Introduction to How We Know God
GOD’S CREATION OF HUMANITY
In the beginning, God created the heavens and earth.
(Gen. 1: 1)
God created man (Gen. 2: 7) and called him Adam.(Gen. 5: 2)
God took a rib from Adam and created a help meet, and Adam named
her Eve. (Gen. 2:22)
GOD PROVIDED EVERYTHING FOR HIS CREATION
God planted a garden eastward featuring the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. God placed Adam there in the garden to dress and keep it. The garden provided all pleasant, edible fruit trees, with a river to water the garden. After leaving the garden, the river divided into the Pison, Gihon, Hiddekel, and Euphrates Rivers (Gen. 2: 8-17).
STIPULATIONS FOR LIVING PRODUCTIVELY AND BLESSED IN THE GARDEN
God told Adam that he could eat of all the trees in the garden except the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil located in the middle of the garden. (Gen. 2: 17). If Adam did eat of this tree, then he would die. It should also be noted that the Tree of Life was also in the middle of the garden, but God had not told Adam that he could not eat of this tree. Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden to cultivate, keep, and protect the garden (Gen. 2: 15).
WORLD’S FIRST SIN THROUGH DISOBEDIENCE
Satan, the Father of Lies, god of this World, Accuser of God’s children, Devil. . . lied to Eve and talked her into eating of the forbidden fruit. She gave unto Adam and he ate (Gen. 3: 6). They realized their disobedience immediately (Gen 3: 7). They were cast out of the garden before they ate of the Tree of Life (Gen. 3: 23-24).
As God had promised, they would die a physical death, and their bodies would return to the dust of the ground from where it had come. Their souls would be returned to God for Him to deal with as He chose (Eccl. 12: 7).
HOW DOES ADAM AND EVE’S DEATH AFFECT US?
Adam and Eve were the first created humans. The sin nature that they initiated would alter their lives, place them under the bondage of sin, and passed this sin nature onward through their genes!
(Romans 5: 12) (1 Cor. 15: 22) (Romans 5: 19) (Romans 3: 23) (Romans 6: 23)
The same consequences Adam and Eve experienced are in effect for all of God’s Creation today. All of Creation must now be redeemed back to the Creator according to the Creator’s purpose, procedure, and plan! As in Adam, all humans would in turn become disobedient (Romans 3: 23) and sinful to God and face the same fate; both a physical and spiritual death (Romans 6: 23) (1 Cor. 15: 22). Physical death is easily understood. We have all experienced this in our lives. Spiritual death is something, however, most people know very little about it. Spiritual life relates to one’s soul.
God introduced the soul when He breathed into Adam, and he became a living soul (Gen. 2: 7). The soul is eternal and will live someplace eternally. Therefore, at the time of Adam’s death, his physical body would return unto the dust of the ground. Adam’s spiritual soul would be returned to God from where it came (Eccl. 12: 7).
The question, therefore, arises as to how to exercise the penalty of disobedience on the “eternal soul”?
WAR IN HEAVEN
In Revelation 12: 7-9, the Bible declares there arose a revolt of the angels in heaven led by Satan, sometimes referred as the Dragon as well as other names. Satan and one third of the angels were cast out unto the earth. God’s remaining army of angels were led by Michael the Archangel, known as Commander and Chief Prince.
Satan was cast out unto the earth with knowledge that in the future his final abode would be a special place created by God, Himself. This new special place would be Hell (Matt. 25: 41). Hell would also become the future home of all people’s souls who would reject God’s Holy and Righteous Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus the Christ would fulfill the plan of redemption for redeeming God’s Creation back to the Creator. (Matt. 25: 41) (John 3: 8) (Rev. 20: 15) (2 Thess. 1: 8-9)
A PLAN FOR REDEMPTION FOR CREATION
Nearly 2000 years ago, God the Father sent Jesus Christ the Son to be born of a virgin, live a sinless life, and died on a Roman Cross on a hill called Golgotha. Christ died between two thieves a physical death as did the thieves. However, what was so excruciating was that Christ also died the spiritual deaths for the entire number of people who had or would ever be born. Regardless of who they were or what they had done, Christ died for them all; past, present, and future!
(1 John 2: 2) (Isaiah 53: 5-6) (John 3: 16) (Romans 5: 8) (Roman 6: 23) ( Cor. 15: 3) (Galatians 2: 20) (1 Timothy 1: 15)
Jesus Christ’s Kingdom is not of this Earth (John 18: 36).
The nonthreatening, painless, no hardship life in Jesus Christ as the reward for following Christ is not here on Earth in our lifetime.
Although the Christian’s greatest glorified life lies ahead in heaven (John 3: 16), life here with Christ is one filled with wonders and mysteries (Col. 1: 26-27), unspeakable love (2 Cor. 9: 15), inner peace that passes all understanding (Phil. 4: 7), an awesome presence of great inward power (Phil 4: 13), and an abiding Presence that never leaves one feeling alone (Matt. 28: 19-20). How Great Thou Art!
We Christians have a hope that the world cannot see; a desire to please One we have never met; go to a place that we have never been and see things that have never been imaginable in our minds; this is the Place that God has created for His children, including me (1 Cor. 2: 9).
WHERE IS HEAVEN AND WHERE IS HELL?
Maybe because the first Heaven was blemished by War in Heaven among the angels, or for many other reasons unknown to mankind, there is going to be a New Heaven and a New Earth (Rev. 21: 1). The Bible states that the former heaven and earth will have passed away (2 Pet. 3: 10-12). Secondly, and most importantly is that I know, without a doubt, that I will be there for eternity with Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, who has forgiven me of my great and many sins (Micah 7: 19) (Hebrews 8: 12) (1 John 5: 13). Most undeservedly, but filled with God’s Spirit, I also know that at some future time, Jesus Christ will present me along with millions of other people, holy and without blame with exceeding joy, to His Heavenly Father (Jude 1: 24). This presentation will be based solely on the “Merits” of Christ’s virgin birth, His sinless life, and sacrificial death on the Cross of Calvary. His life in turn was given freely for a lost and dying world. Three days later, the omniscient and omnipotent King of Kings and Lord of Lords arose from the dead. His presence at the right hand of the Heavenly Father guarantees the finality of God’s Redemptive Plan to “seek and save that which was lost” (Luke 19: 10). Until that time, the Bible declares in (John 10: 27-29) that His children will never perish and that no one can pluck us out of His Father’s hand. (Jude 1: 24) (Colossians 1: 22) (Hebrews 10: 24).
WHO WILL BE IN HEAVEN AND WHO WILL NOT BE THERE?
The Bible states that God is not slack in His promise to return for His children and take them to be with Him (John 14: 1-5). He is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Pet. 3: 9). This repentance would be available through Christ’s sacrificial death on the Cross at Calvary. Those refusing Christ’s sacrificial sin payment would be delegated to Hell after judgment to pay their sin debt themselves (Romans 6: 23) along with Satan and his angels for whom Hell was created (Matt. 25: 41). The choice is clear. The sin debt must be paid. It should be noted that Hell has already been created and has had to be enlarged to accommodate those dying and entering there (Isaiah 5: 14) (Matt. 7: 13). Why would people reject Christ to end up living in Hell eternally in excruciating pain? The Bible states in (2 Corinthians 4: 4) that the god of this world (Satan, Father of Lies, and many other names) has blinded the “minds”, lest the Light of the Glorious Gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God should shine through unto them.
Our hearts are the core of our being. We are to guard our hearts (Proverbs 4: 23) because everything “that is who we are” is recorded in our souls originates from our hearts. We are told to put on the Whole Armor of God on to protect us (Ephesians 6: 13). This is reading and learning Scripture to help us deal with daily problems to help us see and survive the strategies of the Accuser (Psalms 119: 11). Our minds control us. I remember when my father developed dementia and early stages of Alzheimer’s. He had a brilliant mind with a master’s degree plus. However, as this disease progressed, he lost more of his controlled thought. While visiting him one evening, he told me that he had seen a train go by the house. (no tracks near us). His mind was playing tricks on him. However, to him it was real! It was there in his mind! Therefore, I know how a “mind that has blinded characteristics reacts to life situations”. As time progressed, when he and I would spend time together, we talked about life in his world; his world as he saw it in his mind!
HOW CAN I BE SURE THAT GOD WILL SAVE ME?
Regardless of how old or how bright and successful we are, we are no match for the Father of Lies, Satan, Accuser of God’s Children. The Bible speaks the truth. Time is about over for mankind. Judgment is nearer than we think (1 Thessalonians 5: 2-4) (2 Peter 3: 10) (Revelation 16: 15). My favorite scripture is (2 Pet. 3: 9). God is longsuffering, not willing that any should perish! Grand Court on the World’s Scene is about to be called to order (Hebrews 9: 27). Subpoenas will not be needed. Everyone will be there (2 Corinthians 5: 10). I am worried about some people who are so special to me. Read this seriously. Life is coming to an end. Remember, none of us deserve to go to heaven. I, more than anyone, have the most to be ashamed of. Yet, I know, without a doubt, that I am forgiven (1John 5: 13). John writes, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God (Jesus Christ) so that you may KNOW that you have eternal life”! I know this. I don’t think or hope so. . . I KNOW! This is my testimony for those seeking God, (Romans 10: 9-10) “That if thou shall confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in thy heart that God hath raise Him from the dead, Thou shall be saved”! (John 6: 37) . . . and him that cometh unto Me, I will in no wise cast him out. (Rev. 21: 27) . . . Nothing defiled will enter heaven, but those whose names are found in the Lamb’s Book of Life. I know my name is there in the Lamb’s Book of Life. I Know this! The Bible states that we cannot be saved anytime we choose, but when God is drawing us (John 6: 44). When you read the Bible, ask God to listen to you. He will. God says, “I will in no way cast you out if you come unto Me”. Give Him a chance. Often God speaks in a still small voice. Listen carefully. (1 Kings 19: 12). (Hebrews 11: 1)) Faith is the substance of things hoped for but not seen. (Hebrews 11: 6) Without faith, it is impossible to please God. We must believe that God is who He says He is! I would love to answer what questions that I could and share what He has done for me. Anytime, anyplace.
Sower's Field by L. Michael Schoonover 