davidbowerkingwood

²⁷ So God created human beings in his own image.
    In the image of God he created them;
    male and female he created them.

In Genesis 2:7, an additional detail is revealed about the creation of man:

^“7 Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person.”

While the balance of creation had been spoken into existence by God, God fashioned man’s body from the dust of the earth, but breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils and the man became a living person.

Made in the image of God!

The vital importance of that fact cannot be overstated, mankind is made in the image of God! Our living essence transcends the creation, we share the eternal nature of God and shall always exist. While it is true, our mortal bodies which are formed of this earth can have no part in our eternality, our living essence, which was originally breathed into that body of dust, will always exist in some form, somewhere.

Graciously, the Bible does not leave us to wonder about that point; in 2 Corinthians 5:1-9 it is revealed:

5 For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. ² We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. ³ For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. ⁴ While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. ⁵ God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit.

⁶ So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. ⁷ For we live by believing and not by seeing. ⁸ Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. ⁹ So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him.

If this one fact of your existence doesn’t grab your emotions and give them a good shake, then you’re just not paying attention!

Enormous Consequences!

Adam, the first man, made a tragic mistake, he disobeyed the one command he had been given, died spiritually and caused the spiritual death of the entire human race. God, in his matchless grace, sent a Second Adam from above to die on the cross that whosoever believed in him should not perish but be born again with a new living spirit and have everlasting life as a child of God!

Being an eternal can be both a blessing and a curse; a blessing if one has Jesus Christ as Savior and been born again to spiritual life by the power of God, the Holy Spirit, and a terrible curse if one rejects the salvation available through the new birth by faith in Jesus Christ as Savior.

A New Heaven and a New Earth!

In Revelation 21:1-7 it is written:

21 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. ² And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

³ I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. ⁴ He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”

⁵ And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” ⁶ And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. ⁷ All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.

This will be a busy and blessed time for all of God’s children, all who have been born again into the family of God by the power of the Holy Spirit!

The Lake of Fire!

The only alternative is horrible beyond our ability to even imagine; it is described in Revelation 19:11-15 where it is written:

¹¹ And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. ¹² I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. ¹³ The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds. ¹⁴ Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. ¹⁵ And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.

The ultimate Satanic deception is to conceal the only two destinies that face mankind; Satan’s destiny, in the Lake of Fire, is fixed but all living humans face one of the only two alternate destinies available to all eternals, the family of God and heaven, by faith in Jesus Christ as Savior, or the Lake of Fire and eternal torment and suffering for those who reject Jesus Christ as Savior.

I earnestly urge you to make sure your destiny is with God as his child; believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as your very own personal Savior and join all born again Christians as members of the family of God!