Garden of Eden – Kanisa la Christadelphian huko Anderlecht

Essential Knowledge for the Baptismal Candidate #3 About Life and Death

avril 5, 2024 par Christadelphians, publié dans Almighty God, Bible text quotes, Jesus Christ - son of God, World events & environment

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Jehovah God Source and Giver of Life

We expect baptismal candidates to be aware that we are being given life because the Only True God gives us the opportunity to be here on earth. It is through Him that we live and move and can realize things.

“I have made the earth, man and beast that are upon the face of the earth, by my great power and by my outstretched arm; and I give them unto whom it seemeth right in mine eyes.” (Jeremiah 27:5 Darby)

“For of him, and through him, and for him [are] all things: to him be glory for ever. Amen.” (Romans 11:36 Darby)

“24 The God who has made the world and all things which are in it, *he*, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands, 25 nor is served by men’s hands as needing something, himself giving to all life and breath and all things;” (Acts 17:24-25 Darby)

“for in him we live and move and exist; as also some of the poets amongst you have said, For we are also his offspring.” (Acts 17:28 Darby)

“And Jehovah Elohim formed Man, dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and Man became a living soul.” (Genesis 2:7 Darby)

“7 How precious is thy loving-kindness, O God! So the sons of men take refuge under the shadow of thy wings. 8 They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou wilt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. 9 For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.” (Psalms 36:7-9 Darby)

“9 Who knoweth not in all these, that the hand of Jehovah hath wrought this? 10 In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the spirit of all flesh of man.” (Job 12:9-10 Darby)

Assignments for humans

The first man was created by Jehovah God, who expected them to name and care for all things, and to reproduce, so that the entire earth would be populated.

But God, who had given almost all the trees for the saturation of man, forbade the first man from eating the tree of knowledge of good and evil, otherwise they would know knowledge of good and evil, but also of death, and would definitely die.

“10 And God called the dry [land] Earth, and the gathering together of the waters he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. 11 And God said, Let the earth cause grass to spring up, herb producing seed, fruit-trees yielding fruit after their kind, the seed of which is in them, on the earth. And it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, herb producing seed after its kind, and trees yielding fruit, the seed of which is in them, after their kind. And God saw that it was good.” (Genesis 1:10-12 Darby)

“And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply on the earth.” (Genesis 1:22 Darby)

“26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the heavens, and over the cattle, and over the whole earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth on the earth. 27 And God created Man in his image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28 And God blessed them; and God said to them, Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the heavens, and over every animal that moveth on the earth. 29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb producing seed that is on the whole earth, and every tree in which is the fruit of a tree producing seed: it shall be food for you; 30 and to every animal of the earth, and to every fowl of the heavens, and to everything that creepeth on the earth, in which is a living soul, every green herb for food. And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning — the sixth day.” (Genesis 1:26-31 Darby)

“7 And Jehovah Elohim formed Man, dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and Man became a living soul. 8 And Jehovah Elohim planted a garden in Eden eastward, and there put Man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground Jehovah Elohim made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; and the tree of life, in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” (Genesis 2:7-9 Darby)

“15 And Jehovah Elohim took Man, and put him into the garden of Eden, to till it and to guard it. 16 And Jehovah Elohim commanded Man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou shalt freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest of it thou shalt certainly die. 18 And Jehovah Elohim said, It is not good that Man should be alone; I will make him a helpmate, his like. 19 And out of the ground Jehovah Elohim had formed every animal of the field and all fowl of the heavens, and brought [them] to Man, to see what he would call them; and whatever Man called each living soul, that was its name. 20 And Man gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the heavens, and to every beast of the field; but as for Adam, he found no helpmate, his like.” (Genesis 2:15-20 Darby)

Limited life

As a result of Adam and Eve (their sinning) going wrong, the curse of death has come upon humanity and all people including Jesus have a limited life and must all face pain and death.

No one can be sure of his or her life. Life is actually short or limited in duration, with pleasant moments alternating with less pleasant periods.

“For this [cause], even as by one man sin entered into the world, and by sin death; and thus death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” (Romans 5:12 Darby)

“For if by the offence of the one death reigned by the one, much rather shall those who receive the abundance of grace, and of the free gift of righteousness, reign in life by the one Jesus Christ:)” (Romans 5:17 Darby)

“but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest of it thou shalt certainly die.” (Genesis 2:17 Darby)

“And the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a pleasure for the eyes, and the tree was to be desired to give intelligence; and she took of its fruit, and ate, and gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.” (Genesis 3:6 Darby)

“And to Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened to the voice of thy wife, and eaten of the tree of which I commanded thee saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed be the ground on thy account; with toil shalt thou eat [of] it all the days of thy life;” (Genesis 3:17 Darby)

“In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, until thou return to the ground: for out of it wast thou taken. For dust thou art; and unto dust shalt thou return.” (Genesis 3:19 Darby)

“1 Man, born of woman, is of few days, and full of trouble. 2 He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down; and he fleeth as a shadow, and continueth not.” (Job 14:1-2 Darby)

“15 As for man, his days are as grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth: 16 For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone, and the place thereof knoweth it no more.” (Psalms 103:15-16 Darby)

Condition of the dead

By eating the forbidden fruit, man received the death penalty over him. After a life limited in time, man would die and the breath given by God would go out of the body and man, no longer aware of anything, would turn into dust and ashes. So at the end of our lives it is like the animals. Everything is over for us. We can then do nothing more, no longer think, and take nothing with us in our deaths. Everything, our thoughts, having and keeping us, will perish.

For everything we wanted to do it will be too late when we die. It is now, when we are on earth as living beings, that we must make it happen. Once we die, it’s too late. For us, there is the same outcome as for the animals.

“5 For the living know that they shall die; but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. 6 Their love also, and their hatred, and their envy is already perished; neither have they any more for ever a portion in all that is done under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 9:5-6 Darby)

“Whatever thy hand findeth to do, do with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in Sheol, whither thou goest.” (Ecclesiastes 9:10 Darby)

“His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his purposes perish.” (Psalms 146:4 Darby)

“For in death there is no remembrance of thee; in Sheol who shall give thanks unto thee?” (Psalms 6:5 Darby)

“And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto the necromancers and unto the soothsayers, who chirp and who mutter, [say,] Shall not a people seek unto their God? [Will they go] for the living unto the dead?” (Isaiah 8:19 Darby)

“[They are] dead, they shall not live; deceased, they shall not rise: for thou hast visited and destroyed them, and made all memory of them to perish.” (Isaiah 26:14 Darby)

“For not Sheol shall praise thee, nor death celebrate thee; they that go down into the pit do not hope for thy truth.” (Isaiah 38:18 Darby)

“19 For what befalleth the children of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other, and they have all one breath; and man hath no pre-eminence above the beast: for all is vanity. 20 All go unto one place: all are of the dust, and all return to dust.” (Ecclesiastes 3:19-20 Darby)

“All the fat ones of the earth shall eat and worship; all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him, and he that cannot keep alive his own soul.” (Psalms 22:29 Darby)

Life after death

Those who follow the Nazarene Jewish teacher Jeshua ben Josef or Jesus Christ have full confidence that that man of flesh and blood has given himself as a ransom to God so that humanity has been delivered from the curse of death. The followers of Jesus Christ can live with the hope of a similar resurrection as Jesus has already risen from the tomb.

After the last and greatest war, Armageddon, Jesus will call the dead from the memory graves to himself to judge them with the living. The resurrection of Christ Jesus is a guarantee and a testimony of victory over death.

“but we see Jesus, who [was] made some little inferior to angels on account of the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; so that by the grace of God he should taste death for every thing.” (Hebrews 2:9 Darby)

“5 For God is one, and [the] mediator of God and men one, [the] man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself a ransom for all, the testimony [to be rendered] in its own times;” (1 Timothy 2:5-6 Darby)

“as indeed the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28 Darby)

“28 Wonder not at this, for an hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs shall hear his voice, 29 and shall go forth; those that have practised good, to resurrection of life, and those that have done evil, to resurrection of judgment.” (John 5:28-29 Darby)

“having hope towards God, which they themselves also receive, that there is to be a resurrection both of just and unjust.” (Acts 24:15 Darby)

“And the sea gave up the dead which [were] in it, and death and hades gave up the dead which [were] in them; and they were judged each according to their works:” (Revelation 20:13 Darby)

“Thy dead shall live, my dead bodies shall arise. Awake and sing in triumph, ye that dwell in dust; for thy dew is the dew of the morning, and the earth shall cast forth the dead.” (Isaiah 26:19 Darby)

“because he has set a day in which he is going to judge the habitable earth in righteousness by [the] man whom he has appointed, giving the proof [of it] to all [in] having raised him from among [the] dead.” (Acts 17:31 Darby)

“20 (But now Christ is raised from among [the] dead, first-fruits of those fallen asleep. 21 For since by man [came] death, by man also resurrection of [those that are] dead.” (1 Corinthians 15:20-21 Darby)

Destruction of death makes an endless life possible

In our time, death is an inevitable thing. Unless the end of time in our system of life takes place, most around us will die. But because of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ that Jehovah God accepted as a sacrifice of guilt, a lifting of death is now possible for man. Under Christ’s Kingship government, people will be able to live together in peace and no longer fear death, for every tear will be erased from their lives and they will see no more death.

We should not be surprised if the end times are on our doorstep and people will rise from their memory graves, while others will be allowed to enjoy a life without end. All who are in the Book of life will be allowed as righteous to enjoy an endlessly peaceful life in the Kingdom of God in a renewed earthly paradise.

“28 Wonder not at this, for an hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs shall hear his voice, 29 and shall go forth; those that have practised good, to resurrection of life, and those that have done evil, to resurrection of judgment.” (John 5:28-29 Darby)

“5 For God is one, and [the] mediator of God and men one, [the] man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself a ransom for all, the testimony [to be rendered] in its own times;” (1 Timothy 2:5-6 Darby)

“as indeed the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28 Darby)

“[The] last enemy [that] is annulled [is] death.” (1 Corinthians 15:26 Darby)

“12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is [that] of life. And the dead were judged out of the things written in the books according to their works. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which [were] in it, and death and hades gave up the dead which [were] in them; and they were judged each according to their works: 14 and death and hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death, [even] the lake of fire. 15 And if any one was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:12-15 Darby)

“He will swallow up death in victory. And the Lord Jehovah will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the reproach of his people will he take away from off all the earth: for Jehovah hath spoken.” (Isaiah 25:8 Darby)

“I will ransom them from the power of Sheol. I will redeem them from death: where, O death, are thy plagues? where, O Sheol, is thy destruction? Repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.” (Hosea 13:14 Darby)

“54 But when this corruptible shall have put on incorruptibility, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall come to pass the word written: Death has been swallowed up in victory. 55 Where, O death, [is] thy sting? where, O death, thy victory? 56 Now the sting of death [is] sin, and the power of sin the law; 57 but thanks to God, who gives us the victory by our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:54-57 Darby)

“but has been made manifest now by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who has annulled death, and brought to light life and incorruptibility by the glad tidings;” (2 Timothy 1:10 Darby)

“but we see Jesus, who [was] made some little inferior to angels on account of the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; so that by the grace of God he should taste death for every thing.” (Hebrews 2:9 Darby)

“14 Since therefore the children partake of blood and flesh, he also, in like manner, took part in the same, that through death he might annul him who has the might of death, that is, the devil; 15 and might set free all those who through fear of death through the whole of their life were subject to bondage.” (Hebrews 2:14-15 Darby)

“And the devil who deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where [are] both the beast and the false prophet; and they shall be tormented day and night for the ages of ages.” (Revelation 20:10 Darby)

“13 And the sea gave up the dead which [were] in it, and death and hades gave up the dead which [were] in them; and they were judged each according to their works: 14 and death and hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death, [even] the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:13-14 Darby)

“9 After these things I saw, and lo, a great crowd, which no one could number, out of every nation and tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cry with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God who sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:9-10 Darby)

“But to the fearful and unbelieving, [and sinners], and those who make themselves abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part [is] in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone; which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8 Darby)

“The righteous shall possess the land, and dwell therein for ever.” (Psalms 37:29 Darby)

“But the meek shall possess the land, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of prosperity.” (Psalms 37:11 Darby)

An endless life for the righteous

For those who prove that they love the One True God and are obedient to Him, there is the beautiful prospect of an endless life after the return of Jesus Christ and the realisation of his kingdom. Then all uncertainty, pain and suffering, will be brought to an end and there will be plenty again for everyone, while there will be peace and security everywhere on earth.

“For the wages of sin [is] death; but the act of favour of God, eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23 Darby)

“and having been perfected, became to all them that obey him, author of eternal salvation;” (Hebrews 5:9 Darby)

“He will swallow up death in victory. And the Lord Jehovah will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the reproach of his people will he take away from off all the earth: for Jehovah hath spoken.” (Isaiah 25:8 Darby)

“37 But as the days of Noe, so also shall be the coming of the Son of man. 38 For as they were in the days which were before the flood, eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day on which Noe entered into the ark, 39 and they knew not till the flood came and took all away; thus also shall be the coming of the Son of man.” (Matthew 24:37-39 Darby)

“Jehovah keepeth all that love him, and all the wicked will he destroy.” (Psalms 145:20 Darby)

“The righteous [man] shall never be moved; but the wicked shall not inhabit the land.” (Proverbs 10:30 Darby)

“Overthrow the wicked, and they are no [more]; but the house of the righteous shall stand.” (Proverbs 12:7 Darby)

“In the path of righteousness is life, and in the pathway thereof there is no death.” (Proverbs 12:28 Darby)

“13 I saw in the night visions, and behold, there came with the clouds of heaven [one] like a son of man, and he came up even to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. 14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom [that] which shall not be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:13-14 Darby)

“And in the days of these kings shall the God of the heavens set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the sovereignty thereof shall not be left to another people: it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, but itself shall stand for ever.” (Daniel 2:44 Darby)

“But, according to his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwells righteousness.” (2 Peter 3:13 Darby)

“3 And his delight will be in the fear of Jehovah; and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears; 4 but with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. 5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his reins, and faithfulness the girdle of his loins.” (Isaiah 11:3-5 Darby)

“12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is [that] of life. And the dead were judged out of the things written in the books according to their works. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which [were] in it, and death and hades gave up the dead which [were] in them; and they were judged each according to their works:” (Revelation 20:12-13 Darby)

“1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea exists no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of the heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice out of the heaven, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God [is] with men, and he shall tabernacle with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, their God. 4 And he shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall not exist any more, nor grief, nor cry, nor distress shall exist any more, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:1-4 Darby)

“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.” (Isaiah 65:17 Darby)

“21 And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit thereof: 22 they shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree shall be the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.” (Isaiah 65:21-22 Darby)

“They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for terror; for they are the seed of the blessed of Jehovah, and their offspring with them.” (Isaiah 65:23 Darby)

“28 Wonder not at this, for an hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs shall hear his voice, 29 and shall go forth; those that have practised good, to resurrection of life, and those that have done evil, to resurrection of judgment.” (John 5:28-29 Darby)

“There shall be abundance of corn in the earth, upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon; and they of the city shall bloom like the herb of the earth.” (Psalms 72:16 Darby)

“The earth will yield her increase; God, our God, will bless us:” (Psalms 67:6 Darby)

“And the tree of the field shall yield its fruit, and the earth shall yield its increase; and they shall be in safety in their land, and shall know that I [am] Jehovah, when I have broken the bands of their yoke and delivered them out of the hand of those that kept them in servitude.” (Ezekiel 34:27 Darby)

“6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name is called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty *God, Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with judgment and with righteousness, from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of Jehovah of hosts will perform this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7 Darby)

“And many nations shall go and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths. For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and Jehovah’s word from Jerusalem.” (Micah 4:2 Darby)

“And they shall sit every one under his vine, and under his fig-tree; and there shall be none to make [them] afraid: for the mouth of Jehovah of hosts hath spoken [it].” (Micah 4:4 Darby)

“8 Come, behold the works of Jehovah, what desolations he hath made in the earth: 9 He hath made wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariots in the fire. 10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. 11 Jehovah of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our high fortress. Selah.” (Psalms 46:8-11 Darby)

“25 And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause evil beasts to cease out of the land; and they shall dwell in safety in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods. 26 And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in its season: there shall be showers of blessing. 27 And the tree of the field shall yield its fruit, and the earth shall yield its increase; and they shall be in safety in their land, and shall know that I [am] Jehovah, when I have broken the bands of their yoke and delivered them out of the hand of those that kept them in servitude.” (Ezekiel 34:25-27 Darby)

“6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the young lion and the fatted beast together, and a little child shall lead them. 7 And the cow and the she-bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the adder, and the weaned child shall put forth its hand to the viper’s den. 9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of Jehovah, as the waters cover the sea.” (Isaiah 11:6-9 Darby)

“And I will make a covenant for them in that day with the beasts of the field, and with the fowl of the heavens, and the creeping things of the ground; and I will break bow and sword and battle out of the land; and I will make them to lie down safely.” (Hosea 2:18 Darby)

Preceding

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A world where one must make oneself clearly known #4 Still better look forward to a better New World

février 18, 2024février 12, 2024 par obligingworldviewer, publié dans Faith, Jesus Christ - son of God, Words of encouragement, World events & environment

Photo by Porapak Apichodilok on Pexels.com

Full of high expectations, the Europeans had descended on America, « the promising country » But once they got there, it didn’t all seem to be as easy as they had hoped. Once settled, the immigrants looked for work, but that turned out not to be so easy either, because there was a shortage of possible jobs.

There were never enough jobs, and employers often took advantage of the immigrants, men from Europe or China were generally paid less than other workers, and women less than men, causing social tensions, which became a known part of the immigrant experience, often stereotypical and discriminated against, many immigrants faced verbal and physical abuse for being « different, while large-scale immigration caused many social tensions, it also provided a new vitality in the cities and states in which the immigrants settled.

It must be said, the newcomers helped transform American society and culture, demonstrating that diversity, as well as unity, is a source of national strength.

But there was a lot of hard work to be done and sometimes it didn’t take much time to think about God and commandment, although many still worked to keep their Sunday duty.

John Thomas‘ studies in the years 1830-40 formed the basis for many of the beliefs he came to embrace as Brother in Christ or Christadelphian, a name he had chosen according to the words delphos (brother) and delphia (city) with the connection with Christ.

In the « certificate » John Thomas wrote for Samuel Coffman and « the brethren of Ogle County » (ten men in all), Thomas refers to the Antipas Association of Christadelphians in New York as the publishers of a pamphlet called « Yahweh Elohim » He cites this as evidence that a denomination named « Christadelphian » already existed. But to register the pacifists so that they did not have to fight in the American Civil War, he made the name official so that they can continue as a Christian denomination.

The Anglicized fusion of the Greek words represents the close relationship between Christ and his believers.

« To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ. » (Colossians 1:2)

For Dr. Thomas, it was important that as believers we try to imitate Christ and that we follow his doctrine, while like him we take the Word of God as our great guideline.

For Dr Thomas’s followers, be it by the name Thomasite, Bible students or Christadelphian, it was important to grow together and go through life as brother and sister in Christ, it was also of the utmost importance that people started following the Bible rather than an ecclesiastical power, they regarded the Bible as the inspired and infallible Word of God, too, in which we had to look up the knowledge.
They also understood from Jesus’ speeches that it was important to go on to spread the Good News, so they also learned the importance of preaching, and so they went around the country proclaiming God’s Word, thus small biblical Student Groups could be formed in multiple places and continue to grow independently.

One of Thomas, his students, would found a larger Bible Student movement that resulted in several groups, of which the millennialist, Restorationist faith community of Jehovah Witnesses was a breakaway that later became a very strong unitary movement.

The followers of those Bible students realized that the time had not yet come for them to see the realization of the much better New World.

They learned about the Earthly Paradise where the Garden of Eden was full of pomp and circumstance, and where there were no problems That Garden was a part of God’s Plan, which has been interrupted because of the choice of the first man But we can insist that God wants to complete His Plan.

None other than the Nazarene Jewish preceptor, Jeshua ben Josef or Jesus Christ, has become the great example towards us, whose words of a better world are truly to believe Paradise is no more a myth or legend than it is. Many people doubt his existence, but more has been written and known about him than about other historical figures, but, no one doubts that they existed.

The historical evidence is overwhelming that he was on earth twenty centuries ago as a perfect human being, eyewitnesses and personal companions of his have left us a written testimony of what he has said and done — his spotless life, his unjust, violent death and his miraculous resurrection from Jesus’ lineage is even fully recorded in the archive of the city where his human mother Mary, the daughter of Eli, the son of Matthat, dwelt.

Jesus taught and believed that the original home, the « Paradise of Pleasure », had once existed and that Adam and his wife were driven out of it for disobedience to God, their Creator, but he also believed, as some other prophets told him about the future, that that better world will be realized in God’s Plan.

Jesus also looked forward to the restoration of Paradise for humanity and also expected to play a role in that restoration. Dr. Thomas had a lot of work to make it clear to people from different denominations that they would not go to heaven or hell at their death, but that a resurrection from the dead would take place, where Jesus would judge people and whether or not he would let them into his Kingdom.

Most religions indicate that man only has a temporary stay on earth, after which he either reincarnates or goes to purgatory before it ends up in heaven. Because of this, many see Earth as little more than a transit house, a way station on the way to another life. Some clergy wrongly claim that God will one day destroy this planet. As a result of such teachings, many people feel that they should get the most out of life, because they only face death.

We must realize, however, that God has a splendid intention with the earth and humanity, it is wrong to think that the Creator would have created the earth merely for nothing The Divine Maker formed the universe and formed the earth to be inhabited as well.

“This is what Jehovah says, who created heaven – He Who is the True God – who made and formed the earth and who founded it – not as chaos did he create the earth, but to inhabit it He formed it: I am Jehovah, there is no other.” (Isa 45:18)

Scripture also tells us that

“The righteous will possess the land and inhabit it all their lives.” (Ps 37:29)

“for those who are righteous will dwell in the land of the living, those who walk their way blamelessly will find a steady abode.” (Spr 2:21)

“Blessed are the meek, for they will possess the land.” (Mt 5:5)

Yes, those who are gentle will have the earth before them, in order to live a life there that will have no end.

“… in the time and world to come, there will be endless life.” (Mr 10:30)

In going through the Bible, we can learn those things about God’s purpose for the earth and humanity, and through a thorough Bible study, you will also be helped to understand why we are here and why everything is going as it has been going for centuries.

Believers in the one True God who are also gentle have a good prospect because

“10 Just a little while, and gone is the sinner, you look where he is, but do not find him. 11 Those who are humble will own the land and live happily in abundance and peace.” (Ps 37:10-11)

For a little while longer we will be confronted with war, pain and sorrow, but after the very Great War (World War 3 or Armageddon) the end will be in sight and the wars will end until the end of the earth.

“(46:10) worldwide he bans wars, breaks bows, shatters lances, burns chariots in fire.” (Ps 46:9)

“He will judge between the nations, judge mighty nations, He will set things right in connection with many nations, They will forge their swords into plough irons and their spears into pruning knives No nation will draw the sword yet against another people, no man will know what war is.” (Isa 2:4)

Now it’s still a big soup, but we can trust that there will be a much better world than this. We won’t lack anything in that world either.

“Then there will be an abundance of corn in the land, even on the tops of the mountains, ripe ears will wave like the forests of Lebanon From his city prosperity will blossom like young greenery on the earth. (And in the cities people will blossom like vegetation on earth)” (Ps 72:16)

There will even be peace between humans and animals.

“6 Then a wolf will lie down next to a lamb, a panther will sit down with a goat; calf and lion will feed together and a little boy will herd them. 7 A cow and a bear will graze together, their young are gathered together; a lion and an ox eat both straw. 8 An infant plays at the den of a viper, a child grabs with his hand to the nest of a serpent 9 No one does evil, no one makes mischief in all my holy mountain For knowledge of Jehovah fills the earth, as the water covers the bottom of the sea.” (Isa 11:6-9)

“Wolf and lamb shall feed together, a lion and a ox shall eat both straw, and a serpent shall feed on dust: no man shall do evil, no man shall make mischief in all my holy mountain-says Jehovah the Lord.” (Isa 65:25)

Additional reading

Expulsion from the paradise garden

janvier 22, 2024janvier 20, 2024 par Marcus Ampe, publié dans Almighty God, Behaviour or attitude towards others, History & news feed, Reflection - Meditation

The test commandment

The man was placed in a paradise garden (the Garden of Eden) in which he was allowed to name animals and plants. The Garden was located near the Euphrates estuary and east of the Tigris. Eden indicates « lovelessness » and it was among all living things. Jehovah, the God of order, had created order out of chaos. He revealed His Will that man should reproduce or multiply in that beautiful garden that man could manage.

God wants to be obeyed in freedom and has created man in such a way that he can make free choices. The Tree of Life symbolizes eternal life (see Revelation 2: 7; 22: 2, 14, 19; Proverbs 3:18; 11:30) The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil indicates that those who eat from it will get to know good and evil.

“8 And Jehovah God planteth a garden in Eden, at the east, and He setteth there the man whom He hath formed; 9 and Jehovah God causeth to sprout from the ground every tree desirable for appearance, and good for food, and the tree of life in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. 10 And a river is going out from Eden to water the garden, and from thence it is parted, and hath become four chief [rivers]; 11 the name of the one [is] Pison, it [is] that which is surrounding the whole land of the Havilah where the gold [is], 12 and the gold of that land [is] good, there [is] the bdolach and the shoham stone; 13 and the name of the second river [is] Gibon, it [is] that which is surrounding the whole land of Cush; 14 and the name of the third river [is] Hiddekel, it [is] that which is going east of Asshur; and the fourth river is Phrat. 15 And Jehovah God taketh the man, and causeth him to rest in the garden of Eden, to serve it, and to keep it.” (Ge 2:8-15 YLT)

Adam first saw the tree. He could choose whether to eat from that tree or not. God had given him the freedom to choose. And so today we all have the freedom to choose what we want or will do and whether or not we will follow God’s commandments.

The two trees in the garden are, as it were, a challenge to the right choice. The choice for obedience included a reward: an eternal stay in the paradise garden. When choosing disobedience to God, the sad consequence was that one would have to work hard to survive and eventually die.

God had warned Adam and Eve what the consequences would be if they ate the fruits of those trees. But the forbidden fruit seemed too attractive to just hang it without eating it.

Degeneration of the covenant chief

Eve dared to doubt God’s sincerity. Man’s first lie makes her appearance when Eve in turn tries to seduce her partner. She makes him doubt.

Would God withhold anything from them?

God is also presented as a liar who tries to scare them by saying that they would die if they eat those fruits.

“1 And the serpent hath been subtile above every beast of the field which Jehovah God hath made, and he saith unto the woman, ‘Is it true that God hath said, Ye do not eat of every tree of the garden?’ 2 And the woman saith unto the serpent, ‘Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we do eat, 3 and of the fruit of the tree which [is] in the midst of the garden God hath said, Ye do not eat of it, nor touch it, lest ye die.’ 4 And the serpent saith unto the woman, ‘Dying, ye do not die, 5 for God doth know that in the day of your eating of it—your eyes have been opened, and ye have been as God, knowing good and evil.’” (Ge 3:1-5 YLT)

It was tempting to have such knowledge and to equate with God.

Adam followed his wife and ate the forbidden fruit.

As soon as they had eaten that fruit, their eyes opened and they felt shame towards each other and towards others. Their innocence was gone.

“6 And the woman seeth that the tree [is] good for food, and that it [is] pleasant to the eyes, and the tree is desirable to make [one] wise, and she taketh of its fruit and eateth, and giveth also to her husband with her, and he doth eat; 7 and the eyes of them both are opened, and they know that they [are] naked, and they sew fig-leaves, and make to themselves girdles.” (Ge 3:6-7 YLT)

Removal from the paradise garden

God is a God of word. If He has said anything, He will stick to it. When He has promised something, He will always keep His promises. This holds true for promises that hold something good, but also for warnings of something bad that God has given.

The first people needed to know better. They couldn’t hide from God. God sees everything. He even knows our inner thinking. It is impossible to hide from Him.

But the knowledge that they had done something wrong made them hide in the bushes like little children, with the thought that God would not notice them there and overlook or forget their mistake.
That guilt is an alarm that God has given man so that he would know when he would do something wrong. If you go against or sin against God, that alarm will go off.

Eating the forbidden fruit against the will of God was an act of disobedience, but by hiding they indicated that their relationship to God had now been damaged and that they suspect that God would no longer trust and punish them.

The sentence did not last. The God of word, guard against His Word. He informed the woman that in order to give birth to new life, she would have labour pains. God also indicated that equality between men and women had come to an end. God also told them that from now on they will eat with toil from the face of the earth all the days of their lives. Thorns and thistles will also emerge that will not make it easy for humans.

God also condemned man to work the earth to eat the crops of the field. Through their act of disobedience, they were now told what the saying of God meant. Until the day of their death, they now had to sweat the land to live. And eventually after so much effort to live, that life would end, with their bodies decaying to the dust of the earth. For man is made of dust, and man will become dust again.

“16 Unto the woman He said, ‘Multiplying I multiply thy sorrow and thy conception, in sorrow dost thou bear children, and toward thy husband [is] thy desire, and he doth rule over thee.’”

“17 And to the man He said, ‘Because thou hast hearkened to the voice of thy wife, and dost eat of the tree concerning which I have charged thee, saying, Thou dost not eat of it, cursed [is] the ground on thine account; in sorrow thou dost eat of it all days of thy life, 18 and thorn and bramble it doth bring forth to thee, and thou hast eaten the herb of the field; 19 by the sweat of thy face thou dost eat bread till thy return unto the ground, for out of it hast thou been taken, for dust thou [art], and unto dust thou turnest back.’” (Ge 3:16-19 YLT)

The worst happened to them now that they were banished from that paradise garden, which they could never return to, and so that they could not eat from the Tree of eternal life to live forever again.

“22 And Jehovah God saith, ‘Lo, the man was as one of Us, as to the knowledge of good and evil; and now, lest he send forth his hand, and have taken also of the tree of life, and eaten, and lived to the age,’ — 23 Jehovah God sendeth him forth from the garden of Eden to serve the ground from which he hath been taken; 24 yea, he casteth out the man, and causeth to dwell at the east of the garden of Eden the cherubs and the flame of the sword which is turning itself round to guard the way of the tree of life.” (Ge 3:22-24 YLT)

Preceding articles

Additional reading

Bible texts at: The going wrong of man and God His decision

janvier 18, 2024janvier 17, 2024 par Marcus Ampe, publié dans Almighty God, Behaviour or attitude towards others, Bible text quotes, History & news feed

Continuation of: The going wrong of man and God His decision

Quotes from God’s Word.

“29 Then God said, « Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; 30 and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, [I have given] every green plant for food »; and it was so. 31 God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.” (Ge 1:29-31 NAS95)

“8 The LORD God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed. 9 Out of the ground the LORD God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” (Ge 2:8-9 NAS95)

“15 Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it.”

“16 The LORD God commanded the man, saying, « From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; 17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die. »” (Ge 2:15-17 NAS95)

“24 For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.” (Ge 2:24-25 NAS95)

“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; 15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel. »”

“16 To the woman He said, « I will greatly multiply Your pain in childbirth, In pain you will bring forth children; Yet your desire will be for your husband, And he will rule over you. » 17 ¶ Then to Adam He said, « Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ’You shall not eat from it’; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life.” (Ge 3:1-17 NAS95)

“20 Now the man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all [the] living.”

“21 ¶ The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.”

“22 Then the LORD God said, « Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever »— 23 therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. 24 So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.” (Ge 3:20-24 NAS95)

The wrong decision

janvier 16, 2024janvier 16, 2024 par Marcus Ampe, publié dans Almighty God, Behaviour or attitude towards others, Faith, History & news feed, Questions & Answers

Preceding

Darkness, formlessness, chaos and order

The first assignment for man

Thought for today: A wonderful garden for mankind

A possession on earth in all bliss

Bible texts by: A possession on earth in all bliss

Genesis means « origin » or « starting » and that book brings us a record of the beginning of the world, of humanity, of families and civilization. It is the story of God’s Purpose and let us look into His Plan.

That first book from the Holy Scriptures teaches us that the earth of origin was well made and pure. In the beautiful Garden of Eden [Eden = ‘ beautiful ’] Jehovah placed man. This should not be short of anything. Man was, as it were, the crowning glory of God’s creative work.

In that beautiful garden in the East, God ensured that all kinds of beautiful trees grew there with delicious fruits. In the middle of the garden were the tree of eternal life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil (or morals).

“And out of the ground Jehovah Elohim made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; and the tree of life, in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” (Ge 2:9 Darby)

It was there in the garden that man heard the first assignments; namely to take care of everything that God had made available to him. Man was allowed to eat freely from all trees in the garden. But now people also heard a first ban. Jehovah commanded them not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. He also gave the reason for this. Because if they did, they would die.

“16 And Jehovah Elohim commanded Man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou shalt freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest of it thou shalt certainly die.” (Ge 2:16-17 Darby)

With that in mind, the woman wondered if God would withhold anything from them. All kinds of thoughts came up in her head. It was even strange to her that God had told them not to even touch that tree, because then they would die too.

Her brain started working in her head to deceive her. Under the shape of a snake she was told a voice that made her believe that God was lying.

“1 And the serpent was more crafty than any animal of the field which Jehovah Elohim had made. And it said to the woman, Is it even so, that God has said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 2 And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, God has said, Ye shall not eat of it, and ye shall not touch it, lest ye die. 4 And the serpent said to the woman, Ye will not certainly die; 5 but God knows that in the day ye eat of it, your eyes will be opened, and ye will be as God, knowing good and evil.” (Ge 3:1-5 Darby)

How tempting it was to open your eyes and have as much knowledge as God. The fruit was very attractive, so it didn’t take long for Eve to give in to her thoughts and eat the fruit of that tree of life.

“6 And the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a pleasure for the eyes, and the tree was to be desired to give intelligence; and she took of its fruit, and ate, and gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig-leaves together, and made themselves aprons.” (Ge 3:5-7 Darby)

Adam and Eve had now become acquainted and aware of things, knowing what god and what was bad. Rules of morality had now come into their lives by eating that fruit. And we call their act against the ordinance of God « sin » or « sinness, » and made them a satan or adversary of God.

Evil had entered the first humans, but thereby all their descendants and thus all mankind.

Preceding English article

Thanksgiving for the beauty of God’s creation

Find also to read

A possession on earth in all bliss

janvier 13, 2024janvier 12, 2024 par Bijbelvorsers, publié dans Almighty God, Bible text quotes, Reflection - Meditation

The Bible says of God that He created everything. Jehovah our God is worthy to receive the praise and the honour and strength. Thanks to His Will and His Word, we came into existence and were created.

“Thou art worthy, O our Lord and [our] God, to receive glory and honour and power; for *thou* hast created all things, and for thy will they were, and they have been created.” (Re 4:11 Darby)

Jehovah, God created life for a purpose. Jehovah would like us to have a happy life. When he made Adam and Eve (the first people), he put them in a beautiful paradise, the garden of Eden and gave them an order.

“And God blessed them; and God said to them, Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the heavens, and over every animal that moveth on the earth.” (Ge 1:28 Darby)

Jehovah wanted them to have children, to make the whole earth a paradise and to take care of the animals. His goal was for all people to live in perfect health forever.

Jehovah made man with ‘ spiritual needs ’, which means that we have a desire to get to know and worship Him. He would like us to have a close friendship with him, that we

‘ always follow the path he shows us, love him ’ and serve him ‘ with all our heart ’ (Deuteronomy 10:12; Psalm 25:14).

Nothing has changed in the purpose of God yet, inviting man to love Him. If we follow His prayers and requests, we can be really happy even if we have problems. Worshipping Jehovah really gives meaning and meaning to your life.

God also assures us that the meek will possess the earth, and will be able to enjoy peace in abundance intensely.

“But the meek shall possess the land, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of prosperity.” (Ps 37:11 Darby)

God is also willing to help us grow and come closer to Him. To this end, He has given man a Guide to life, a Book of books: the Bible. Sat Word of God is available in all countries and very many languages. Almost everyone has the opportunity to read the Bible. It does not matter where you live or which language you speak.

In that Book of Books, the Bible, you can find out how to get closer to God and thus even be His best friend. When you get closer to God, He wants to get closer to you.

“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse [your] hands, sinners, and purify [your] hearts, ye double-minded.” (Jas 4:8 Darby)

When we read God’s message to us in the Bible, we get an ever better bond with him, even though we’ve never seen him.

If you would like a good relationship with Jehovah, you can safely speak to Him. You can do that by praying to Him. Prayer can help you with all those things. You shouldn’t be shy about broaching some subject with God. It is true that you can pray almost anything. But if you want God to answer your prayer, it must be in accordance with His will.

“And this is the boldness which we have towards him, that if we ask him anything according to his will he hears us.” (1Jo 5:14 Darby)

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Additional reading

Thought for today: A wonderful garden for mankind

janvier 12, 2024 par Marcus Ampe, publié dans Almighty God, Bible text quotes, History & news feed, Reflection - Meditation

When God brought order to chaos and light to darkness, He created living elements.

“11 And God said, Let the earth cause grass to spring up, herb producing seed, fruit-trees yielding fruit after their kind, the seed of which is in them, on the earth. And it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, herb producing seed after its kind, and trees yielding fruit, the seed of which is in them, after their kind. And God saw that it was good.” (Ge 1:11-12 Darby)

According to plan, He then created teeming animals.

“20 And God said, Let the waters swarm with swarms of living souls, and let fowl fly above the earth in the expanse of the heavens. 21 And God created the great sea monsters, and every living soul that moves with which the waters swarm, after their kind, and every winged fowl after its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply on the earth.” (Ge 1:20-22 Darby)

“And God said, Let the earth bring forth living souls after their kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth, after their kind. And it was so.” (Ge 1:24 Darby)

The animals could swim freely through the waters, or walk between the grass and the trees. But there was still a creature with which God wanted a more intimate bond. There were the wild animals, but also ‘domestic animals’ that an owner was allowed to have. For this purpose, Jehovah made God man in His image.

“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the heavens, and over the cattle, and over the whole earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth on the earth.” (Ge 1:26 Darby)

That man, taken from the red earth, in which God breathed His breath of life, was allowed to receive the earth and subdue it.

“7 And Jehovah Elohim formed Man, dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and Man became a living soul.”

“8 And Jehovah Elohim planted a garden in Eden eastward, and there put Man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground Jehovah Elohim made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; and the tree of life, in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” (Ge 2:7-9 Darby)

“28 And God blessed them; and God said to them, Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the heavens, and over every animal that moveth on the earth.”

“29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb producing seed that is on the whole earth, and every tree in which is the fruit of a tree producing seed: it shall be food for you; 30 and to every animal of the earth, and to every fowl of the heavens, and to everything that creepeth on the earth, in which is a living soul, every green herb for food. And it was so.” (Ge 1:28-30 Darby)

“7 And Jehovah Elohim formed Man, dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and Man became a living soul.”

“8 And Jehovah Elohim planted a garden in Eden eastward, and there put Man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground Jehovah Elohim made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; and the tree of life, in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” (Ge 2:7-9 Darby)

“28 And God blessed them; and God said to them, Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the heavens, and over every animal that moveth on the earth.”

“29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb producing seed that is on the whole earth, and every tree in which is the fruit of a tree producing seed: it shall be food for you; 30 and to every animal of the earth, and to every fowl of the heavens, and to everything that creepeth on the earth, in which is a living soul, every green herb for food. And it was so.” (Ge 1:28-30 Darby)

Where there was chaos at first, God had now brought cleanliness and order to a delicious environment where man could feel at home. Everything he needed was available there for him.

God intended that obedient people should have a life in which they could live a blissful life, not subject to difficulties, suffering, ageing, or death. A perfect life in paradise!

When the first man came to life, he was fully grown, perfectly formed, perfectly healthy, and had a perfect sense of morality. The name given to him repeatedly in the biblical account reminds us of the matter from which he was formed. His name was ʼA · dham a [in the original language of the creation report in the Holy Scriptures: Adhama or formed from red earth, or soil from which it was formed, and therefore called ʼa · dha · mah a .]His name could therefore rightly mean „ earthy man ”. This became the personal name of this first man — Adam.

The first man was in a beautiful park-like garden where everything could bloom wonderfully, as God had foreseen that there was sufficient watering and light. It was a paradise for which man should have done nothing. The Divine Maker had designed everything in such a way that man himself should not create or prepare.

He knew that he had not made himself, had not developed himself. He had not worked his way up to this state through his own efforts. For this, he would have to recognise that Jehovah was his Maker and that all the earth should serve Him with joy.

“1 «A Psalm of thanksgiving.» Shout aloud unto Jehovah, all the earth! 2 Serve Jehovah with joy: come before his presence with exultation. 3 Know that Jehovah is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; [we are] his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving [and] into his courts with praise; give thanks unto him, bless his name: 5 For Jehovah is good; his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever; and his faithfulness from generation to generation.” (Ps 100:1-5 Darby)

“I will praise thee, for I am fearfully, wonderfully made. Marvellous are thy works; and [that] my soul knoweth right well.” (Ps 139:14 Darby)

Additional reading

The first assignment for man

janvier 11, 2024janvier 10, 2024 par Marcus Ampe, publié dans Almighty God, Bible text quotes, Reflection - Meditation

In our first Bible class for young people, we gave a children’s reading of the first chapter of the book of Genesis.

We saw there how Jehovah God is the Maker of all things. We also heard how after He created man he gave a first command: to take care of what the Lord has created.

Genesis 1:26-28

“26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27 And God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28 And God blessed them: and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” (Ge 1:26-28 ASV)

We saw how God had created order out of chaos and how He placed man on this planet. Now we hear here that He asks man to multiply and populate the earth while this man is also there for that world, full of planets, moons, stars, animals and plants, must take care.

“4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that thou visitest him? 5 For thou hast made him but little lower than God, And crownest him with glory and honor. 6 Thou makest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; Thou hast put all things under his feet: 7 All sheep and oxen, Yea, and the beasts of the field, 8 The birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, Whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas. 9 O Jehovah, our Lord, How excellent is thy name in all the earth!” (Ps 8:4-9 ASV)

In all those things around us we see the glory of the Divine Maker. The Genesis story is clear and clear, but it never pretends to provide a detailed scientific explanation of the existence of the planets, plants, animals and humans.

From the text we should understand that God did not create all this just like that, but did with a plan in His head. When God placed Adam (the man from red earth) in the Garden of Eden, this was to take care of it and build a good life there. God even gave man an important role in His creative work. Man was allowed to name and manage the plants and animals.

Management is supposed to take good care of it. Such a concern for something or someone requires work. This means that God expects man not to sit on his lazy butt, but to roll up his sleeves.

And that is the first important task for humans in addition to multiplication. It was then an assignment at the beginning, and it is still an important commission, or commandment given by God. Those who love God should then keep to it.

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Darkness, formlessness, chaos and order

janvier 10, 2024janvier 12, 2024 par Marcus Ampe, publié dans Almighty God, Bible text quotes, History & news feed, Reflection - Meditation

“ But the earth now turned out to be disordered, formless and empty, there was desolation and darkness reigned, and God’s Spirit (His Working Power) floated over the surfaces of the waters. ” (Ge 1:2)

“ I looked at the earth and as far as my eye could see I saw nothing but emptiness and chaos. The sky was also dark. ” (Jer 4:23)

Then the Almighty Deity spoke, and every time He spoke things came into existence. Thus, light came into the darkness, and a firmament called heaven was created, separating water (seas) and land (earth). On that earth, the Divine Maker foresaw plant growth and in the waters sea monsters, teeming creatures each according to their kind, while flying creatures winged in the air were created.

Jehovah God requested to multiply these beings so that they could become many, on earth and in the air.

On that earth, out of the dust of the red earth, God made man.

And Jehovah God was about to form man out of the dust of the face of the earth and blow the breath of life in his nostrils, and man became a living soul. (Genesis 2:7)

Jehovah God now took man and placed him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate and care for it. (Genesis 2:15)

Thus, we see that God gave not only the animals an order but also man.

“ Then God blessed them, and said to them, Be fruitful and multiply; populate the earth and subdue it; rule over the fish of the sea, the birds in the air and over all living things moving on the earth. ” (Ge 1:28)

“ Now Jehovah God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and placed in it the man whom he had made. ” (Ge 2:8)

“ Heaven remains the heaven of Jehovah, But He gave the earth to the children of men. ” (Ps 115:16)

“ 19 Then Jehovah God formed from the clay all the animals on the land and all the birds in the air, and carried them to man to see what he would call them; for as man would call every living being, that is what it would be called. 20 Man then gave names to all tame animals and to the birds in the air and to all animals in the wild, …. ” (Ge 2: 19-20)

Thus, God created order in the disorder and removed the chaos by giving everything a place and asking man to name all things as he wished.

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