Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | May 25, 2012

Spiritual Warfare, by David Bower

What Spiritual Warfare?

In Ephesians 6:11-12 we read: “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

That sounds like some pretty serious business to me, wouldn’t you agree? Is Paul telling us we are in the middle of a spiritual war, could there be some danger involved? It appears the answer to those questions is yes and yes, there is a spiritual war going on and we, like it or not, are involved as soldiers and are living in “the day of evil.” In the following verses Paul goes on to describe “the full armor of God” and encourages us to make sure we are prepared as soldiers of the cross.

The Day of Evil

As I look about the nation and the world it becomes rather easy to believe we are living in the “day of evil.” One need not look too far or too carefully to find activities that could easily be so classified. If then we are living during a spiritual war should we not see some evidence of the battle in the Christian community?

I can remember this country during the Second World War and recall vividly how virtually everything was focused on the war effort. Although we were blessed by not having battles fought in our homeland everywhere I looked I saw reminders that we were at war and all were expected to make some sort of contribution to the war effort.

What serious signs do you see of our spiritual warfare at church? Are you often reminded of what’s at stake and your responsibility to make your own personal contribution to winning the war? Do you ever think of yourself as a soldier of the cross, armed and standing firm against the enemies of Christianity?

Personally I cannot recall a major sermon effort on the subject nor can I recall any serious Bible teaching on the subject in Bible study classes. The prevailing attitude seems to be more along the lines of “perhaps if we ignore it, it will go away.” I’m of the opinion it will not go away regardless of how dedicated we may be to ignoring it.

What is Going On Right Now in the Spiritual Warfare?

Although the Christian community at large seems intent on ignoring spiritual warfare if there is one actually in progress, and I believe there is,  then what is it like, who is on the front lines of this battle between the forces of God and the forces of Satan?

First Israel, and later the church have been involved in this spiritual warfare. The intensity of the involvement has varied over the centuries especially with individuals. Some believe and fight the good fight while others engage in denial or permit themselves to become casualties because of a failure to utilize the armor God has provided.

The battle, nevertheless, continues unabated among the supernatural beings of the spirit world, God’s angels and the fallen angels of Satan fighting with shockingly great power.

One point that may need clarifying is the true nature of the angelic creation. Often angels are portrayed as beautiful young girls in flowing white robes. The next most popular appearance alternative is a cuddly little babe with cute little wings on their backs. Let me assure you notions of this sort are wildly, madly off base; nothing could be further from the truth.

We have a few descriptions of angels given in the Bible and a few records of how human beings reacted to the unshielded glory of an angel.

In Revelation 10:1-3 we read, “Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke.”

In Daniel 10:5-6 we read, “I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of the finest gold around his waist. His body was like chrysolite, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude.”

How did Daniel react to this vision? We are told in Daniel 10:7 “I, Daniel, was the only one who saw the vision; the men with me did not see it, but such terror overwhelmed them that they fled and hid themselves. So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision; I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless.”

I believe I can say with a high level of confidence if I suddenly came face to face with a being of that sort my face would turn deathly pale and I would be helpless too! I’m not embarrassed to say I might even faint.

We are protected by God’s grace and greatly blessed by our inability to personally observe the angelic struggle that is involved in the spiritual warfare going on around us.

How Can We Fit in With Soldiers Like That?

These are the front line soldiers in the spiritual warfare that has been going on for thousands of years. Who do we think we are to compare ourselves to those mighty beings? Well, we are a lot more than one might think at first glance; after all we have God the Holy Spirit dwelling in us! In 1 John 4:4 the believer is reassured by “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” We must fight this battle in the power of the Holy Spirit, not our own power which is laughably inadequate to the task.

This is what Ephesians 6:10-17 is all about; we have God as our armorer and He has provided all of the equipment we need to be effective soldiers in the spiritual warfare. On our own strength we are nothing, with God we can “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”

You’ve heard the expression “last man standing?” Well with the power of God on our side that’s us. Welcome to the spiritual warfare, I suspect we’ll see the intensity of this war increasing over the next few years.

Be prepared, put on the whole armor of God!

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | May 18, 2012

The Flood Changes Everything Conclusion, by David Bower

The Ark is Preserved

The scope of the devastation caused by the flood was severe and completely rearranged the surface of the earth. The Ark was delivered through this devastation by the power of God. It would not surprise me to learn someday that the voyage of the Ark was as if on a tranquil lake; after all He who told the wind and the waves “peace, be still” could just as easily calm the waters in the vicinity of the Ark with no difficulty whatsoever.

This may well be the device used by the Lord to preserve the marine life I mentioned last time. It may be that the marine life the Lord chose to preserve was drawn to the vicinity of the Ark just as the land creatures were drawn to go inside the Ark. Is anything too difficult for God? The Bible doesn’t address this question at all but as most of you know I delight in speculating on what the Lord might have done that He chose not to reveal.

In Chapter 8:1-2 we are told of the mercy and grace of the Lord, “But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded. Now the springs of the deep and the floodgates of the heavens had been closed, and the rain had stopped falling from the sky.”

In Genesis 8:13-14 we read, “By the first day of the first month of Noah’s six hundred and first year, the water had dried up from the earth. Noah then removed the covering from the ark and saw that the surface of the ground was dry. By the twenty-seventh day of the second month the earth was completely dry.”

God then told Noah to come out of the Ark and bring all of the animals in the Ark with him “so they can multiply on the earth and be fruitful and increase in number upon it.” The Bible is silent on the steps God took to distribute the animals around the earth but I’m sure He did exactly what it pleased Him to do. Understanding the Bible is much simpler when one believes that God is truly omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent.

The Newly Remodeled Earth was Completely Different

From now on the flood would be a part of history; the earth was completely rearranged from what it had been and I’m sure the sky looked vastly different too. It has been calculated that only the larger, brighter stars and planets could have been seen before the collapse of the water vapor canopy. The Sun and the Moon as well as the stars and planets would have all seemed dimmer before the flood as light was filtered through the water vapor canopy.

It is believed that observers would have seen only about 255 stars and planets before the flood due to the reduced visibility caused by the water vapor canopy whereas after the  flood there would have been around 2,500 visible. In addition the moon would have been much brighter at night and the sun brighter by day.

This sudden crystal clarity was actually a danger as the radiation from the sun was soon to greatly reduce the lifespan of mankind from hundreds of years to less than one hundred years on average.

After the flood, the world as we know it today emerged  from what had been a world in a greenhouse; a world protected from the extremes that are now a part of life on this planet. Although the sun, moon, stars, and planets were brighter, the prospects for life were much dimmer.

Further Study Opportunities

I owe a great debt to Joseph C. Dillow for his excellent book, “The Waters Above.” In addition I have found the work of Dr. Walt Brown in his fascinating website, http://www.creationscience.com/onlinebook/index.html to be a marvelous source of information on the pre-flood world. Dr. Brown’s extensive writings on the flood and the world before the flood are both informative and helpful to any student of the subject. Another website that has much good information is http://www.answersingenesis.org/.

Although “The Waters Above” is out of print, used copies can be obtained if one is determined to have a copy. Dr. Henry M. Morris, Ph.D., in his forward wrote on page xv, “In many sections the book will be difficult to follow, even for those with training in science and mathematics, but it is vital that these sections be included for those who may want to check their validity.” I will freely admit that many sections went right over my head but I found the remainder of the book more than interesting enough to compensate for those more difficult and technical sections which were beyond my understanding.

The two websites I mentioned could probably keep the student busy for the next 5 years if one desired to devote that much time to the subject. What I’m saying is there is no shortage of great information available to the Bible student who wants to learn more about the flood and the pre-flood world. Happy studying!

Next – Spiritual Warfare

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | May 11, 2012

The Flood Changes Everything Part 4, by David Bower

Unparalleled Destruction Rearranges the Surface of the Earth

What we see today around the world is the results of this horrific flood; this includes such things as the Grand Canyon, the deep ocean trenches and the highest mountain ranges. All can be accounted for by the actions of the waters below and the waters above.

The frigid polar extremes are also part of the flood phenomena and were produced by the collapse of the water vapor canopy that had previously enveloped the earth. A question had been raised after the last blog concerning marine life.

I commented that the global tumult that characterized the flood event likely produced tons of sediment which caused much of the marine life to perish. Although the Bible does not specify I believe it possible that God graciously preserved the life of the marine species we have today. It is evident from the fossil record that a great amount of marine life was buried in the sediment as seen in the fossilized remains of many species that no longer exist.

The Flood Covers the Entire Earth 

In Genesis 7:17-24 information is given about the devastation on the earth caused by the flood. In verse 20 we read, “The waters rose and covered the mountains to a depth of more than twenty feet.” When the Bible says that I have absolutely no trouble believing it completely.

Today Mt. Everest is the highest mountain in the world at 29,035 feet. How high was the highest mountain in the world before the flood? The fact is no one knows and the Bible doesn’t say but those who have studied this from a Biblical perspective estimate the highest mountain before the flood was between 6,000 and 9,000 feet in elevation.

I could easily believe that during the flood the mountains were greatly reduced in height. For more information on the possible mechanics of this process put “hydroplate theory” into your search engine.

In Ezekiel 38:20b we read, “The mountains will be overturned, the cliffs will crumble and every wall will fall to the ground.” This is describing an event yet future but the principle can apply equally to the past where an Omnipotent God is concerned. I could easily believe the mountains were greatly reduced in height because of the violent upheaval caused by the flood.

As the waters below were being shot into space a great upheaval was taking place under the water on the surface of the earth. The masses of rock, up to ten miles thick that covered the waters below were being shoved around and in the process were creating canyons and mountain ranges. This is how the Himalayas and the Grand Canyon were formed as well as the ocean trenches and all other mountain ranges.

There is an interesting DVD which discusses the process by which these geological formations came into being called “Noah’s Ark & The Biblical Flood.” It is available from Amazon for $9.98 and is well worth the money.

This was an enormous event that is impossible for us to imagine today. God, in His grace, has promised to never do that again and has placed his bow in the sky as His guarantee.

Total Destruction of All Life

In Genesis 7:21-24 the most severe loss of life is described in calm understated terms. “Every living thing that moved on the earth perished–birds, livestock, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all mankind. Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died. Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; men and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds of the air were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark. The waters flooded the earth for a hundred and fifty days.”

To be continued.

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | May 4, 2012

The Flood Changes Everything Part 3, by David Bower

How Long Did it Take Noah to Build the Ark?

There has been much discussion on the possible length of time it took for Noah to build the Ark. Suggestions I’ve read range from 55 to 120 years. In an article by Bodie Hodge, June 1, 2010 for “Answers In Genesis,” the writer suggest a range of a maximum of 55 to 75 years and presents some interesting arguments for that conclusion.

The Destruction of the Earth as it Was

In Genesis 6:17 we read, “I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish.” I doubt that it is possible for any of us to understand the way Noah must have felt when he heard those words.

All human life on the entire world was to be destroyed except for Noah and the seven other members of his immediate family; I hope Noah was sitting down when he heard that shocking announcement.

The Noahic Covenant Promised

God then announces His covenant with Noah which is detailed in Genesis 9:1-18 and is an unconditional covenant.

In Genesis 6:19 – 7:3 God tells Noah of the animals that should be brought upon the Ark to save them from the flood. In Genesis 7:2 a distinction is made between clean and unclean animals. Seven of the clean animals and the fowls of the air were to be taken on board the Ark while only two of the unclean animals were to be saved.

At this point the ridicule and laughter may have reached a fever pitch among those watching Noah and his family. This was an unprecedented event that was so strange that the skeptics had no frame of reference at all and may well have thought that Noah and his family had collective insanity.

Although not specified it is reasonable to conclude that the many assorted animals and birds entered the Ark as directed by God without any coercion. Watching these animals peacefully board the ark without guidance must have been unsettling to the observers.

In Genesis 7:4 God tells Noah, “Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made.” In Genesis 7:5 we see the secret of Noah’s success, “And Noah did all that the LORD commanded him.”

 The Flood

In Genesis 7:7 we read, “And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives entered the ark to escape the waters of the flood.” In verse 16b we read, “Then the LORD shut him in.” The door to the Ark had been sealed by God and those inside would be delivered from the judgment that was to shortly come upon the earth. I suspect that was the most watertight door ever seen on the face of the earth.

In Genesis 7:11 we read, “In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month–on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened.”

You may recall my earlier discussion of the waters above and the waters below. Now we see them as they begin to rearrange the world and in the process kill all those not in the Ark. The profound impact of this event on the earth produced all of the geological and climatic conditions we know today.

The collapse of the water vapor canopy permitted the flash freezing of the North and South Poles which resulted in the formerly semi-tropical regions irreversibly freezing into the icy regions we know today.  It was this flash freezing that created such phenomena as the “Beresovka Mammoth.”

Note the shovel handle in the center bottom of the picture as a reference for size.

Note the shovel handle in the center bottom of the picture as a reference for size.

The Beresovka Mammoth, flash frozen in a sitting position.

The other source of water was the waters below. It is estimated that a subterranean water table at least 3/4 of a mile in depth existed around 10 miles below the surface of the earth under considerable pressure. Since there was no rain before the flood it is believed that water from this source provided the water for the rivers referenced in the pre-flood world and provided the water for watering the surface of the earth.

At the time of the flood, God permitted the subterranean water table to “burst forth” with sufficient force to propel the water about 20 miles above the surface of the earth. This, combined with the collapse of the water vapor canopy, continued for 40 days and 40 nights with an unequalled severity.

To be continued…

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | April 27, 2012

The Flood Changes Everything Continued, by David Bower

Noah, Perfect in His Generations

Previously I had mentioned the problem of angelically corrupted DNA and concluded that Noah and the seven who joined him in the Ark had true human DNA and could safely carry forward the seed of Adam and Eve.

When one considers the unequaled devastation that took place at the time of the flood one feels compelled to balance that with an unequaled threat to the future of God’s plan for humanity. A corrupted form of humanity blending human and angelic DNA would certainly provide that unequaled threat; the marriage of believing men and unbelieving woman would not, that has continued throughout the history of humanity.

Noah’s Challenge

At the time God revealed His plan to Noah I would estimate Noah was around 480 years old. The world was an entirely different place and provided a considerably more healthful environment than it did after the flood. The water vapor canopy which surrounded the earth provided an excellent temperature balance with an oxygen rich atmosphere from North Pole to South Pole; I would estimate the two polar extremes enjoyed year-round semi-tropical conditions.

A casual search of the internet will reveal a considerable number of reports and articles on tropical vegetation and animal life found under the ice at both poles which, of course, supports the Biblical account of creation perfectly.

Another characteristic of this greenhouse environment was a total absence of rain; the ground was watered by streams or a mist emerging from the earth. All of this undoubtedly increased Noah’s confusion when he was told to build a huge ship. I can easily imagine he must have created a great deal of curiosity as construction progressed.

According to the Genesis record Noah may have worked on the ark for around 20 years before Shem, Ham, and Japheth were born. From the Bible we can determine that Japheth was born first, Shem second, and Ham third. One can only guess how many more years were to pass before they could help Noah in the construction of the ark.

Corruption and Violence Filled the Earth

In Genesis 6:11-12 we read, “Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways.”

What is this… in the midst of environmental perfection mankind was filled with corruption and violence? Kind of reminds me of the Millennium; after 1,000 years of governmental and environmental perfection under the Lord Jesus Christ huge numbers of people will revolt under the leadership of Satan.

This very forcefully says to me that mankind’s basic problem is spiritual, not circumstantial or environmental which is precisely what the Bible tells us. Mankind’s default position since the fall of Adam is spiritual death until born again by the power of God the Holy Spirit when a person is brought back to spiritual life by faith in Jesus Christ as Savior.

Instructions for Building the Ark 

The Bible spends a brief time on the who, why and when of building the Ark but no time explaining the where and the how. I’m forced to assume Noah had help; handling the timbers that must have been involved would require either machines or men to help move and place the timbers for assembly.

In Genesis 6:14-16 a very summary description of the Ark is given which is likely an abbreviated account for the Biblical record. The Bible does not tell us much about Noah; nothing is mentioned as to his technical qualifications to design and build the Ark from the brief description given of him in the Bible. For all we know Noah may have been a major ship builder by trade and all of this was a piece of cake for him.

To be continued….

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | April 20, 2012

The Flood Changes Everything, by David Bower

What Would Justify Such Devastation?

We now come to the Genesis flood during which all but 8 people (0.00000000088% of the population)  perished from the face of the earth. In my last blog I mentioned the number of deaths at 8,999,999,992 to illustrate the massive loss of life involved in the flood. As we read in Revelation it does not appear the earth will again experience that number of deaths and at the very least the percentage of lives spared to those taken appears to be much greater at the end of the Tribulation.

There are two schools of interpretation concerning the first verses of Genesis 6 where the problem is described. The point of disagreement has to do with the identity of “the sons of God.” In Genesis 6:1-2 we read, “When men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose.”

One line of interpretation sees these sons of God as part of the Godly line of Seth and the daughters of men as unbelieving women, which I believe is incorrect. The major verse used to support that view is taken from Matthew 22:30 which reads, “At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.” The context of this comment was the challenge the Sadducees, who did not believe in a resurrection, had made to our Lord concerning a woman who had a succession of earthly husbands. To extend this to mean angels in human form are sexless is rather a stretch in my opinion.

Fallen Angels

The second view, which I hold, maintains the sons of God were angels who “kept not their first estate.” The offspring of those unions became remarkable men. In Genesis 6:4 we read “The Nephilim were on the earth in those days–and also afterward–when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.”

Many, who hold this position, see the Greek and Roman mythological stories as remnants of memories about this period in the history of man. Verses used to support this view include Job 1:6 which reads, “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them.” It is also interesting to note that some translations translate the Hebrew phrase used here and in Genesis 6:2 & 4, “B’nai HaElohim” which means sons of God, as angels.

Other verses are found in Jude 6-7, “And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home–these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day. In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.” Sexual immorality and perversion is the context for these two verses and that aptly describes the sons of God in Genesis 6.

There are a number of other convincing arguments involving identifying the sons of God as angels; if you have an interest in exploring this further please let me know in your comments and I’ll be happy to discuss it with you.

The next important question pertains to the why of this aberration. I believe this involved a Satanic effort to corrupt the DNA of the human race and make a completely human descendant of Adam and Eve which would bruise the head of the serpent an impossibility. Considering the judgment that was coming Satan’s efforts must have met with considerable success.

Noah

This brings us to Noah; in Genesis 6:9 we read, “These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation; Noah walked with God.” This is understood to mean that Noah and the other seven that were delivered from death had pure human DNA from Adam and Eve and were free from the corruption of any angelic DNA. This passage is sometimes translated as “perfect in his generations.

It is evident to me that something drastic had to be taking place for God to consider the total destruction of mankind; in Genesis 6:7 we read, “So the LORD said, “I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth–men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air–for I am grieved that I have made them.”

To say that the marriage of godly men and ungodly women called for the total destruction of mankind is impossible for me to believe. I can, however, believe that a corruption of mankind with angelic DNA thereby preventing the pure seed of Adam and Eve to eventually produce mankind’s kinsman-redeemer makes complete sense to me.

To be continued.

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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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