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Eph.3:9
The
Supreme Creator
Ever existing as the life source of all creation, the living womb of infinity
itself, there has forever been the eternal Self Existent One, "Yahweh"….man's
eternal "I AM" - Ex.3:14. To Him alone belongs all power and honour and glory
and blessing from every living creature. This most High One was also known to
the ancient Hebrews in the names of "Elohim" & "El Shaddai" as well as by
numerous other names and titles which denote His awesome nature. The all
powerful, majestic, Eternal Being, is better know to us in the English language
as "God Almighty", "the Lord", "the Father", "the Creator" etc., "having neither
beginning of days nor end of life" (Heb.7:3), who always was, and shall ever be,
"God", "from everlasting to everlasting." Psa.90:2.
Our supreme Creator stated through His prophet Isaiah, "Before Me there was no
God formed (as powerful and sovereign as I), neither shall there be after me."
Isa.43:10. He neither recognizes nor acknowledges any other opposing god nor
power, and neither should we - Ro.13:1. Concerning man, "the Lord, your Holy
One, the Creator of Israel" (Isa.43:15) reveals, "O Jacob and Israel…I have
formed thee, thou art my servant." Isa.44:21. "Thus saith the Lord, thy
Redeemer, and He that formed thee from the womb. I am the Lord that maketh all
things, that strecheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth
by Myself…that turneth wise men backward that confirmeth the word of His
servant, and performeth the counsel of His messengers." Isa.44:24-26. Believe
it or not, He is certainly well able "even to subdue all things unto Himself."
Phil.3:21.
"Who hath established all the ends of the earth? What is His name and what is
His Son's name?" Prv.30:4. His name is Jesus Christ (Rev.1:5), "Jahshua"
(Matt.1:21), the "Almighty Alpha and Omega" (Rev.1:8), "the beginning
(architect) of the universal creation (that came forth) of God." Rev.3:14;
Eph.3:9. He is the (visible) "image of the invisible God" (Col.1:16), even "thy
Creator" [orig. Hebr. is Creators--plural] (Eccl.12:1), and we are being
transformed into the very likeness of that image.
When the Bible declares God as "the former of all things" (Jer.51:9). This
obviously refers to His being the "former" (yatsar - a pressing, forming,
fashioning, moulding process) or Creator of all original heavenly and
earthlythings which were formed, brought forth and made manifest in the first
six days of His universal creation. "God said, Let there be..(Gen.1:3) and
there was! Here, we are not concerned whether the six days are literal days or
not. What we are more concerned with is pointing out that the Creator of "all
things" is necessarily the primary source of all created things. We might add
that He is also the primary cause of all that was caused in creation with their
resulting effects---regardless whether they be seen as positives or as negatives
by the carnal mind of man.
The
Source Of All Things
All things of substance in the visible material creation as well things in the
invisible spiritual creation, came forth from energized actions of the creative
Spirit of God Almighty. "For [out] of Him and through Him" and not just out of
nothing…came all things and "are all things." Ro.11:36. When God spoke, "out
of the mouth of the Most High proceedeth not evil and good?" Lam.3:38; Jer.51;
Ex.4:11. Shall we believe what the scriptures say, or shall we believe what the
traditions of men say in regards to the origin of all things? Do all things
include only "good" things that contain no elements of evil? Evil is universal
in scope and applications? Are the scriptures not?
"He that built [Grk. prepared] all things is God." Heb.3:4. This is the same
"great God that is also said to have "formed all things" (Prv.26:10; Eccl.7:13)
and "by Him all things (visible and invisible, earthly and heavenly, natural and
spiritual, dead and living, evil and good) consist." Col.1:17. He alone, is
totally sovereign in creating and governing even all original things that were
to appear and did appear in His creation. Not just some specified things, but
rather "all things (originally) were made by Him…without Him was not anything
made that was made." Jn.1:1,3. This is a totally clear yet often misrepresented
truth by men who would let their traditions dictate otherwise. It is everywhere
throughout scripture, yet almost everywhere the truth of "all things" is
qualified, watered-down or even perverted by the carnal unbelieving minds of
religious men.
The forementioned "all things" and the "anything" there would necessarily have
to include all the natural and spiritual laws that were to govern the whole
universe in positives as well as negatives, in good as well as in evil. The
fundamentalist church's basic premise is that the intrinsic nature of evil
itself evolved. It's origin was from somewhere unknown---anywhere but from the
Creator of all things---even from nothing. The Bible does not teach evolution
of all evil things nor even the potential of it…originating from some unknown
source, or else from out of "nowhere." Some call this the theory of "evilution."
And a theory it is, for the scripture is very clear on the origins of evil and
good, darkness and light and that which was to follow.
"God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day and the lesser
light to rule the night: He made the stars also. And God set them…to rule over
the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God
saw that it was good." Gen.1:16-18. Not one particle of matter, not one atom,
not one molecule, not one substance nor form of energy nor power was made to
exist but that it was created by and of our Almighty Creator God Himself.
Nothing existed before HIM and nothing exists without Him. "He is before all
things and by Him ALL THINGS CONSIST." Col.1:17. To believe anything less,
takes away from the truth of His absolute preeminence and His absolute
sovereignty in all things that exist.
The
Origin of Evil Powers
If Almighty God existed before anything was "created" and if "all things" were
"built", "formed", "made" and "consist"---"Of Him" and "through Him" and "by
Him", how can one truly believe that principalities and powers of other than His
own nature came into existence any other way? Another key scripture which sheds
more evident light on this subject, is found in the words of our Creator Himself
who declared through His prophet Isaiah, "I form the light and I create
darkness: I make peace and create evil: I the lord do all these things."
Isa.45:7.
Qualify "all things" and "evil" if you will with lesser evils such as natural
calamities, pestilence's, disasters, judgment against sin or whatever, but the
basic principle of truth remains…."I….create evil", says the Lord Himself.
"Shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it?" Am.3:6. Was not
revelation of this truth revealed to His servants the prophets? vs.7.
Yes, God originally formed the many facets which His word refers to in general
as "light" and "darkness". On His right hand he brought forth all aspects of
light and life and truth into creation. In His visible creation, He brought
forth the natural light of the sun to make the day. On the other hand, He
brought forth into visibility the reflected artificial light of the moon which
was to have dominion in the night. He Himself created the very essence and
presence of darkness to both conceal and display the dominant presence of light
and life. Even the natural and spiritual power of death itself was divinely
integrated into the very design of God's plans and purpose for His universal
creation. So also was the original darkness upon the face of the deep (Gen.1:2)
and the darkness of the earthly night - Ezk.32:7,8.
The Creator of all things reserves all power to make goodness and peace, and to
cause and create, any or all facets of that which brings evil to light. The
Lord not only brings forth evil in the form of calamity and destruction
(Jl.1:15; Jer.45:4,5; 44:2 etc.) but He created the original source of all evil
power that would begin to operate in the cosmos. How can this be you ask? For
we are also told that "in Him is no darkness at all." 1Jn.1:15.
This is true in that He brought forth into creation, other lesser powers and
natures to originally exist in a realm divided (Gen.1:4,6,7) and apart from the
nature of His own intrinsic holiness. These powers were to be administered and
controlled entirely according to the foreordained workings (Heb.4:3; Ac.15:18;
Isa.46:9,10) of His own counsel and will - Eph.1:11), even of His own "eternal
purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord." Eph.1:11. Therefore in all
of this, it remains of an eternal and infinite truth that "there is no wisdom,
nor counsel, nor understanding against the Lord" (Prv.21:30) simply because "all
things are of God." 2Cor.5:18.
Great revelational truth given to Paul the Apostle in the beginning of the New
Testament dispensation, confirms that "BY HIM were all things created (directly
or indirectly) that are in heaven or that are in earth, visible and invisible,
whether they be THRONES, or DOMINIONS, or PRINCIPALITIES, or POWERS (good or
evil, natural or spiritual): all things (such as exist in the basic powers of
natural or spiritual life or death) were created (preordained, fabricated,
formed, brought forth) by Him, and for Him (for His eternal purpose in the plan
of the ages); and He is before all things (in existence, and in power and in
glory and in all preeminence), and by Him all things consist." Col.1:13-17;
Rev.4:11. The answers to some of the greatest mysteries of the ages are to be
found in this verse and in the many others associated with it through the Spirit
of Truth.
"Thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their hosts, the earth
and all things that are therein, the seas and all that is therein." Neh.9:6;
Ac.14:15; 17:24. "All those things hath mine hand made." Isa.66:2. In
conjunction with this, the Bible clearly associates and reveals that Satan has a
place in the heavens as well as in the earth and in the seas - 2Chr.18:18-21; Jb.
chptr.1; Rev.12:3,7,8; Lk.10:18; Isa.27:1. We see that in the natural realm or
plane of the earth that "God created…sea monsters." (serpents) Gen.1:21. Did he
create anything so much different in the spiritual plane of existence?
The
Origin of Satan
Oh church, put on those stronger glasses. Look once again at the word of the
Lord. Cast aside your blinding philosophies and binding traditions and anoint
thine eyes with eye salve, that thou mayest see. "BY HIS SPIRIT He garnished
the heavens; HIS HAND hath FORMED THE CROOKED SERPENT" (Jb.26:12,13; Rev.10:6),
"leviathan, THE PIERCING SERPENT, even leviathan that CROOKED SERPENT; and He
shall slay THE DRAGON that is in the sea." Isa.27:1; Psa.74:13,14. The word
"leviathan" simply means "sea dwelling beast, monster, serpent, dragon." This
monstrously wicked and beastly spiritual influencing serpent, shall in time be
revealed and ultimately slain when the Lord shall consume him with the Spirit of
His word and shall manifestly destroy him with the brightness of His coming -
2Ths.2:8.
What sea is it wherein this serpentine dragon does dwell? Keep those strong
glasses on now! This sea is none other than the universal sea of troubled human
minds - Isa.57:20; Jb.28:12,14. It is here "in this great wide sea wherein are
things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts." Psa.104:25. The
prophet Ezekiel saw the same truth portrayed in a vision of the inner court of
the temple of his people - Ezk. chptr.8; 1Cor.6:19; 2Ths.2:4. It is here in the
human soul and mind were leviathan, that old crocodile, comes to the surface in
humanity (Psa.104:26), now easily to be seen by spiritual eyes as "THE GREAT
DRAGON, that OLD SERPENT, called THE DEVIL and SATAN which deceiveth the whole
world." Rev.12:9.
Even in the beginning, this spiritual beast, leviathan, "the serpent, was more
subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made." Gen.3:1. Note
that this does not say that this serpent was made in the field (earth). It
simply reveals, he was of the beast nature, and more subtle than any other. He
was conceived and created in the waters (even the spirit realms of the heavens
and of the mind of man) and brought down to dwell in the lower realms of the
creation of humanity, spiritually typified by "the earth", "the sea" and "under
the earth." Rev.4:13; Gen.1:21.
Yes, the serpent "the great dragon" in/of the carnal mind who is in opposition
to God (Ro.8:7) dwells as a ruling Pharaoh in the midst of all the earth, even
as the mind of men who say "my river is mine own and I have made it for myself."
Ezk.29:3. His scales are none other than his own pride (Jb.41:15) which is
enmity with God. Again, spiritually speaking of the king of Egypt, "…thou art
as a whale ("tannim" - leviathan dragon etc.) in the seas.." (Ezk.322), a great
beastly ruler in the midst of the earth.
As has been shown, the subtle deceiving serpent, even the devil himself
(whatever, whoever or however you may picture him as being), was formed as a
work of God's hand. He is a sea dwelling beast. But remember, it is the most
holy Lord Himself who "overall ruleth the raging of the sea." Psa.89:9. Take
note that "both the deceived and the deceiver are His." Jb.12:16; Ro.9:21. God
alone, reserves the right "to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto
dishonour…to shew His wrath, and to make His power know…that He might make known
the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy…even us (of the ecclesia) whom
He (first) hath called.." Ro.9:21-24.
The exalted Creator of all things, always has been and ever will be, in total
divine control of all in His natural and spiritual creation. "Thou sendeth
forth thy Spirit, they (small and great creatures, lowered and elevated
vessels), they are created." Psa.124:25-29. He alone has created and now
commands "the heavens and all the hosts of them" Psa.33:6; 148:5; Prv.16:4;
Isa.45:12. Prayerfully and carefully read Job chapters one and two. The devil
is no exception and is not excluded from "all the hosts."
In every aspect of His sovereignty over man and over all His creation, it is
revealed that there is "no power but of God: (any of) the powers that (now) be
(now exist since their creation - and necessarily include the very real
principalities and powers of death, hell, Satan, flesh, carnality, beastly
natures etc. and) are ordained of God." Ro.13:1. It cannot be any other way!
The Lord says, "Whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine. (Therefore who can
have a claim against God, GOD WHO MADE THE UNMASTERED CROCODILE?) Jb.41:11 [Amplif.
Bible]. This beast "looks all mighty (beasts of prey) in the face (without
terror); he is a monarch of all the sons of pride." [Note: we the creation of
man, are the devil's beasts of prey and fallen humanity are the sons of pride].
("And now Job, who are you, who dares arouse the unmastered crocodile, yet who
dares resist ME, THE BEAST'S CREATOR; to my face? Everything under the heavens
is mine; therefore who can have a claim against God?" Jb.41:34 [Amplified].
The foregoing thought is carried on in the New Testament where Paul says, "God
has consigned (penned up) all men to disobedience" and then questions His way by
asking, "Who has first given God anything that He might be paid back or that he
could claim a recompense? For (the truth is) from Him and through Him and to
Him are all things--For all things originate with Him and come from Him; all
things live through Him, and all things center in and tend to consummate and to
end in Him. To Him be glory forever!" Ro.9:32-36 [Amplified].
Because of the man made doctrines of "eternal" hell and "free" will, so many of
God's children have lingering doubts concerning the all encompassing scope of
God's creation in "all things"…whether they be the all things in the beginnings
of creation or the same "all things" in the end of creation. The evidences of
this great truth as revealed in God's word are many. Yet sadly, the blind
leaders continue to lead the blind and most have fallen into deep ditches of
spiritual darkness, unable to find their way out - Lk.6:39. Only the truth in
God's word is "a lamp unto my (our) feet and a light unto my (our) path."
Psa.119:105. Only in "thy light shall we see light." Psa.36:9.
Bringing Forth An Instrument
As we continue focusing in on these great truths, we find where the Lord saith,
"I HAVE CREATED THE SMITH (even the fabricator of lies, the maker of evil works)
that bloweth the coals in the fire (compare leviathan - Jb.41:21), and that
BRINGETH FORTH AN INSTRUMENT for his (its evil) work; and I HAVE CREATED THE
WASTER (the devil - Jn.10:10) to destroy." Isa.54:16. This same principle is
revealed in the use of "the Assyrian", typical of Satan whom the Lord says is
used as "the rod of mine anger" and "the staff in whose hand is mine
indignation." Isa.10:5 [Amplified]. See our article "The Lord killeth And
Maketh Alive" for much more scripture and detail on God's involvement in the
workings of evil.
It is God who, for the ultimate purposes of His creation and its perfection, has
in the wisdom of His far-reaching love, created the destroyer, the devastator,
to work havoc---to heat up the fire in this present universal furnace of
affliction - Isa.54:16; Jb.23:10. Yet, in all of this, the many gates of hell
shall not prevail (retain power, prosper) against His new creation - Matt.16:18.
In the end, "No weapon that is formed" (the serpent included) will have been
found to prosper either against God or against His creature-but will in fact, be
found to have only prospered for them (Ro.8:35) and in all other things
whereunto the Spirit of His word has been sent to accomplish - Isa.55:11. In a
further positive sense, this destroyer of man was created as an instrument to
destroy the flesh and all that's associated with it, so that the full salvation
of the spirit may be completed in the day of the Lord. This is the principle
found in 2Cor.5:5.
This waster and destroyer of mankind was created with the attributes of "a
murderer from the beginning and abode not in the truth." Jn.8:44. Many have
been deceived in believing that this deceiver was once righteous and holy from
the beginning and did abide in the truth. Beloved, this deceiver, from the
foundation of his creation and most certainly from the beginning of natural
man's creation, always was and by reason of his first creation nature, still is,
"a liar and the father of it." Jn.8:44. It remains of a truth which ever way
one looks at it, that "the devil sinneth from the beginning." 1Jn.3:8. Many
would have us believe, he was holy from the beginning, abode in the truth and
fell in his sin sometime later.
It is noteworthy to know at this point that all evil is not necessarily sin but
all sin is surely evil. It is also noteworthy to know that evil (with its
potential of sin), was channeled into the present so called "fallen" world
through the disobedient mind of one man and not through one disobedient angel as
tradition so often implies - Ro.5:12. All this was a part of God's creative
plan for the ages to come. After all, if the Lord hadn't wanted the first man
Adam to experience the knowledge of both good and evil, why was it that in the
presence of Adam,"out of the ground made the Lord God to grow…the tree of the
knowledge of both good and evil? In reality, this was planted and made to grow
in the garden of Adam's mind and soul.
The original Adamic creation may have been full of natural wisdom and perfect in
outward beauty (Ezk.28:12,13) in comparison to the rest of the creation around
him, and even relatively perfect in his ways from the day of his creation (and
all this was in the realm of "good" yet a far thing from holiness) "till
iniquity was found in him." Ezk.28:15. Was this by accident? Did it catch God
off guard? Did it just magically appear? No, not at all. It was entirely "of
God" as a part of His eternal universal plan of creation, redemption and
restitution of all things!
Even as the presence of evil and death was sown in and grown in the first man
Adam, he was also "sown" by God into the presence of evil and death as a natural
body--even a life given soul - Gen.2:7; 1Cor. chapter 15. In contrast as well
as in remedy to this, "the last Adam was made a quickening (life giving)
Spirit." 1Cor.15:45. These ways and works were planned and initiated by reason
of the Creator and not of Satan nor man - Ro.8:20. As a designated part of His
earthly creation God formed and made vessels of wrath. Now in the intermediate
and latter states of His creation, He who has begun a good work in us through
mercy and grace, shall perform this work unto perfection - Ro. chptr. 9.
It has never been in the design of God's plan, nor has it been a part of His
will that any of His creatures be eternally destroyed in the process. Nor is it
just or righteous for Him to eternally subject them to the wrath of sin and
suffering. Just as God was responsible in creating "all things" by Him, He is
also responsible for bringing about reconciliation, redemption and restitution
of all things through Him by rebirth in Him - Ro.11:36; Eph.1:10.
Therefore, we find that the Master Potter of all things in creation…is through
the power of the cross, now instituting His preordained work of remolding,
rebuilding, repairing and restoring the old foundations and waste places -
Isa.58:12; 61:4; Ezk.16:53-55; 36:11; Am.9:11,12 etc. God is presently in the
process of destroying the old creation and all that is in it, not by destroying
it forever in the sense of leaving it in a perpetual state of judgment nor
destruction, but rather by reversing the state of creation through omnipotently
changing it - Heb.1:12
The generous, benevolent, predestined work of the Creator now also includes such
divinely connected remaking processes such as….receiving, reviving remembering,
returning, recompensing, revealing, redeeming, regenerating, recovering,
replenishing, refreshing, rekindling reproving, rewarding, replacing, resolving,
reaching, rescuing, renewing, resurrecting and reconciling "all things unto
Himself; by Him…whether they be things in earth or things in heaven." Col.1:20.
The Creator of heaven and earth and all things therein, created nothing of the
earth in vain - Isa.45:18. Rather. By reason of Him, He formed it to be
inhabited, not only by humanity but also by Himself, whose reigning Spirit of
loving reality shall surely be revealed to all and in all…that God may
ultimately be "all in all." 1Cor.15:28; Rev.21:3. Rest assured, the results of
His preeminence shall redound to the great glory of our sovereign predominant
Redeemer.
His
Plan and Purpose for all Things
Once again we find where He saith, "I am the Lord that maketh all things."
Isa.44:24. Let us seek to return all vestiges of power to our most high "God
who created ALL things by Jesus Christ." Eph.3:9. This is the same Lord "of
whom are all things…by whom are all things" (1Cor.8:6) and to whom all things in
the eternal Spirit of God are already reconciled - Col.1:20. If the devil of
evil wasn't included in the working of God's original purpose before the
foundation of the world, then the loving sacrifice of the Lamb who taketh away
the sin of the world, also need not have been in the plan of the ages -
Rev.13:8; Tit.1:2.
Oh Lord, "the heavens are then, the earth is also thine. As for the world, and
the fullness thereof, thou hast founded them." Psa.89:11; 24:1; Deut.10:14.
Truly, "Thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure, they are were
created." Rev.5:11. Truly also, in the finished work of thy Son, thy pleasure
shall prosper - Isa.53:10. For "as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all
be made alive (1Cor.15:22); made alive and vivified by "Him that filleth all in
all." Eph.1:23; 4:10. O Lord, thou art worthy of worship from every creature -
Rev.5:13. Therefore, it is only to the credit of thine glory and power and
honour that we do reveal the greatness of thine ultimate love and truth.
Speaking not only of Himself, Jesus foretold a great and deep prophetic truth
concerning Satan himself. This was in true harmony with the end of His plan of
creation…"for it is written, thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and Him only
shalt thou serve." Matt.4:10; Phil.2:10,11; Psa.145:10; Gen.1:24. Is it not
also written, "So shall my word be…it shall not return unto Me void, but it
shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing
whereunto I sent it." Isa.55:11. Did God send forth His Word to save all in a
universal salvation or did He send it forth to accomplish the salvation of only
some.?
O Lord, "Thou reignest over all: and in thine hand is power and might: and in
thine hand, it is to make great and give strength unto all." 2Chr.29:2;
Psa.145:16,17. And so He shall! This is part of His pleasure and His purpose
and this He surely shall do - Psa.115:3. "All the inhabitants of the earth are
reputed as nothing: and He doeth according to His will in the army of heaven,
and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay His hand, or say unto
Him, what doest thou?" Dan.4:35. "Who hath resisted His will?" Ro.9:19. The
answer precious ones, is none---not one creature in all the creation! In light
of this fact, is it not now much easier to believe that "all things shall be
subdued unto Him?" 1Cor.15:28. Surely, He is the loving Author and shall be the
loving Finisher of all in accomplishing the purpose and pleasure of His Word in
both the natural and spiritual universal creations - Col.1:15-18; Heb.11:2;
Rev.1:8.
All
Things Work Together
In the beginning, in the inception of God's plan for mankind, we find that "the
creation was made subject to vanity" (put in subjection, submission), not by
Satan, not my man, not by any other creature, but wholly "by pre-ordained)
reason (and divine plan) OF HIM (God) WHO SUBJECTED then same in hope."
Ro.8:20. Actually, Adam (a type of the spirit) began its subjection to a lower
realm when "the Lord God formed man out of the dust of the ground…and became a
living soul" (Gen:27), a soul subjected to the reality of evil.
Our subjection to this lower realm of life and the evil fruit that was present
in it, was altogether purposed of the Creator. And now, "Behold, is it not by
appointment of the Lord of Hosts that the nations toil only to satisfy the fire
(that will consume their work of wood, hay and stubble), and the peoples weary
themselves only for emptiness, falseness and futility? But (the time is coming
when) the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord.."
Habk.2:13 [Amplif.]. There is fulfillment of the hope!
The whole creation was created subject to an interim vanity and travail and all
the evils associated therein. This became experientially manifest when Eve (the
soul) chose to partake of the evil fruit of untried and untested sin. As a
result of unlawful disobedience, "this sore travail hath God given to the sons
of men to be exercised (and processed) therewith." Eccl.1:13; 3:10,11. "God hath
concluded them all (shut them all up together in sin, death and) in unbelief,
that (when His
plan and purpose are concluded) He might have mercy upon all." Ro.11:32; 5:12.
"Thou turnest man to destruction (beginning with the first man Adam); and sayest,
return, ye children of men" (Psa.90:3; Hos.6:1-3) through the last Adam, Jesus
Christ - Ac.17:30. "So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth…It
will…accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."
Isa.55:11. "He is in one mind, and who can turn Him? and what His soul
desireth, even that He doeth." Jb.23:13.
Did man create the surroundings and conditions which he found himself in
subjection to after his disobedience, or even before for that matter? The
scriptures do not support this. The Lord saith, "Behold now Behemoth (a large
beast) which I made with thee." Jb.40:15. Not only was this beast made with him
it was made in Him. The reality of the beast nature was made manifest within
him. Because of this, the original innocent, untried and fragile vessel, whom
the Creator "made of clay, was marred in the hand of the Potter." Jer.18:4. Man
really wasn't marred in or by the hand of Satan or the serpentine beast, he was
marred by the work of God's own hand.
Yea, all this was a part of the foreordained plan of God and the works of God
and of His own predestined counsel and will - Eph.1:11; Heb.4:3; Ac.15:18;
Isa.46:9,10; 43:13. If God be truly omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent; and
if His creative and providential sovereignty be absolute in all things, then the
perfect will of God has not ceased to be a part of all these things. At no time
have men, nor angels, nor authorities nor powers not been fully subject
potentate." 1Tim.6:15.
The basic principles and truths found in scripture such as all the foregoing,
reveal that the divine harmony found in the interplay of evil with good, has
never been working toward an ultimate demise of the whole creation but rather
toward its ultimate perfection. And now we are assured and "we know all things
(good and evil) work (according to God's own working pleasure) together for Good
to them that love God, and to them who are the called according to His purpose."
Ro.8:28. We who have in grace first been given the love of God, "know that the
whole creation goaneth and travaileth in pain together until now" (Ro.8:22) "in
expectation that the creation itself, also, shall be freed from the slavery of
corruption into the glorious freedom of the children of God." Ro.8:31. Our
Creator shall not fail them nor disappoint them!
All
Things New
What clear and wonderful objectives we have revealed to us in God's purpose!
What a sovereign work of love that is yet to be revealed in His creation! "And
God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have
dominion…over all the earth.." Gen.1:26. But by divine design, this could never
be, nor was it ever intended to be, without the suffering of evil---without
knowing both good and evil as God Himself knew. Subjection to evil with the
inevitable suffering it brings was ordained to be a necessary part of the
Creator's process for His creation.
So it was in the beginning when God began the creative and then regenerative
processes of making man into His own image. In like manner it continues
unabated in the advanced process of His new creation (Eph.2:10), that "All
things are of God." 2Cor.5:17,18. The old has served its purpose.
Now he is calling every man in His own divine order, "Return ye children of
men"(Psa.90:3) and "behold, I make all things new." Rev.21:5. As a necessary
part of His great work, and to reveal His great power and glory, He not only has
an obligation say it but also to do it. His absolute sovereign power and His
divine determination guarantee it!
To insure and complete the fulfillment of His purpose, God in His due time has
sent His own Son to dwell in man to finish the work. "It is finished."
Jn.19:30. Relative to this, we find the scripture asking…What is this creation
of man, and what did God have in mind when He sent him Jesus? Heb.2:6. "You
made him a little lower than the angels; You crowned him with glory and honour
and put everything under His feet. In putting everything under him, God left
nothing that is not subject to Him…(which includes the will of Satan and the
will of man). Yet at present we do not see everything subject to Him (nor
man). But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now
crowned with glory and honour because He suffered death, so that by the grace of
God He might taste death for everyone.
In bringing (the) many (Ro.5:18,19 Grk.) sons to glory, it was fitting that God;
for whom and through who everything exists, should make the author of their
salvation perfect through suffering." Heb.2:7-10 [NIV]. Now, "if we suffer (for
righteousness sake), we shall also reign with Him." 2Tim.2:12; 1Ptr.2:20,21.
"Holy, holy, holy, LORD GOD ALMIGHTY." Rev.4:8. By:
K. Ross McKay
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