Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | April 13, 2012

The Calm Before the Storm, by David Bower

The 1,656 Years of the World Before the Flood

Reflect for a moment on 1,656 years; that is a really long time. That many years ago from today it would have been 356 AD and the Roman Empire would have been recently split by the sons of Constantine; around that time Constantinople had become the new capital of the Roman Empire. That was a long, long time back.

The fifth chapter of Genesis is interesting from several perspectives; it establishes a reference for the 1,656 years between the creation of Adam and Eve and the massive flood that was to kill all but eight people.

I have developed a timeline graph that shows the Biblically listed times of the births and deaths of those in the Messianic line. One of the interesting features was the overlap of lives as shown on the graph. For example Lamech, Noah’s father, was 56 years old at the time of Adam’s death. (All dates are calculated from the creation of Adam.)

(I have this graph available to all who request a copy, just leave your request in the comments section and I’ll be happy to forward a pdf copy to you by email.)

A significant theological perspective is the specter of death that looms over the chapter. It is sometimes referred to as “The Reign of Death.” Since mankind had been shut out of the Garden of Eden it was not possible for anyone to violate the only commandment God had given to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

In spite of this inability all experienced the penalty of sin which was physical death. The why, as I’ve mentioned before, is because in Adam all died spiritually and had been judged guilty of sin. The penalty of sin was death and this most specifically included all of those listed in the fifth chapter of Genesis as well as all the rest of us. The tired old excuse, “well I try and live a good life” was not relevant then and is not relevant today.

A great many studies have been done comparing and contrasting the line of Cain and the line of Seth. I will limit our study here to three individuals who appear in the Messianic line, Enoch, his son Methuselah and his great grandson Noah.

Enoch, a Type of the Church

Enoch is often thought of as a type of the church. In Genesis 5:21-24, “When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.” It is interesting to consider that Adam’s son Seth was still alive at the time Enoch was translated; do you wonder how he felt about that?

Enoch did not die, he was taken away by God; this is seen as similar to the church as it is taken away by the Rapture before the judgment of the Tribulation as Enoch was taken away before the judgment of the flood.

Another point I’ll mention concerns Enoch’s son Methuselah. In the Hebrew his name was a prophetic reference to the flood; the thought behind the Hebrew parts of his name can be understood as “at his death, it will come;” as you have probably already guessed Methuselah died 1,656 years after the creation of Adam, the same year as the flood.

Noah, a Just Man

Noah was born when Lamech was 182 years old. It is estimated that Noah began work on the ark in 1536. Noah’s wife had three sons after Noah was 500 years old; Shem, Ham, and Japheth. It may well be that Noah had started work on the ark around 20 years before the first of his three sons who would join him on the ark was born. This would make the sons all younger than 100 years old when they entered the ark and it can be assumed their wives had similar or younger ages.

It has been estimated that the earth’s population at the time of the flood was in the vicinity of 9 billion people. That is around 2 billion more than the earth’s population today. The severity of God’s judgment can be determined when one considers that around 8,999,999,992 people may have been killed by the waters that covered the earth plus the animals and birds of the air.

We will next consider the conditions that provoked such a terribly severe judgment from God.

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | April 5, 2012

The Fall Concluded, by David Bower

Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | April 2, 2012

The Fall Part 2, by David Bower

Things Go Downhill Fast From Here On!

Last week we left Eve eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and I concluded nothing catastrophic immediately happened. Now why would I say nothing happened? Eve didn’t die spiritually at that point.

There are two major reasons I believe Eve was able to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil without any immediate repercussions.

The first is the command was given to Adam before Eve was even created; the second is Romans 5:12 where we read: “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned”

Everybody Dies

It was only when Adam ate all died, including Eve, because of Adam’s disobedience to a direct command from God. When Eve ate of the fruit nothing happened because the command had been given to Adam. I think it possible that Eve may have started eating the fruit long before she finally involved Adam.

Even if Adam was present at Eve’s first bite I suspect, had Eve died first spiritually, when she looked at Adam she would probably have gasped, “Adam, your naked!” It simply didn’t work out that way because it was Adam’s deliberate disobedience that killed them both along with all of the rest of us.

Only after Adam ate were their eyes opened and they realized they were naked. Their spiritual deaths were instantaneous and there is no way we can imagine the impact of their innocence becoming a sinful, fallen nature knowing good and evil; it must have been a terrible, terrible shock to their systems.

Adam and Eve Meet Fear

An early part of their new found knowledge was fear; when they heard God’s voice they were afraid because they knew they were naked. What a tragically sad reversal from what they had enjoyed from their creation; a harmonious oneness with God suddenly shattered by willful disobedience followed by fear! That will doubtless go down as the highest price paid in the history of man for a piece of fruit; you and I are still making payments on it.

Another sad precedent is then established when they both refuse to take personal responsibility by making excuses for their actions and then trying to blame someone else. We see that pathetic exercise from both Adam and Eve as yet another evidence of their fall.

The Curse

In Genesis 3:8 we are told, “Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.” What a tragic change from fellowship with God, to a futile effort to hide from God.

In verses 9-10 we read, “But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

It would be easy for me to believe that our Lord was filled with sadness and sorrow at this point as He considered the future. I believe this manifestation of the LORD was the pre-incarnate Lord Jesus Christ and in His omniscience could see the sin, death, and destruction that would inevitably come.

After listening to their excuses the LORD begins a series of curses which are still in effect today. In verse 14 we read, “So the LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

This is generally thought of as the first of the Messianic promises in the Bible. Can you imagine our Lord Jesus pronouncing a curse that He alone could fulfill? By His death on the cross Satan had struck at His heel, but by His resurrection from the dead our Lord crushed the head of Satan.

By God’s grace I hope to conclude “The Fall” in the next blog.

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | March 26, 2012

The Fall, by David Bower

The End of Edenic Bliss

Another point where the Bible is silent is the time involved after the creation of Adam and Eve and the beginning of Satan’s deception of Eve through the serpent. If I were to guess I would say a longer, rather than a shorter time lapse was involved; in other words I don’t think it happened on day eight or nine or even anywhere close to that.

Human nature being what it is, Eve may have repeatedly questioned Adam about that one forbidden tree with the forbidden fruit. Adam may also have experienced frustration with Eve and perhaps told her “Look, just don’t eat the fruit from that tree, in fact, don’t even touch it!”

I doubt that there was anything poisonous about the fruit of the tree; it is possible Eve observed birds and perhaps other animals eating the fruit and doing just fine. That could have made Eve all the more curious about why she and Adam shouldn’t eat that fruit because the animals ate it and they didn’t die.

The problem wasn’t in the nature of the fruit, it was a question of obedience to a direct command of God. If Adam choose to disobey God’s command, he was embarking down a path that would change everything; he would lose the fellowship he had enjoyed with God and would immediately die spiritually, and then die physically later.

One other point it appears had not been clarified was the spiritual death of the entire human race at Adam’s disobedience to God’s command. All human generations including ours died in Adam when he disobeyed God, all of us!

The Deception of Eve

In Genesis 3 we are told of Satan’s deception of Eve using the serpent. During verses 1-5 I believe that Adam was not present. I also believe there was a lapse of time between verses 5 and 6 during which Eve considered what she had been told.

In Genesis 3:1b we read, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” Satan starts with a lie which Eve then proceeds to correct; “The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'”

Now where do you suppose the not touching part came from? See the second paragraph from the beginning for my theory on that.

Satan responded with a direct challenging lie, contradicting the word of God he said through the serpent: “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

I believe at this point there is a period of time that goes by during which Eve considered what she had been told; whether it’s day or weeks I don’t know but I’m of the opinion that some time passed.

It’s likely Eve spent time looking at the tree, it was apparently a beautiful tree to look at and she would watch the animals eating and enjoying the fruit and began to develop an irresistible urge to try that fruit herself.

The animals weren’t dying and they seemed to enjoy the fruit, so why couldn’t she enjoy it too and on top of everything else it would make her wise. One fateful day she decided to reach up and take some fruit and she ate it; and what do you know, nothing happened so had the serpent been right all the time?

To be continued.

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | March 19, 2012

The World Before the Flood, by David Bower

A Different World from What We Know Today

At the completion of day six of creation, the world was a vastly different place from the one we know today. It would be reasonably safe to say that virtually nothing today is the way it was at the end of God’s creative process excluding certain basics such as the earth’s rotation on its axis, its orbit around the sun, and it’s orbiting satellite, the moon.

Although the Bible does not dwell on those differences, it does provide certain clues from which marked differences can be inferred. One of the most significant is the distribution of the waters described in Genesis 1:6-7, “And God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water.” So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so.”

The expanse in these verses is a reference to the atmosphere surrounding the earth which provides the air we breathe. According to those verses God placed part of the waters above our atmosphere and part below. What, we may ask, does that mean and how would it affect life?

The World in a Greenhouse

The impact of a layer of water above the atmosphere would be profound; it is believed the water existed as a water vapor canopy that completely surrounded the earth. The canopy would serve the earth as a covering and would result in a greenhouse effect that would stabilize the weather, block harmful radiation and equalize the temperature of the earth from North Pole to South Pole.

There would be no such thing as a cold front or a heat wave and tropical conditions would prevail around the entire globe. The North and South Poles would not be frigid but would be semi-tropical where flowers, ferns, trees and mankind could live and prosper.

Another clue from the Bible is given in Genesis 1:5b-6 “for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no man to work the ground, but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground–”

One thing about watching the weather on TV is one gets a big dose of information about fronts serving as the triggers for rain; we are told that a cold front meeting warm moist air triggers rain. If the earth were in a greenhouse there would be no cold fronts to trigger the rain.

It appears God used the waters below the expanse to water the ground but does not reveal the exact mechanism used. It has been speculated, based on the available data that a substantial water table under considerable pressure existed around 10 miles below the surface of the ground. It is believed this water table was to become a major factor in the flood and was a possible source for the mist that came up from the ground during the pre-flood era.

Very Long Lifespan

Another clue revealed in the Bible is the remarkably long lives of those who lived before the flood. It would appear the water vapor canopy provided important protection from radiation as well as creating a higher atmospheric pressure. The earth’s atmosphere was richer in oxygen available at a slightly higher atmospheric pressure that created an effect similar to a hyperbaric chamber. Hyperbaric medicine uses special chambers that are oxygen rich at slightly higher pressures as tools for treating various sorts of illnesses. The pre-flood earth was like one gigantic hyperbaric chamber.

It has been estimated that by the time of the flood the earth’s population was close to 9 billion people; that’s greater than the estimated population of the earth today at 7 billion people.

From the creation of Adam to the earth’s drastic change caused by the flood it is estimated, based on the Bible, that 1,656 years had passed. During this period the earth was a place of great beauty even after the fall of Adam had caused God to curse the earth.

What is of great interest to me is how geological research supports the Biblical account of creation; this is a major field of study and has fascinated me for many years. If you have an interest in further study in this area please let me know and I’ll suggest some sources I’ve found helpful.

 

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | March 12, 2012

The Garden of Eden, by David Bower

The Earth was a Very Good Place!

At the end of day six the earth was a place of perfection; a place where mankind could prosper and multiply. Out of all the possibilities God selected a particular place for Adam and Eve to call home, the Garden of Eden.

In Genesis 2:15 we are told “The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it;” from this I believe it is safe to assume that the world’s oldest profession is gardener. Adam was not to live a life of ease but was immediately assigned work to do in the Garden of Eden and in addition he had dominion over all of created life, every animal on the earth was in subjection to him.

I don’t know what that says to you but it quickly reminds me of the work involved in caring for our cat, Abby. When we get up in the morning many of our first jobs are involved with taking care of her needs. By way of the application of a principle, I confidently believe that we will all have plenty to do in heaven.

In this supplemental account of creation we learn in Genesis 2:17 of God’s first commandment to Adam: “but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” It is important to note this commandment was made to Adam before the creation of Eve.

The Creation of Woman

The Bible is not specific about the length of time Adam lived before the creation of Eve. It does mention that all of the animals were brought before Adam to be named and one would suspect that would take some time even if Adam was very decisive about his choice of names for the animals.

No help that was suitable for Adam was found so God determined to create another person that would be Adam’s helper. In Genesis 2:20b we read: “But for Adam no suitable helper was found.”

Now we discover another way that God used to create; He took a rib from Adam and used that as the starting point to make the woman. The life that God had breathed into Adam was transferred to Eve through the rib which God then made into a woman.

This process sounds no stranger than the one God used to make Adam’s body from the dust; we are, after all, talking about an omnipotent creator manipulating His creation to accomplish His will.

Can you even begin to imagine Adam’s delight when he first saw Eve? I’m sure anything I try to imagine would fall way short of his actual excitement when he saw for the first time bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh.

Another point where the Bible is silent is the time involved after the creation of Adam and Eve and the beginning of Satan’s deception of Eve through the serpent. If I were to guess I would say a longer, rather than a shorter time lapse was involved.

The Forbidden Fruit

Human nature being what it is, I can imagine Eve repeatedly questioning Adam about that one forbidden tree. I can also imagine Adam experiencing frustration with Eve and telling her “Look, just don’t eat the fruit from that tree, in fact, don’t even touch it! OK?” We know from Genesis 2:17 God tells Adam not to eat of the fruit of the tree but nothing is said about touching it; I suspect the touching part was added by Adam in a moment of frustration; perhaps around the 77th time Eve asked about why they shouldn’t eat its fruit.

I doubt that there was anything poisonous about the fruit of the tree and I can imagine birds and perhaps other animals eating the fruit and doing just fine. That could make Eve all the more curious about why she and Adam shouldn’t eat that fruit because the animals ate it and they didn’t die.

The problem wasn’t in the nature of the fruit, it was a question of obedience to a direct command of God. If Adam choose to disobey God’s command he was embarking down a slippery slope that would change everything; he would lose the fellowship he had enjoyed with God and would spiritually die immediately, and then physically die later.

Next week we will consider the world in which Adam and Eve lived.

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | March 8, 2012

Solar Flares Today – What Can We Expect?

Today Will Not Be Another Carrington Event!

In light of today’s anticipated solar flare event I thought I would republish this blog from last year. If you’ve seen today’s headlines you know we’re going to get a solar blast that may cause some problems. One thing seems rather certain; in light of our cloud cover it is unlikely we’ll see any Northern Lights in our area.

The original blog follows.

The Northern Lights in Texas?

There was considerable interest recently when, on October 24, 2011, the Northern Lights were dimly visible as far south as Del Rio, Texas and were vividly visible from places such as Moodys, Oklahoma as shown in photos taken by Peter Henshaw and others.

Views of the Northern Lights, generally referred to as the Aurora Borealis, are normally restricted to areas of the Arctic and Antarctic regions; it is only on occasions of extraordinary solar activity that they may be seen beyond those areas. The event of October 24th was one of those occasions.

We are beginning to experience a period of increasing solar activity which, according to NASA and NOAA, will peak around the end of 2012 and the beginning of 2013. The homepage for Spaceweather.com provides a wealth of information on solar activity.

It appears we have been in a period of remarkably low solar activity for the last few years but that is starting to change. No one really knows how severe this upcoming solar maximum will be but there is concern that our highly technological society may experience serious difficulties should it get too severe.

A 500 Year Monster

I mentioned the Carrington Event of 1859 in my blog on 2012; this event, which is thought to be the most powerful solar activity in 500 years, resulted in widespread damage to the only electrical system in operation at that point, the telegraph system and displayed the lights as far south as Havana, Cuba, El Salvador, and Hawaii.

The solar flare was noted on September 1, 1859 and the auroral display was noticed early in the morning of September 2nd. The battery powered telegraph was only 15 years old at that time and the only example of an electrical grid in existence. The surge of electromagnetism caused fires to break out in telegraph offices and permitted the sending of telegrams with the batteries disconnected.

It is easy to imagine the disruption today if an event of similar intensity should occur; it has been projected that a similar event could cause between 1 and 2 trillion dollars of damage and take between 4 and 10 years to repair.

A more complete account of this event can be found by typing Carrington Event 1859 into your search engine. To me the story of this event is completely fascinating but also rather intimidating when one considers the consequences to the highly technological infrastructure we have today.

It may well be the solar maximum that is expected to occur around the end of 2012 and the beginning of 2013 may be much less severe than the Carrington Event; one can surely hope that will be the case.

It is difficult for me to imagine a really dramatic change to life as I have always known it; I suspect that you share in that difficulty as well. The Bible tells us major changes will come as the end times draw near and many believe that the first step took place in 1948 when Israel became a nation again.

In Luke 21:29-33 the Lord is telling the disciples the parable of the fig tree and in verse 32 says “this generation shall not pass away, till all this be fulfilled.” This is generally believed to be a reference to the restoration of Israel as a nation which took place in 1948. This makes me think unimaginable change could be in the wind.

It doesn’t appear we have long to wait to find out.

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | March 2, 2012

The Wondrous Mystery of Life, by David Bower

Life, an Amazing Reality!

I am continually amazed by the wonder of life; it is fascinating, for example, when I consider our cat, Abby, as she goes about her simple life of just being a cat. The word simple probably has no place in describing any life. Abby is a unique creation, although many cats have joined our household over the years not one of them has been exactly like Abby; she is different in important ways from every other cat that has ever been a member of our family.

Ninja Cat

Abby

Her life, like all life, is beyond our understanding; it is a gift that may seem so ordinary yet it has characteristics that cannot be duplicated by mankind in any laboratory or factory regardless of the money spent to create it.

Mankind, God’s Special Creation

In the Bible we read that creatures of the sea and air were created on the fifth day of creation by God speaking them into existence. Just as God had spoken His creation into existence on days one through four, He spoke these creatures into existence on day five. On day six we are told He spoke the land creatures into existence “and God saw it was good.”

Then in Genesis 1:26 a major change is made: “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

The first key point is the plurality of the Godhead. The words “us” and “our” are to me a strong, clear indication of the Trinity, the presence of Father, Son, and Spirit who had been specifically introduced in Genesis 1:2b “and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”

The second key point in Genesis 1:26a is God’s decision to make man in His own image: “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness.” That is an unimaginably important distinction from all of His earlier acts of creation. This was something intended to set man apart from all else created; man would be a creation in the image and likeness of the Creator himself!

I’m absolutely certain that none of us can adequately grasp the full significance of that statement! Mankind, all of us, spring from a race created in the image and likeness of God! That alone should be a constant source of amazement and wonder and yet it is minimized or ignored by most people. How is it we can take such a monumental revelation for granted?

The Breath of Life

The third key point is brought out in the supplemental account of the creation of Adam in Genesis 2:7 where we read: “the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”

Before the creation of man, God had spoken life into existence but with man God breathed life into man. Our life came from the breath of the Creator although our bodies are from the dust of the ground. As creations in the image and likeness of the Creator the true essence of who we are is eternal even though our bodies, created from the dust of the ground, are very mortal indeed. I have often mused over the fact that the only part of each other we can see is our mortal, sin cursed bodies, that specific part that cannot join us in heaven.

A New Eternal Body

While it is true that we will be given an eternal body not made with hands, that body is yet future and our present bodies of dust must traverse the aging process and eventually return to the dust from whence it came or be miraculously transformed at the Rapture.

In the second part of verse 26 we see that mankind was to have dominion over all the earthly components that had been created in days one through six: “and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

By the end of the sixth day God’s creative work was finished. We are told in Genesis 1:31, “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning–the sixth day.”

Next week we will consider The Garden of Eden.

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | February 27, 2012

The Creation Story, by David Bower

How Did it All Start?

Mankind has speculated endlessly on the questions of who we are, why are we here, where did we come from, and where are we going, among others. It has always fascinated me that so many of those posing those questions seek answers everywhere but where they can be found.

There is one thing for sure, none of us alive today have any first hand experience with events that occurred during creation nor can any of those processes be duplicated in the laboratory. The study of those events falls into the category of historic science, not experimental science.

What is thought of as the “scientific method involves certain steps such as asking a question, doing research, building a hypothesis, experimental testing of the hypothesis, analysis and conclusions, and publishing the results. It is clear that this is not possible when considering the creation of the universe.

What is very strange is that the theory of evolution has been classified by many in the scientific community as science whereas scientific creationism is classified as religion. The validity of either viewpoint can only be determined by its consistency in explaining what is available for study in the ground.

Which consistently does the better job of explaining what’s in or on the ground, evolution or creationism? That is the only valid question; it is at this point that faith becomes a key factor and I propose that evolution requires a greater leap of faith than creationism.

How Old Are the Heavens and the Earth?

I believe the Bible teaches the heavens and the earth are young, no more than around 6,000 years old. The main reason one would require an extended length of time would be to accommodate a theory that dispenses with the power of an omnipotent creator. For the universe to have happened without a creator, one popular theory suggests it would need to have evolved gradually over an extended period of billions of years.

The Biblical account does not require an extended period of time and efforts to reconcile the Bible’s account with the theory of evolution are a waste of time. There is absolutely no need for a “day age” theory or a “gap theory.” An omnipotent God, such as revealed in the Bible, can and will do whatsoever He pleases in whatsoever manner He chooses.

Another reason I believe in a young earth is the fact this heaven and earth will be destroyed and replaced by a new heaven and earth. This destruction will take place at the end of the Millennial reign of the Lord Jesus Christ and just before the Great White Throne Judgment.

An entire new heaven and earth will then be created by the Lord Jesus Christ and I’m confident it won’t take billions of years.

It pleased our Lord to take six days of twenty-four hours each although I believe He could have created the whole thing in six seconds had He so chosen. The Biblical account provides a summary of the creation, the fall of Adam and Eve and the repercussions resulting from the fall.

The saving work of the Lord Jesus Christ depends on the accuracy of the first six chapters of Genesis. Over the next few weeks, God willing, I would like to consider some key points from these chapters of Genesis. Next week we will consider the creation of animal life and the creation of Adam and Eve.

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | February 20, 2012

The Blood Payment for Sin, Conclusion by David Bower

 The First Sacrifice

We see the principle “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” demonstrated early in Scripture; in Genesis 3:21 we read: “The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.” There may well be a great deal more involved in this simple statement than is revealed in Scripture.

It is generally considered that this was a type of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross for our sins; I think there was even more involved for Adam and Eve. Keep in mind that one of Adam’s jobs was to name the animals; keep also in mind that the animal chosen by God to provide the skins to cover Adam and Eve may well have been one close by.

I think it entirely possible that the animal chosen was known and loved by Adam and Eve and they were likely shocked by its death; a death required because of their rebellion against God. It would certainly be consistent with the typology for the first sacrifice to be an accurate reflection of the ultimate sacrifice; God the Son is greatly loved by God the Father and I can imagine how the Father must have felt as He watched the Son suffer and die in great agony.

A Painful Reminder

Can you imagine the feelings Adam and Eve would have as they wore the skin of a beloved animal that had been their companion in the Garden? Can you imagine your feelings should a beloved pet be killed as a result of your sin? What if you had to wear your pet’s skin as a constant reminder?

I believe Adam and Eve suffered greatly from the death of their animal companion and were painfully reminded of their disobedience every time they saw those skins.

Genesis 4 tells of the offerings of Abel and Cain, how Abel’s offering involved the death of an animal but Cain offered crops from the earth; Abel’s offering was accepted but Cain’s was rejected. Later when the Mosaic Law was given the necessity of death as a payment for sin is made abundantly clear.

The Lord Jesus Christ, Our Kinsman Redeemer

All of this was establishing our need for a kinsman redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, dearly loved by the Father. In Ephesians 1:3-8 we read: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will– to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.  In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.”

As our beloved Lord observed all of the sacrifices made for sin over the millennia I suspect He was always mindful of His destiny as the only perfect and acceptable sacrifice for the sins of mankind. In Hebrews 9 we are told the rituals of the Mosaic Law were only an imperfect picture of what our Lord would perfectly do when He died on the cross, shedding His own blood as the price of our redemption.

If one considers these facts, one principle comes out with great force and that is the value God places on life. Material things are all transient and of relatively little value; all the wealth of the entire world is going to be burned up at some point in the future and nothing of this universe will remain.

The only thing that will survive this massive destruction are the eternal lives of mankind. All men are created with everlasting life, we will all live eternally; the only important question for each of us is where we will live. Salvation in Christ means eternity with God in heaven, rejection of the saving work of Christ means eternity in the Lake of Fire; there are no other options.

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