STAND FIRM: The Epic Story of Truth (part 1) - Creation, Curse and Promis
The Bible reveals God to His Creation, and it shows us how we’re to live, but it also tells one whole, cohesive narrative — an amazing narrative that is continuing today and that we’re each invited into. Often in our presentation of the gospel, we present a true, but abbreviated portion of this narrative. Looking only at a sliver of the story keeps us from seeing why the Old Testament, prophecy, the return of Jesus, the Millennial Kingdom and Israel matter today. It’s as if we treat each subject in the Bible as an individual book rather than recognizing it’s a box set. From Genesis to the maps, God is telling the same story. Over the next several articles, I want to summarize this cohesive narrative and I hope the story of truth you cherish becomes bigger — becomes epic! Even more so, I hope you can see your opportunity to step into this epic story. You’ve been invited into the most epic life of all.
This might seem like a departure from the topics I have been writing about, but it’s another way of looking at them. It’s placing the continued plan for Israel, the return of Jesus and the establishment of His kingdom in the narrative with everything else we know.
As you know, this epic story starts with God speaking into the void and speaking the world as we know it into existence, or does it? Let’s come back to that question. The Bible begins with the account of Creation. This was written around 1400 BC by Moses. God guided Moses to write the first five books of the Bible while he was in the wilderness while headed to the Promised Land. These books make up the Books of the Law. In Hebrew, it is referred to as the Torah. Though those books were written nearly 3,500 years ago, they begin telling a history that took place nearly 6,000 years ago. We have that time frame because Moses includes genealogies that includes life spans which trace back nearly 6,000 years. This lineage is important for us to be able to understand ancient history.
I’m a “young earth” creationist, meaning I believe God created the earth in a literal week and that it was created 6,000 years ago. Though I admit I struggle with how that fits with astronomy, I just always want to err on straightforward reading. Though in that debate I believe it is extremely helpful that we make clear that if there is debate over the time frame of Creation, there isn’t a debate to human history. Scripture confirms nearly 6,000 years of human history. The biblical case is strong.
There in the beginning, God created everything in a successive plan laid out in Genesis 1. On the sixth day, He created mankind, starting with Adam, then at some point, God made Eve and placed them in the Garden of Eden. The most amazing part of the snippet of life in that garden we’re given is that God, Himself, walked with Adam and Eve daily. There was perfect fellowship between mankind and God. Unfortunately, that fellowship was broken through the sin of Adam and Eve that led to them being thrown out of the garden and the Earth being cursed. That sin led to us all inheriting the consequences of their sin.
That is the first three chapters of the Bible, but as I asked earlier, is the Genesis creation account the beginning of the epic story? No, it is not. There are pieces in the Garden of Eden account and the rest of Scripture that started before that Genesis account.
God existed — that is a seemingly obvious statement, I realize, but it’s an important part of the epic story. God has always existed. He sits outside of creation and time. However that works, God has always existed. John 1 reveals that Jesus also existed there in the beginning. Though we, undoubtedly, assume this as we retell the creation account, it’s important that we spell that out for children, teens and new believers.
Along with God, celestial beings (angels) existed. I used the phrase “celestial beings” because, though the word angel often is used to cover all such beings, an angel is a specific celestial being. An angel is a celestial messenger. Throughout Scripture, we see different “kinds” of celestial beings — angels, seraphim, cherubim, etc. We’re not told in Scripture when these beings were created. Realizing that celestial beings existed before the Garden of Eden account is important in understanding the deception of Satan. We focus on Satan being a serpent in the garden, but we probably first should see Him as one of these celestial beings.
In our modern context, we’re likely missing an understanding about the Garden of Eden that the ancient world would have intrinsically known. Throughout all ancient cultures, their gods and goddesses lived on high places and in gardens. I believe, going back to the original audience, this was meant to be understood about Eden. This was the “home” of God the Father. It was the home of the celestial beings. This would be why there was such an intimate fellowship between God and Adam and Eve. Also, if this was the case, Adam and Eve would have existed and interacted with celestial beings, which would make the fact that Satan speaks far less weird. I believe when we jump to the New Creation in the Book of Revelation that we see this restoration of Eden with the presence of God the Father and interaction with the celestials.
The creation account is epic, and when we add in the details of God’s preexistence and the angelic world, it becomes larger, but I believe it is Gen. 3:15 (ESV) that points to the “epicness” of the narrative. The context of that verse is in the cursing of the earth, mankind and the serpent. God said to Satan, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring (or seed) and her offspring (or seed); he shall bruise (crush) your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
Here in the opening of the Bible, God summarizes the narrative. A “seed” or “offspring” of the woman will come — a “Promised One,” if you will. He will come and ultimately destroy the serpent who Revelation 12 reveals is Satan, but Satan will get a shot in on this Promised One. It’s also at this time that the curse will end, and creation will be restored. There is so much in this one verse. It hints at the virgin birth of Jesus by using the phrase “seed of the woman.” It tells the whole account that will unfold. Everything in the rest of Scripture and life today hinges on this one promise.
Dive into the Epic Story yourself by reading Genesis 1-3 and John 1:1-3.
— Jake is a state missionary and would love to share about the work in Northwest Arkansas and encourage your church to stand firm. (standfirmministries.com)
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Jake McCandless
Jake McCandless authors a weekly column titled, Stand Firm and Live Epic, through which he seeks to encourage the modern church to not just survive, but thrive in current times. He also addresses many end-times topics.
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