Question: Did God say when He created everything, that it was good, very good? Did He bless His creatures and man, then curse them, and make the ground bring forth thorns and thistles, and put away Adam forever, making him return to dust? P. G.
Answer: God did say that His creation was very good. (Gen. 1:31). He blessed His creatures and mankind (vss. 22, 28), and so it remained till sin came in and blighted God’s fair creation. But this was not allowed to defeat His purpose which concerned His Son. He devised means that His banished ones be not expelled from Him. He cursed the ground for man’s sake. He did not curse man, but the serpent was cursed (Gen. 3:14), and God began to work out a new creation of which His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, was to be the Head (Col. 1:18; Rev. 3:14). There was nothing for the serpent but eternal judgment (Matt. 25:41; Rev. 20:10).
In announcing the judgment on the serpent through the seed of the woman Adam heard the gospel, and believing it, called his wife’s name Eve. Then God clothed them with coats of skins, which typically speaks of God’s righteousness, Christ put upon every believer (2 Cor. 5:21).
Abel believed the same gospel and approached God as a worshipper through the firstlings of his flock, with the fat thereof; whereas Cain would not submit himself to God’s appeal, and was lost. He is a type of the Jew who murdered Christ, and deliberately refused God’s offer of salvation, and also all men who walk in his ways.
Man’s wickedness filled the earth with violence and corruption, till God repented that He had made man on the earth (Gen. 6:7). Then He sent the flood and swept them all away, but the house of faith. Man is a lost and ruined sinner, but there is salvation for men.
“Thou turnest man to destruction; and saith, Return, ye children of men.” Psalm 90:3.
“Deliver him from going down to the pit; I have found a ransom.” Job 33:24.
There are no promises to Adam, the head of a fallen race. The promises are to Christ, the Head of a redeemed race. But for this the Lord must die, and believers are saved through His death. Adam heard God speaking it to the serpent. A Saviour was coming to destroy the works of the devil. Precious announcement of the Saviour’s death and suffering to annul Satan’s power and to glorify God, so that God in righteousness can bless repentant sinners.
Adam’s body was mortal and returned to dust, but God in grace could set aside this judgment, and take Enoch and Elijah up to heaven without dying, as he could save their souls also, because of what Christ was to do upon the cross (Rom. 3:25).
The New Testament tells us that every man and woman will be raised from the dead so that spirit, soul and body will be united again. The believers are to be with Christ in His eternal glory, and the unsaved to be in the lake of fire forever.
Adam was driven out of the garden, lest he should eat of the tree of life, and thus be perpetually in a ruined condition. The flaming sword and the Cherubim guard it, and keep man away till he believes on the Saviour. By and by he will, when with Christ above eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God (Rev. 2:7). Paradise on this sin blighted earth is gone forever, but God will have a new heaven and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. All believers will be there where sin can never come (2 Peter 3:13; Rev. 21:1).
Question: Is all the professing church Laodicea now?
Answer: No. Revelation 2:25, 28 shows a remnant in Thyatira who are waiting for the coming of the Lord. He has not come yet.
Revelation 3:3 tells that the church in Sardis will be treated as the world—the Lord coming as a thief to them.
Revelation 3:11 shows a remnant looking for the coming of the Lord, keeping His Word, and not denying His name. Overcomers are there also.
Revelation 3:20 has overcomers even in Laodicea who sup with Christ and He with them.
The truth that there is one body and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling, continues till the Lord comes. Our responsibility and privilege is to walk worthy of that vocation with all lowliness and meekness, and the Lord’s care of the church, and provision for its needs, will not cease till the perfect Man is reached (Eph. 4:4-16).
Question: How could Hebrews 11:9 be true when the persons spoken of there were not living at the same time? Jr. T. G.
Answer: It is their character as strangers dwelling in tents that is the point, not that they were living together at the same time. Jacob built a house for himself at Succoth, that was failure; but in the New Testament, God speaks of the faith of the Old Testament saints, not of their failures.