The History of Man:
From Life to Death to Life Again
 
 The Story of Man and his place in the Universe starts with God

Part I.  Who is God?

God has existed always, from before time ever began and will continue to exist after time has ended. He is revealed to us as a unity of three perfect beings who together are one God: The Bible says.

“For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”     1 John 5:7, KJV.

“Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” Psalms 90:2, KJV.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.”     John 1:1,2, KJV.

He is the Creator who made everything and still holds it together.  He is involved right now in His world. The Bible says:

“The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of Heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is served with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives life and breath and all things to all.”      Acts 17:24,25, MKJV.

“All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.”     John 1:3,4, KJV.

God created Earth as a beautiful home where He and His children could live together forever in peace. And in spite of its present condition He intends for that plan to be fulfilled: The Bible says:

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”     Genesis 1:1, KJV.

"And the earth was (had become) formless and void."   Genesis 1:2*

“For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain (formless and void), he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.”    Isaiah 45:18, KJV.

Something happened to the earth to cause it to fall into chaos. There was a rebellion in heaven led by Satan and one third of the angels, who wished to take the worship due only to God to themselves. The Bible says:

“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!” Isaiah 14:12, KJV.




“Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.”    Ezekiel 28:18, KJV.

“And He (Jesus) said to them, I saw Satan fall from Heaven like lightning.” Luke 10:18, MKJV.

Because Satan was cast down to the earth for his sin, terrible judgment came upon God’s perfect creation: The Bible says:

“And the earth was (had become) without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”     Genesis 1:2, KJV.

God had to recreate His perfect earth. He created mankind to help Him in the restoration of earth and to put down the rebellion of Satan. He gave man authority over the earth and all things in it including Satan

“And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”    Genesis 1:28, KJV.

Satan hated the idea that man was to rule over Him. He determined that He would cause Adam to be separated from God and thus lose his position in God’s plan. The Bible says:

“For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak. But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower than Elohim; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands:”     Hebrews 2:5-7, KJV.



Part II.  Who is Satan?

After He created the heavens and the earth, this God created a magnificent being to administer the universe He had created for Him. The name of this being was Lucifer - the name means “The Light Bearer.” He was the highest of all the beings that populated this universe in this place called eternity. He was the high priest of Angels for he received the worship of the rest of the citizens of eternity and then, like the high priest in the Temple, he carried this worship before the throne of the Almighty God and presented it to Him. He also spoke for God, for when he had presented the worship to God, God gave him instructions and commands for the dwellers of heaven and it was his responsibility to tell them to the rest of the angelic beings. This being was God’s administrator and master of both the heavenly realm, and the earthly kingdom. But he did not possess them, he only administered them. His creation took place on the far side of the first phrase of the bible, “In the Beginning...” and he was there when God created his headquarters out of nothing

"Thou [art] the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee [so]: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou [wast] perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee."    Eze 28:14,15  

Interestingly enough, this mighty being’s headquarters was on a beautiful world called “the earth.” It was this earth that was referred to when the Bible said, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Lucifer lived in a place called “The Eden of God,”- it was not the garden of Eden, but a place of wonderful fire-filled stones and minerals.

"Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone [was] thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created."     Ezekiel 28:13

What sounds so familiar about the stones surrounding and covering this mighty being? At the beginning of the Bible we have Satan dwelling in a place of wonder and beauty, befitting he who was God’s administrator. Yet at the end of the Bible someone else has been given the place of authority and lives in a palace much like the one given to Satan. It is called the New Jerusalem and another more righteous one reignes there.

"And the foundations of the wall of the city [were] garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation [was] jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst. And the twelve gates [were] twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city [was] pure gold, as it were transparent glass."    Revelation 21:19-21

The description of the New Jerusalem and its stark similarity to the Eden of God shows us that in the beginning Satan dwelt in a place of great majesty and authority.  This is the complete description we have of Satan from the Bible.

"Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone [was] thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Thou [art] the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee [so]: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou [wast] perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee."    
Ezekiel 28:13-18

So this was Lucifer, the administrator of heaven and earth, who, according to the Bible, sealed up the sum, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty

Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.
Ezekiel 28:12
   
In the midst of his high office as leader of worship and administrator of God’s possession, something changed within him. Sin was born in his heart and an evil thought crept into his mind...     And even as this thought rose in him, the thought of having a kingdom independent of God began to fill his heart and suddenly there were two wills at work in the universe and eternity ceased and time began as the rebellion which became the basis for all that we know as human history took shape in the heart of this mightiest of created beings. He therefore proclaimed that he could govern the heavens and the earth independent of God and when he did a multitude of the angelic beings of heaven joined his rebellions against the will of God.  And thus ended peace. for God immediately judged Satan. This is what the Bible says about what happened.

 "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! [how] art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, [and] consider thee, [saying, Is] this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; [That] made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; [that] opened not the house of his prisoners?"    Isaiah 14:12-17

Part III. Who is man and what happened to him?

God created man as a unique and beautiful being, different from all other animals in creation. Man had a body, like animals, and a soul that housed his mind, will and emotions, just like animals. But the one thing Adam had that animals did not have was a spirit. It was this spirit that allowed the spirit of God to speak to man - like a conduit from the spiritual realm to the physical.

Adam had received this spirit when God breathed His life into Adam when He made Him

“And the LORD God formed man [of] the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”     Genesis 2:7, KJV

Adam was designed to live forever, full of the life of God and walking in perfect obedience to the directions of the Holy Spirit speaking to his spirit. He was absolutely dependent upon God for everything, and God’s spirit was so close to Adam’s spirit that the two were in union. It was this union that was the source of Adam’s very being

Death came upon man when Satan beguiled Adam and Eve, the first people.  Satan convinced them that they did not need God to be real men and women, but could accomplish this on their own, without God, in their own strength and wisdom.

“Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; “but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’” Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. “For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”"
Genesis 3:1-5, NKJV.

“So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.”     Genesis 3:6,7, NKJV.

The result of Adam and Eve's sin was:

God removed His holy Spirit from their spirits and they died first spiritually, because the life of God had left them, and then, later, physically, because it was that life that was intended to enable them to live forever in their physical bodies.

Their relationship with God was broken because His spirit could no longer direct their spirits.

Because Adam aligned himself with Satan by believing him instead of God and thus was judged with Satan, that judgement being spiritual and physical death, his very nature was corrupted and from that time onward all men born into the world were literally born dead because Adam passed his corrupted nature down to them. (We sin because we are  born to sin).(Eph 2:1)

Therefore, because of Adam, all men are condemned to die and be eternally separated from a holy God: The Bible says:

"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...
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 5:12, 3:23

We all sin because we have a corrupted nature like Adam and Eve did.  Because we are directly descended descended from Adam we have inherited his nature. We were literally born dead - separated from God, because our spirit, the means of receiving life from God, was dead, because of Adam. Because of that nature we cannot help but sin

“And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,” Ephesians 2:1, NKJV.

Because Satan corrupted Adam, the whole creation was corrupted, beyond repair. So God decided to create a new Kingdom and start over, a kingdom whose purpose would be to triumph over the kingdom that Satan now controlled.

“He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.”  1 John 3:8, NKJV.

Part III. The Battle Between Two Kingdoms

The Kingdom of this world is not the kingdom of God. God has His heart set upon a universe headed up in Christ. But Satan, working through man’s will, has set up a rival kingdom known as “The Kingdom of This World,” which he dominates and in which we all live. He has become “the prince of this world”. The Bible says

"For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether [they be] thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist."  Col. 1:16-17

Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. John 12:31

Thus in Satan’s hands, the first creation of which Adam was the centerpiece, has become a corrupted creation and everyone born into it inherits the corrupted nature passed down from Adam by DNA. God’s primary concern therefore is no longer with the old creation, since it is irredeemable, but with a second and new creation. He brought that creation into being  through the work of Jesus Christ and nothing from the old can be transferred into the new. The main question of life is then to which of these two realms will we belong. The Bible says:

Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.    I Cor 5:17

The Apostle Paul tells us that God, through the work of Jesus Christ in satisfying His anger against sin, the root cause of the corruption of His beloved creation, has seen to it that we can be delivered out of darkness and into the kingdom of His Son. It is now possible for all men to transfer, by an action of their will from the kingdom of Darkness to the Kingdom of God.

But in order to do this God must make of us “new creations” since nothing of the old can be placed into the new. That which is born of the flesh (from Adam’s line) is flesh” which “cannot inherit the Kingdom of God” (John 3:6, 1 Cor 15:50). Our fitness for the new kingdom is determined by the creation to which we belong. That is why Jesus said, “You MUST be born again.” (John 3:3)

“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” John 3:3-6, KJV.

“Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.”    1 Cor. 15:50

So the question is not “good or bad” but “flesh or spirit.” What has happened to you as new believers is that your spirit, which is the only means by which you can communicate with God and which has been “dead” to God, has now been made alive again by placing your faith in Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord of your lives. Once we see that what God is seeking is something altogether new for Himself, unspoiled and uncorrupted by any association with Satan. then we can see that we can never bring anything from the old kingdom into this new creation. God wanted us for Himself, but He could not bring us as we were into that which He had purposed, so first He killed us by the cross of Christ, and then provided us a new life for us by resurrecting us with Christ. The Bible says:

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20, KJV.

“And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:” Ephesians 2:1,2, KJV.

“But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:” Ephesians 2:4-6, KJV.

The Cross was the means God used to bring to an end the “old things” and the resurrection was the means He employed to give us all that we needed for our life in the new world. In the two worlds before us, the Old and the New, Satan has complete dominion of the old and Christ, complete dominion of the new. The cross is God’s declaration that everything that is of the old race of Adam cannot pass beyond this point, it all ends here. God summed up all that was of Adam in His Son and put it to death. He pronounced the death penalty on Adam and all his race and then carried it out on the cross. He then made a declaration throughout the universe saying: “Through the Cross I have set aside all that is not of me; you who belong to the old creation are all included in that; you too have been crucified with Christ. None have escaped the verdict.”

Part IV. What is Salvation?

Salvation simply means to make our exit from Satan’s Kingdom and take our place in God’s Kingdom. Since by faith we have placed our faith in Christ we have forfeited our old lives and been given a new one. The cross is all inclusive, God has put us all into his Son and crucified us in Him.

“But God commends His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.”     Romans 5:8, MKJV.

Jesus, who is Himself God, was willing to be born as a baby, live on earth, suffer and die on the cross for our sake to fulfill the Father's plan.  The Father's plan was to bring us lost sinners back into His unspoiled creation The Bible says

"God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them."
    II Corinthians 5:19

Christ's death on the cross totally defeated all evil powers -- Satan, evil spirits, and death.  His shed blood provides cleansing from sin and power over evil. The Bible says:

“Since then the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise partook of the same; that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death (that is, the Devil), and deliver those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.”     
Hebrews 2:14,15, MKJV.

Jesus rose, from the dead proving His victory over Satan.  He ascended to heaven and is now at the Father's right hand praying for us. The Bible says:

Therefore He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him  because He lives to intercede for them.     Hebrews 7:25

Part V. What must I do to be saved??

There is only one way to God -- the way God has chosen: His own Son! Although Christ died for the whole world, this doesn't mean that everyone in the world is automatically saved.  If we want to be children of God we must each be born individually into His family. The Bible says:

"Jesus said, 'I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except by Me."'    
     John 14:6

"In reply Jesus declared, 'I tell you the truth, unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.     John 3:3

Since our sin separates us from God, we must first repent of our sin.  Repentance means not only feeling sorry for our sin, but also humbling ourselves before God and then turning from our sin. Then we must confess all our sins to God and ask Him to forgive them.  Only God can forgive sins against Him. The Bible says:

"Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord,
and He will have mercy on him, and to our God, for He will freely pardon.     Isaiah 55:7


"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.     I John 1:9

Next we need to have faith.  Faith is believing that God hears my prayer and forgives all my sins; that when I ask Jesus to come into my life as Lord and Savior, that He does; that when God says He will make me His child, He really does. The Bible says
:

"Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God. I John 1:12

“that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9, NKJV.

We need to turn our whole life over to Christ, making a complete commitment to Him and asking Him to be our Lord and Savior.  At the same time, we need to renounce any connection to our old lives and the bad habits and wrong choices that are exactly what have driven us into the arms of Jesus today. The Bible says:

"I know whom I have believed and am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him for that day." II Timothy 1:12

We should consider baptizm.  When we are baptized we are saying “I know I deserve to die for all the things I did that separated me from the Father. So I am willing to take my punishment and join Christ in His grave, placing my total faith in the promise that the same power that raised Christ from the grave will raise me in newness of life - no longer a slave in Satan’s kingdom, but now a joint heir and beloved child in the Kingdom of God.  The Bible says:

Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.     Rom 6:4

Part VI. What happens when we are saved?

Our sins are taken away and we are no longer  under Satan's control We must share this good news with others so that they, too, can experience this freedom from sin and Satan. The Bible says:

'When the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." John 8:36

We become members of God's family with Him as our Father, Jesus as our Savior, and all other true Christians as our family members.  It is important to regularly attend a church where you can fellowship with other believers. The Bible says:

"You are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household. Ephesians 2:19

We have the certainty of eternal life - living forever with our Father and our new family. Those who do not receive Jesus will be forever separated from God. The Bible says:
"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, but God's wrath remains on him.  " John 3:36

We have the Holy Spirit, who is God, living within him.  He is our Guide, Teacher, Comforter and the One who shows us our sin.  We need to fellowship with the Father and listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit each day by reading our Bibles. The Bible says:

"But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you ll things. and will remind you of everything I have said to you. John 14:26

We can come to Christ at any time to ask for His forgiveness for our present sins and failures, and to ask His help in times of need.  We are not only accepted, we are expected! The Bible says:

"Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy
and find grace to help us ia our our of need Hebrews 4:16

*The Invisible War by Donald Grey Barnhouse Chapter One "The Great Interval"  This is what is known as the "Gap Theory."  I agree with it in the sense that I believe that Satan lived on the earth as the headquarters of his administrative functions prior to Adam's dwelling here (The Eden of God described in Ezekiel 28).  I do not necessarily believe there was a period of millions of years between the time of the initial creation (Genesis 1:1) and the judgement which came upon the earth because of Satan's actions (Genesis 1:2).  I also have not reconciled Romans 5:12 (Wherefore, as byone man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:) with the premise that dinosaurs and those creatures found in the fossil record all died millions of years ago.  The length of time between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2 is not the issue - what we do know is that God created the angels before He created the earth (Job 38:4-7) and that a group of these angels rebelled against God's authority.  Given that the eternal state is that place where only God's will is in action, we see that time most likely did not even begin until Satan decided that "I will be like the most High God" and thus put two wills into operation in god's universe, we can see that the "history" of this world began with Satan's rebellion.