnant was allowed to return to Jerusalem and rebuild God's temple (Jer. 25:11; Ezra 1:1; 6:1-22; Dan. 9:1-19) to prepare for the first coming of the Messiah (Mal. 3:1; Mat. 11:10).
When the Messiah did come, the religious leaders had Him killed. When Jesus came into the temple, the chief priests and elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching. He answered them in parables. In the parable of the wicked vinedressers He related the history of Israel's rebellious leaders against God.
The apostle Paul expressed great sorrow for Israel of his day for most rejected the Messiah (Christ) when He came to them.
What will be the destiny of those Israelites who rejected the Messiah at His first coming? More than a million died in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. and the rest were scattered among the nations. Will they have an opportunity for salvation? Does God have a plan for them?
The history of mankind and the Bible make it abundantly clear that the way of man without God, is the way of sin, evil and death and every curse imaginable. We are all suffering the results of our wrong choices and sins as well as the effects of the cumulative sins of all mankind since Adam. We all know that we shall die, though many still believe the original lies of the immortal soul that Satan foisted off on Eve (Gen 3:4-5). But God's Word says,
"but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, their hatred, and their envy have now perished; nevermore will they have a share in anything done under the sun" (Eccl. 9:5).
Does that mean that all are without hope? NO! God has a master plan for the salvation of all mankind (Isa. 45:18-22).
Jesus came "preaching the gospel (good news) of the Kingdom of God" (Mk. 1:14). He said,
And He came to demonstrate God's love and redeem us from the curse of our sins by taking the curse or penalty on Himself (Gal. 3:13). Jesus did not condone our sin or do away with the law, but He suffered for our sin and condemned sin by His own suffering in the flesh (Rom 8:3).
The Lord (Jehovah) God of the Old Testament became the Messiah (the Anointed King and High Priest) by humbling Himself and becoming the firstborn Son of God the Father, born of a woman (Philippians 2:5-11), fulfilling God's laws and becoming a sacrifice to pay the penalty for the sins of us all - making it possible to forgive our sins when we repent so that we could then have access to the tree of life and grow in righteousness as begotten sons of God (Rom. 5:6-11; Eph 1:3-14).
When the apostle Peter preached to the multitude on the Day of Pentecost, "they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, 'Men and brethren, what shall we do?'" (Acts 2:37).
Peter answered them,
The choice is yours! You can continue in the way you are going and reap the consequences, or you can listen to God and take Him at His word. It is your choice whether you take advantage of what God offers or not. God will not force His blessings on anyone against their will.
What if you do not take God's offer?
That puts you in the same position as those who before the flood were unrepentant and died in the flood; and those who after God delivered Israel from Egypt would not repent and died in the wilderness and did not enter the promised land; and those in Christ's time who rejected the Messiah and many (more than a million) were destroyed at the destruction of Jerusalem and the rest scattered among the nations. "For many are called, but few chosen" (Mat. 20:16; 22:14)
There will be much weeping and gnashing of teeth (Mat. 8:11-12), but take heart, God will not be denied. He does have a plan for you (see "The Hope of the Resurrection"). He will give you another chance, but it will not be in the first and better resurrection (Heb 11:35; Rev. 20:4-6). God says He "is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance" (2 Pet. 3:9).