From the
Beginning
1 In contrast
with mythological legends and with ancient Greek speculation about spontaneous
generations or Platonic conceptions that assign the source of life to an
impersonal essence designated ‘Supreme Goodness’, the Bible describes
the origin of all existence as the deliberate design of a Creator who cares
for his creation. This book integrates the writings of the prophets of Israel and the disciples of Jesus, in 66 historic and prophetic interrelated texts, that
illustrate God’s guiding principles and the progress of his design
for mankind throughout the centuries. The apostle Peter writes about its
significance for all Christians, and says: "... we did not
declare the presence and powerful works of our Lord Jesus Christ by invented
tales, for we personally were ocular witnesses of his
greatness... But we have in the prophetic word the most reliable
confirmation, and you will do well to pay attention to it, like a lamp
shining in a dark place until the day dawns and the light glows in your
hearts. However, first of all you must understand that no
prophecy of Scripture comes from a personal interpretation, because no
prophecy ever came by the will of man, but men spoke the message
of God impelled by holy spirit”. (2Peter 1:16..21)
2 The first
book of the Scripture is known as ‘The Genesis’ or the ‘Beginning’, because
it’s first words are: “In the beginning God created the Heavens and the
Earth...” (Genesis 1:1) establishing thus the origin of our
universe.
This book was
frequently quoted by Jesus, since it discloses why was redemption an essential
requirement for mankind, and gives therefore, a sense to the whole prophetic
message and to the final conclusion of God’s purpose. In its initial chapters,
Moses states logically and briefly, the main steps the planet went through in
order to support life, highlighting the goodness of all God’s creation. (Genesis
1:31) He reports that man and woman were created physically fit, morally
righteous and free to act as they choose, but always in harmony with the
responsible authority granted by God, when he said: "Let us make the man
in our image, (obviously, moral image) after our likeness, and let
them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of skies and
all the animals...” (Genesis 1:26)
3 Moses also
describes the garden planted in Eden by the Creator, as a place rich in all
fruits man may need for food, and says that God "... took the man
and put him in the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it...” (Genesis
2:15) The garden became then man’s dwelling place, but not his property.
This fact represented an archetype of what property involves, and an important
provision for the serene rapports of a human society bound to grow; for God
said: "Be fruitful and...fill the Earth...” (Genesis
1:28)
What's more,
the man and the woman had to understand and accept for their own sake, that
life comes only from God, and keeping it, depends on respecting the
moral principles established by him over all his creation. For this reason, God
said: “You may freely eat the fruits of every tree in the garden, but you
must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for in the
day you eat of it, you will surely die”. (Genesis 2:16..17)
4 God granted
man a great freedom, and gave him only one command. Obedience gave him the
opportunity to prove his gratitude and trustworthiness and to enjoy a life
without death, and. Acknowledging God as the only moral authority over
his creation, he granted the human society a growth based on righteousness and
justice, and the transmission of life without congenital death.
It should
then be obvious that the acquisition of the knowledge of good and evil could
not imply the gain of deep wisdom or any other valuable attribute. The Hebrew
word translated here as 'knowledge', usually describes a close bond, a
deep intimacy with something or somebody, so in this context, it may only point
to a deep relationship of a subjective mentality with the
comprehension of what is morally right and what is morally wrong. Man’s
intent to obtain this kind of knowledge, would express a desire to establish
what is morally good and what is morally evil by himself, rejecting the
Creator’s authority over his creation, and this attitude would imply a
rupture with the only one who can create life from inexistence
and sustain it; thus, God made clear to man that an illegal
use of his freedom could also bring him death.
5 At this
point, the account introduces someone who instigated man to disobedience and
altered human destiny. Some words, symbolically said to the king of Tyro,
reveal his personality and rank. Ezekiel writes: "You were
a signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in
Eden, in the garden of God... you were a Cherub
anointed for protection... you were perfect in all your ways from the day
of your creation until unrighteousness was found in you; your abundant
traffic filled you with injustice, and you erred... your heart became
conceited by your beauty and your wisdom was corrupted by your splendor...” Then he is
told: “...now you will no longer live forever”. (Ezekiel
28:12..19)
6 The apostle John
identifies this Cherub as “…the ancient serpent, named Devil
and Satan, who is deceiving whole humanity", (Apocalypse
12:9) because questioning the legitimacy of God’s authority
over the free will granted to his children, this ‘serpent’ went to the
woman and asked: "Did God say: 'You shall not eat of any tree in the
garden'?” And when she answered: "We can
eat the fruits of all the trees in the garden, but of the fruit of the tree
which is in the midst of the garden, YHWH said: don’t eat of it, don’t touch
it, because you will die..." and disallowing God’s advise, he stated: “you will
not die. God knows very well that the day you eat of it, your
eyes will be opened and you will be like God in the knowledge of
good and evil..." (Genesis 3:1..5)
7 The apostle
Paul declares that "... the serpent seduced Eve by his cunning..." (2Corintihians
11:3) but "...Adam was not deceived..." (1Timothy
2:14) And yet, he joined the revolt. For this reason, Jesus says of Satan: “…he was
murderer from the beginning and did not stay in the truth because
there is no truth in him; when he lies, he speaks what’s inside him, for he is
a liar and the father of lies”. (John 8:44) The
father of lies involved humans in his vindication of an independent subjective
appreciation of what is morally good and what is morally evil, but which were
his reasons? Isaiah reveals them when he writes: “You said in
your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven, above the stars of God, I will
set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far
north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself
equal to the Most High!’” (Isaiah 14:13..15)
8 During his
vision of the establishment of God’s Kingdom, John saw the symbolic 'serpent' as "a great red
fiery dragon", whose “tail swept down a third of the stars (or angels) of heaven, and cast
them to the Earth…" (Apocalypse 12:3..4) So Satan did not
only implicate in his design the first God’s earthly children, but also many of
the angels of his spiritual realm, who supported him in a controversy that
could only be answered by the evaluation of its final outcome. The Scripture
shows how he also tried to involve Jesus, offering him immediately and in
contrast with God’s purpose, the power and the glory of all the kingdoms in the
world, and reminding him the right granted by the assignment held in the
beginning, he said: “…it was given to me and I give it whom I want…” (Luke
4:5..6) For this reason, as John wrote, it may be truly said that "... the
entire world lies under the power of the Malignant..." (1John:19)
And Paul confirms John’s words, writing: “... in fact,
we don’t have a fight against flesh and blood, but against the governments,
the authorities and the cosmic powers of this darkness, that is, against the
evil spiritual forces that inhabit the heavenly realms". (Ephesians
6:12)
9 After their
disobedience, the break up of humans with their Creator was immediate; the Scripture
says: "... their eyes were opened and... the man and his wife
hid themselves from the presence of YHWH among the trees of the garden...” (Genesis
3:7..8) It was the first time they felt naked and strangers in that garden,
that they left back to follow their own way of life.
God foretold
the result of their behavior, when he told them: “In the sweat of
your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you
were taken. You are dust and to dust you shall return". (Genesis
3:19)
As Paul
writes: "…through the first man, sin entered into the world,
and through sin, death spread to all men, for all
inherited sin". (Romans 5:12)
10 Since the
beginning, human administration is in continual experimentation, endlessly
providing laws for the safeguard of its peculiar moral concept of what is right
and what is wrong, but in spite of this, the world has never enjoyed a really
long lasting period justice and peace.
King Solomon
understood men’s inability to rule themselves with the righteousness that
provides justice and tranquility, because wrote: "...all
this I have seen, and I applied my heart unto every work done under the sun, in
the time man rules over man to his harm“. (Ecclesiastes
8:9)
And in fact,
God offers his adversaries a large period of time, long enough to expose the
result of their rule over mankind, openly and unquestionably. But the apostle
Paul writes, that creation "... was not submitted to futility by
its own will, but because of the one that committed transgression", so it may
still maintain "...the hope of being emancipated from slavery to
corruption (death), and participate in the glorious freedom of
God’s children", (Romans 8:20..21) When the time
comes, God will favor humanity through Christ administration, and in that day,
God “... will dwell with humanity… and they shall be his people; God
himself will be with them, he will wipe away every tear from their eyes and
death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any
more, for the former things have passed away". (Apocalypse
21:3..5)
11 However,
before this time comes, man must choose to return to God by faith in the
redemption provided by Christ’s offering. Paul says that "the
salary for sin is death...", (Romans 6:23) and
because of inherited sin, "man born of woman lives for few days and
full of trouble. He comes forth like a flower, and is cut down. He too flees
as a shadow, and does not continue...", (Job 14:1..4) “...his breath
approaches the grave, and his vitality, the destroyers (worms)”. (Job 33:22)
It is a fact
that all men are born to die and they cannot by themselves, change their
destiny. For this reason, in God’s sight, they are all dead. Jesus confirms
this when the man he invited to follow him, told him: "Lord, let me wait
until I bury my father", and he said: “Follow me and
let the dead bury their dead". (Mathew 8:21..22)
We read in the Psalms that “…no man can ransom himself, or offer God the price
of his life, for the ransom of life is so precious that he can never meet the
requirements, and go on living for ever without considering the grave.
He has to see
that the wise men die like the fool and the stupid, all men must perish and
leave their wealth to others…” for man “is like the beasts that perish… Like
sheep, they are appointed for sheol; Death shall be their shepherd, straight to
the grave they descend and their form wastes away. Sheol shall be their home”. (Psalm
49:7..14)
12 And yet
somewhere else, we may read: “...If there be for him an
angel mediator, one of the thousand to show man the rectitude for him, and
having pity on him, said, 'Deliver him from going down into the grave, I have
found a ransom; let his flesh become fresher than in his youth! Let him return
to the days of his youthful vigour!' Then man would pray and be accepted by
God, he would feel his presence with joy, and his justice would dwell in him”. (Job
33:23..28)
Adam’s
descendants could not recover the righteousness he lost, but God didn’t leave
humanity without hope, and when the time came, he “...demonstrated us his
love by sending to the world his only son, so that we may reach life
through him. For we didn’t love God, but he loved us and confirmed his love
by sending his Son as expiatory sacrifice for our sins”. (1John
4:9..10) For the ransom of mankind, God chose among all his faithful realm,
his first-born, who giving up his life in heaven and “...the glory
he had before the world came to be", (John 17:5)
came to men as a man.
To describe
his attitude, the apostle Paul quotes the Scripture, and writes: "Christ
says (to the Father): ‘You did not want
sacrifices and offerings, but You prepared for me a body. You did not
take pleasure in burnt offerings and sin offerings, so I said: 'Here I
am, I have come, O God, to do your will, as it is written
of me in the roll of the book". (Hebrew
10:5..7)
YHWH sent
then his messenger to Mary, a young woman from the family of king David of
Jerusalem, and he announced to her that she had been chosen to bring God’s
Messiah or Anointed into the world. She accepted and said: "I am the
servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word”. (Luke
1:38)
And the
Creator of life transferred the life of his first-born to Mary’s womb, and she
gave birth a boy she called, as the angel said, Yahushua (Jesus), that is, 'Yahuh is
salvation’. (Luke 1:31..35)
Therefore and
according to his origin, Jesus could truthfully declare: "Before
Abraham was, I existed". (John 8:58)
13 The apostle
Paul wrote: "God sent his Son, who was born from a woman and under the
Law…” (Galatians 4:4) As a Jew, Christ was under the Law
given to Moses, so he had to obey it in spirit and deeds; for this reason
he said to his disciples: "Do not think that I came to abolish
the law and the prophets; I have come, not to abolish them, but to
fulfil them. For truly, I say to you that heaven and earth shall pass away,
but not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished”. (Matthew
5:17..18)
During his
life, Jesus never "...committed transgression, neither was in his words
deceit..." (1Peter 2:22) and being born free of sin, he
legally owned a life free of death, for the law said: “You ought to keep my
statutes and my ordinances, the man that fulfils them, shall live
because of them”. (Leviticus 18:5) But the
Messiah, remaining loyal to his father design, offered his perfect life to
redeem all men, and he did it legally, in perfect obedience to the Law.
The Law
stated that those under slavery for their debts, (just like mankind is in
slavery to death because of sin) could be redeemed by a brother or by their
father’s brothers and relatives, (Leviticus 25:47..48) and also, that
the compensation to be offered in a redemption, had to be equivalent
in everything to the debt. (Deuteronomy 19:21) And Jesus, having
God for father, could be considered Adam’s brother, (Luke 3:22 and 38)
and being free of sin, had a life equivalent in everything to the one lost by
the first man.
14 After his
resurrection, Christ entered "once and forever in the Holy Place
of the most perfect and greater tabernacle (heaven), not built by
the hands of men, that is, not of this creation, and took with him, not the
blood of goats and bulls, (as it was done in the Temple) but his own
blood, to secure us an eternal redemption”. (Hebrews
9:12..13) and "...after the purification of sins through the expiatory
sacrifice, he sat down at the right side of The Majesty, on the highest of
heavens, and acquired a nature superior to angels, as superior as his
responsibility on the position he received...” (Hebrews
1:3..4)
Since then, “...the faith in
the redeeming power of his blood, is the base (prefigured by the cover
of the Arch of the Covenant) on which God, through his mercy, may offer
justification” or rectitude to men. (Romans 3:25)
Because, if “...by one transgression, the sentence was extensive to all
men, by one act of justice, the justification that gives life is
extensive to all men, and if by the transgression of one man, many
were made sinners, by the obedience of one man, also many are
justified". (Roman 5:18..19) Since "If death
came through one man, resurrection also comes through
one man, and in the same way that all men die by means of Adam’s
transgression, all men return to the life by means of
Christ”. (1Corinthians 15:21..22)
Paul writes: “Truly great
and merciful is the sacred secret that was revealed trough a body
that satisfied the requisites of the Law, that was manifested to angels in
spirit, was proclaimed among the nations, made himself known to the world and
ascended to the glory”. (1Timothy 3:16) And again: "Thus it is
written: the first man Adam was made a living soul, and the
last Adam, a life-giving spirit". (1Corinthians
15:45)
15 From the
beginning, God declared the purpose to redeem Adam’s offspring, and
announced his design with his, then mysterious, words to Satan: “...I will put
enmity between you and the woman, between your descendants and her descendants.
He shall smash your head and you shall bruise his heel”. (Genesis
3:15) This message foretold the intervention of the Creator in favor of
humanity, and starts what is called in Scripture, the sacred secret
of God, a “…sacred secret hidden since ancient times in
the prophetic writings, now disclosed by disposition of the eternal God, to be
made known to all nations, and bring them to the obedience of the
faith", (Romans 16:25..26) so that they may reach
the everlasting life that Christ made attainable for all mankind.
