The Big Picture

At the risk of seeming to be overly clinical and trite, I would like to paint a potted history of man's relationship with God.  I know this is ambitious and risky, but here goes........

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God created the heavens and the earth. He also created man (Adam) in his own likeness and placed him on the earth.  Tempted by Satan, Adam decided to make his own judgements about right and wrong and went his own way rather than follow God's leading.  In this way he "died", he moved out of fellowship with God and became independent of Him.

Adam's descendants followed the same lifestyle, and sin and rebellion against God's leadership ravaged the planet, so God decided to start again.

Saving the only righteous family on earth at the time (Noah's), God removed the remainder of the earth's population in a world-wide flood.

Noah's family had the opportunity to make a fresh start in God-man relationships, but it wasn't long before Satan's influence persuaded men to follow the old ways of Adam.

God selected one nation (Israel) to be the example to others and to spread the news about how to live in harmony and intimacy with God and gave her a written code of conduct to follow.

But again, it all went wrong as Israel followed Satan's promptings to create their own codes of conduct and to rebel against God's authority and leadership.

Instead of starting yet again, God sent Jesus to pay the penalty for man's sin and rebellion, and to provide the way to re-establish fellowship with God for all of earth's inhabitants. Those who became followers of The Way became a new nation (the Church), comprised of all followers regardless of which physical nation they belonged to.

Those in Israel who refused to become followers of The Way were removed from the earth, God now using his new spiritual nation to be the example to others and to spread the news about how to live in harmony and fellowship with Himself.

The Church was given God's Holy Spirit to follow rather than a written code of conduct like Israel's, but the church is failing as Israel did. Her example is lacking in quality and integrity, and her influence is compromised in most parts of the globe.  Hence Satan's influence continues to dominate the conduct of world affairs and the behaviour of men.

God will eventually judge the world again, saving those who know Him and live in harmony with Him to be co-rulers with Him in the next age, often called the Millenium.

The Millenium will be a guaranteed success as the influence of Satan is to be removed for its duration.

At the end of the Millenium, all those not alive during that age - those who had been removed from the earth in previous ages through physical death of one sort or another without knowing God - will be raised, judged and sentenced to the appropriate "punishment" that will bring them to repentance and reconciliation.

In this way, all things will be restored, all of God's creation will be in harmony with him and the ages will have been completed, having served their purpose.

All of God's creation will then join Him and enjoy Him in eternity.

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Rog, that now gives us 4 new posts since we last talked.  See you tonight.  Barry