CHAPTER ONE
DO WE HAVE TO BELIEVE MAN, OR GOD?
Introduction
The whole knowledge which God proposed for man is revealed with consistency throughout Scripture. Hence, it is only the truth that shall make man free (John 8:32). Therefore, it is essential to know the truth. It is not by believing imposed interpretation ascribed to the Fathers of the Church. Time and again, history has shown controversies about the ever-toted opinion of Fathers of the Church. Several Church doctrines, which are not in Scripture but were, or now, are regarded as God’s command, further help to create doubt about the opinion of the Church fathers. God inspired certain persons to write the Scripture. It is in like manner certain persons receive revelation to interpret Scripture correctly to this day, and this is ongoing. So, God has not limited the right of knowledge of the truth to any particular body as to know what heresy is or not.
Many believed and still believe the Theory of Evolution of life. This suggests that Christianity which is stock to the opinion of Fathers of the Church, or shepherds against Scripture, is doomed. But it will not change the truth. God alone holds the roots of all things in the heavens and on Earth as described by Scripture.
It suggests the pitiable state of persons who prefer the word of man to that of God. Do trees fall in the bush and produce furniture in homes? Can a vehicle say it made itself? Will clay rightly deny the potter of the purpose he made it into a pot?
By knowledge, men invented certain words to identify some texts of Scripture. Some examples are: The Trinity, incarnation, rapture and re-incarnation. In truth, the words truly represent what they suggest. So, to deny re-incarnation by Christianity because of opinion of the Fathers of the Church suggests pride of life.
This is indeed an affront, in view of Jesus’ affirmation of re-incarnation as shown later. It suggests unbelief. This raises the question of why do men deny the Word of God, to please man? (Gal. 1:10)
Foundation Articles
The Trinity
It is only Scripture that can truly validate the Scripture. But beyond this is revelation from the Spirit of God, which must be validated by Scripture. Anything else is nothing but mere conjecture to please man or self, and not God.
Over the years I have heard of different opinions regarding the status of man and woman or husband and wife from creation. These conflicting views come mostly from several persons of the five-fold ministry (Eph. 4:11) and marriage counselors.
Recently some suggested that God created them as male and female equally in the beginning; alluding to Scripture (Gen. 1:27). This kept me thinking.
Luckily, one day, I asked God in prayer to give me understanding of what He meant by: “So God created man in His image; in the image of God He created him: male and female He created them”. And why He observed later that man was alone and needed a companion. What you will read next began to flow into my consciousness from around 1:00 AM GMT.
Three Persons in One God
The wholeness of the Trinity is one inseparable deity of three persons. It suggests He is made up of; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost lock in preparation of male and female, or head and socket profile (Mt. 28: 19).
It suggests God the Son is in the exterior position and in-charge of the outward reach (John 3:16) of the Godhead; icon of Trinity.
His contact sector has female shape, which lock into the outer male profile of God the Father who is at the middle. On the inner contact of God, the Father is another male profile. This lock into the female profile sector of God the Holy Ghost. This puts Him in position and in-charge of the interior reach. This validates the scripture verse which declared that the Spirit of God is in-charge of searching the interior and deep things of God (1Cor. 2:10).
Thus, the Father has dual contact sectors as male or head; outer and inner. It suggests why Scripture regards the Father as the Godhead (Col. 2:9).
Jesus and the Kingdom of God
Knowledge is enhanced by understanding the structure regarding what is at stake as described previously. God testified to the togetherness of the three persons in one when He said; let us create man in our image and likeness (Gen. 1:26-27). God is everlasting, sovereign, wise, faithful and infallible (1Tim. 1:17). His class is supreme and higher than everything else (Deut. 10:17-22; Is. 45:5). He is the only life not created and He changes not (Mal. 3:6), but He created all. No man has seen God or will ever see Him. Jesus was much more than who He appeared to us to be. Jesus is the Word of God as well as the image. Moreover, He is the embodiment of the Kingdom of God and the Trinity (Mark 1:15).
It is out of the Word of God that the New Jerusalem or Heaven and Earth shall come forth in due time (Rev. 21:2). The foregoing suggests that Jesus is the Kingdom of God and indeed eternity. Thus, if you see Jesus, you see the Kingdom of God and all that is of His (Acts 17:28). This means that nobody can see the Godhead at any time, except Christ Jesus, as Scripture equally declared (John 1:18; 1John 4:12). It further suggests the reason Christ is our Mediator, and why we pray in His name.
Sharpening the Understanding of the Trinity
The man whom God made in His image and likeness offers the best insight of the structure of Him. Before man committed sin, the body was eternal. Adam was made upright (Eccl. 7:29), and had inner parts (Ps. 51:6) and outward parts of sand (flesh) and water. (Gen. 2:6-7) After Adam committed sin, the body was stripped of righteousness and glory. At that juncture God robed him with the body of flesh and blood. (Gen. 3:21)
This was when God made every nation of men from one blood to dwell on all the face of the Earth (Acts 17:26). (Learn more about the change in a later chapter).
Due to ignorance of divine things, man created his own idea of God. Some examples of this is the claim that a man can be infallible, or the representative of God or Jesus on Earth. And the claim that Mary was born without sin and that she is the mother of God. Even the claim that God made man for the purpose of relationship with Him; although none of these claims are validated by Scripture.
Instead, Scripture clearly stated that God created man to serve and please Him (Ex. 8:1; Phil.2:13; Rev.4:11). It suggests why God put Adam in Eden to tend and keep (Gen.2:15).
Comparing the structures of the Trinity and Man
The thoughts and the ways of God are higher than those of man (Isaiah 55:8-9). But similarities exist in structure, ability, and function, and control of things that are subject to them respectively.
God the Father vs. the Soul
Examination of the structures of both God and man would suggest that the God-Head can be likening to the byword of man or the soul.
Therefore, the soul is identical to God the Father. Not much is revealed of both. Except that the Scripture alluded to the mind, heart, intellect, etc. as within him, in the like manner organs like the human heart, liver etc. are within the outward man.
God the Father is the God-Head. So, His role depicts the vision of the Trinity. Hence it is He alone that knows the end of the world (Ps. 139:4; Mk. 13:32). Similarly, the soul of man can be likening to the man-head, as it were, meaning he is the principal person. It suggests why God has singled him out as who would die for the misdeed of all three persons. So, the soul is who Scripture generally refers to as the man (Ezek. 18:20). This throws light on which man is. Thus, the soul is who man is, but he is of invisible configuration. So, man is not a spirit as believed by mortal man. And believing so and that he have a soul and lives in the body contrasts Scripture.
Holy Ghost vs. Spirit of Man
The spirit of man is in like manner of God the Holy Ghost. It suggests the Spirit of God is the façade of God the Holy Spirit. Both are invisible and function interiorly (1Cor. 2:10-11). With the re-birth of man, God gave the Holy Spirit of Christ to him to be his helper (John 14:16, 26).
So, the Holy Spirit which God has given to man is equally the façade of God the Holy Ghost. Both are similarly invisible to the naked eyes. Learn of what this means next in the similar comparison between God the Son versus the body of man.
God the Son vs. the Body of man(The exterior of man who is the soul)
What is regarded as the body of man is the façade or the outward appearance of the total man. This is because the entirety of man is hidden within him. In other words, the man of dust, the soul, and spirit are hidden behind and within the seen.
It is in a similar way the Son of God, which is the Word of God, or Word of the Trinity, is the façade or external view or glory of the Trinity (John 1:14). It is the facade that was born as a child, our Savior (Lk. 2:11)). So, the three persons in one God are within Him. Thus, when you see the façade you see all within Him. Hence Jesus said, when you see “Me” you see the Father (John 14:9).
It is by this we know that the Son of God is the God which manifested in the form of man on Earth (1Tim. 3:16). Thus, He is the façade of God.
This is the testimony that the Son of God is the Word of God and it is by Him all things were created (John 1:1). It means both the body of man (Rom. 6:13) and the Son of God (John 12:32) have visible structures whose members function externally.
On the other hand, their inward persons are respectively within them and vice versa (John 14:10-11). Furthermore, the principal who is the inward person is who does and says all that we observe the body do, or say (John 5:19, 30). It is the reason Scripture declared that the Kingdom of God is within us (Lk. 17:21). Christ Jesus and God the Father are similarly of the same configuration.
As a result, when a man sees or knows Jesus, he has seen or known the Father (John 14:17-19). So, the man who has Jesus has the three persons of the Trinity (1John 2:23; John 14:7, 10). This suggests Jesus Christ is the full balance of God who came to save the world (John 3:16).
It is the justification of the declaration that as Christ is, so are we in this world (1John 4:17). It is like we see or know one another by seeing or knowing our external bodies respectively. Also, our actions are directed by the soul, just as the actions of Jesus were directed by the Father. What a mystery and magnificence?
How Man is of the Likeness of the Trinity
The flow of revelation continued. Like the male and female set up in the Trinity, man is likewise set up between the spirit, soul, and body. Thus, both God and man are alike in structure. The soul is in like position of God the Father at the middle, the body is outward and spirit is inward (1 Thes. 5:23). This means that when you see the body, you have seen all three. It applies to both cases, as rightly revealed by Jesus (John 14:7, 9).
However, God knew that man would afterwards reject Him. During the period He too would reject him (Hos. 4:6). In the period of rebellion, man remained in deep darkness, ignorant and separated from God. This is the period that men undergo the journey of life of hopelessness in darkness until saved by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8) and reconciled to God. In creating man God staggered it in the following order:
First the soul in His image and likeness (Gen. 1:26-27). Then God formed the spirit within man who is the soul (Zech. 12:1b). Lastly, He formed the body (Gen. 2:7). Then He joined all, male and female, into one man. Again, the arrangement put the soul at the center like the Godhead in the Trinity (1Thes. 5:23).
Now the sinful man transits between spirit and mortal form and vice-versa. So, the state of stops varies from time to time. It suggests why God formed the body or façade as an outer temple to make him adapt to the various stages of progression to eternity. The process for every man is first the Earth of darkness, next Hades or paradise, and finally the state of rest, or agony in eternity in either the New Earth, or the Lake of Fire of darkness respectively (Dan. 12:2). This suggests why there is a body made with hands (Gen. 2:6-7) and that which is made without hands as would be necessary (2 Cor. 5:1-5).
With the salvation by Jesus Christ, there is now neither male nor female (Gal. 3:28-29). This is in reference to the new birth, which shall wholly happen once on the day of salvation of the soul to all who believe on Jesus (1Pet. 1:9). It is that day the lowly body will be transformed by the Lord Jesus Christ into the glorious body (Phil. 3:21). This is His second coming. It suggests that until the Second Coming of Jesus no man will be wholly born again in spirit, soul, and body and made perfect as a new heavenly creation. So in regard to the resurrection, the current structure of image and likeness of God shall be changed to another of the servant of Christ Jesus (Rev. 7:15). Now, the change has begun in the man who believed and has received the new creation Spirit man of Christ (Eph. 4:24). The significance of this is that man is not wholly born again the instant he believed on Jesus. (Learn more about being born again in a later chapter).
At creation God blessed man to have the ability to create for himself by spoken words (Gen. 1:28), like Himself. But such creation was to be from what belonged to him out of the creatures God had made (Deut. 29:29). This suggests that man did not need woman to multiply and fill the Earth. But the after-thought caused a change in childbearing as an addition to the primary purpose of companionship by a woman. It suggests the reason to keep together always in marriage.
The potency of spoken words is why caution is required in speaking. What is spoken might boomerang if it is negative. This is because God will do to man what He hears him speak (Num. 14:28) and by his words he will be justified, and by his words he will be condemned (Mt. 12:37).
The Male and Female Enigma at Creation (Gen. 1:27), and Their Link to Man and Woman God Made Later
The man God created is a masterpiece (Eph. 2:10). This man was made male and female, which is the description of the design as shown earlier. So, it is different from the male and female as it concerns two individuals of man (husband) and woman (wife) on Earth (Gen. 2:21-24). This was a product of an afterthought. However, sex produces similarity, though a brief interlock between them. It equally validates the design.
It was for the purpose of relationship and companionship (Gen. 2:18) to solve the problem of the loneliness of man. So, it did not suggest the image and likeness of God. Neither does it suggest there are women in Heaven. It thus implies that it is by the reason of design that Scripture stated that husband (man) is the head of the wife (woman) (Eph. 5:22-24; 1 Cor. 11:3, 9). But each sex plays a peculiar role complimenting one another according to the hierarchy set by God. It shows that it is the lack of knowledge that is the cause of contention about equality. However, the salvation of man has now changed the original pattern, annulling the male and female design as shown below.
What Jesus Meant by: There is Now Neither Male nor Female (Gal. 3:28)
The statement suggests that the structure of man, as male and female, has been changed. However, the change is not about the “now” structure and hierarchy set by God (1Cor. 11:3). Rather, it is about the new creation or born again believer. That is when there will be no male and female design, and no man and woman. Thus, in Heaven all are like angels and there is no marriage (Mt. 22:30). Everyone shall be serving the Most High Priest, who is Christ the Lord. It suggests God had changed the image and likeness of man from that of Himself, to another of the servants of Christ in the form of angel (Rev. 7:14-17). It suggests what God meant by husband and wife shall become one flesh (Gen. 2:24). In the first creation the spirit of man was formed within him (Zech. 12:1). So, man was the custodian of the spirit, and the spirit was equally anchored in him (Is. 57:15-18). But the change which was made in the crucifixion of Jesus (Rom. 6:4) will only apply to individuals by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8).
Significance of “There is Now Neither Male nor Female”
The declaration regarding annulment of classes is in view of the born again life. It is in that life that there will be neither male, nor female (Gal. 3:28). In that life, the new creation Spirit of man is owned and anchored in Christ and not in man, unlike before. This is a change of the structure and life pattern from that of the image and likeness of God to another of Christ (Eph. 4:13). In this state, the born again will be an angel and will be before the throne of God and serve Him day and night by the Most High Priest (Rev. 7:15). With the Spirit that works in the born again now of Christ, he will live for Him, as well as lack his/her own will (Gal. 2:20). Instead, he will do the will of God alone. In the new earth there will be no evil because the born again does not sin (1John 3:9).
Now, Let’s Examine the Change in Classes
At the crucifixion of Jesus, the old spirit of man which had the female profile lock sector was destroyed as the body of sin (Rom. 6:6). This terminated the lock of the spirit to the soul by male and female profile. Then, God created the new Spirit, in righteousness and holiness (Eph.4:24). This Spirit is now owned by Christ (Gal. 2:20). He is the hope of the anchor of the soul (Heb. 6:19). So, the new Spirit is anchored in Jesus and no longer locked to the soul. It is by the Spirit the soul now lives and is anchored in Christ.
In the beginning, the man of dust of the ground as the outer body was likewise locked by his female profile sector of contact unto the outer male profile of the inner man who God breathed into his nostril (Gen. 2:7). But at mortal death, or on the last day when the body shall be changed instantly (1Cor. 15:51-52), the exterior interlock of male and female shall be terminated. This is what Scripture described as the silver cord is loosed, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the well (Eccl. 12:6). From the moment the soul believed on Jesus until the Second Coming of Christ, he shall undergo washing and regeneration of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5). Lastly, there shall be the salvation of the soul which shall be the end of faith (1Pet. 1:9). Then Christ shall give the saved soul a glorious body, which shall not be locked to him (Phil. 3:21).
The completion of all the three stages as described above shall produce a born again personality that is made perfect to enter the Kingdom of God (Heb. 11:40). Then the saved souls shall be before the Throne of God and of Christ as His servants. They shall serve Him with their glory and honor day and night in His temple (Rev. 7:15; 21:24, and Rev.22:3).
Until man is wholly born again the male and female arrangement will suffice. So, on Earth the hierarchy of man as head of woman will not change. God has established it so; and man cannot change it. Whether it is believed, or not, it does and will not matter. So, it is futile to believe you’re your own righteousness, and the equality of man and woman. Unless, we now have to please man, against the will of God.
If we follow the foregoing revelation, it will be understood why Jesus said that some people are born eunuchs (Mt. 19:12). And likewise, why Paul wished all men were like him (1Cor. 7:7). Both declarations suggest that there are men born in the form in which God created man in the beginning. So, to know the truth which will make man free is beyond conjectures and reliance on scholarship to interpret Scripture. God foresaw the incursion of the opinion of man to corrupt the Scripture. Therefore, He declared that His people are destroyed for lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6).
The Origin of Division of Labor
The Scripture suggests that the division of labor began in the Trinity. It is made known in the way divine talents and the usage shared to men. The Holy Spirit gave the divine gift, the Lord shared the ministry, and God gave the power to execute (1Cor. 12:4-6).
Division of labor was equally portrayed in the birth of Jesus who is the manifestation of the Word of God to be God in the flesh. Leading to His birth, the Word of God first assumed the identity of the Lord in the form of Man in Heaven (John 3:13). Then the Holy Ghost overshadowed the Virgin Mary to implant the Man as the seed in her womb. Lastly the power of God overshadowed her and at due time gave birth to Immanuel, meaning God with us (Lk.1:35). But God previously commanded through the angel that the child be named Jesus (Mt.1:18-21).
Soon, the Word of God came in the flesh in the form of man (Phil. 2:7-8). Afterwards, the Scripture revealed through the mouth of Apostle Peter that Jesus is the Son of God (Mt. 16:16). This acknowledged the Son of God as the facade of God the Son, which is His tinkered name. The two examples suggest that the Trinity is one inseparable God; the three persons work jointly.
This proposes that the Son of God is not God the Son per se. Instead the Son of God is the complete and perfect image and glory of God (Heb. 1:3).Thus, the Word that became the Son of God is like the outcrop of the main rock (John 16:28). Therefore, when a man sees or knows the Son of God, he has seen or known God (John 14: 5-14).
It is similar to when you see the body of man you have seen the person, which represents the spirit and soul as a union. It is the reason the word of man is the man. So, when it is spoken it takes the form of the purpose for which it has been uttered, which is similar to when God speaks (Is. 55:11). Hence the Word of God is itself God who took the form of flesh and is known as Jesus on Earth (1Cor. 8:6).
A similar argument goes for the Holy Spirit now dwelling in the heart of man. This contrasts the view of Christianity, that the Son of God is God the Son. If the view of man were correct, it would suggest the Trinity is not cohesively God. Even without receiving inspiration, it is obvious that the structure of man suggests that the spirit, soul, and body (1Thes. 5:23) are inseparable, as long as he has life in God. This clearly proposes that it is the opinion of man to regard the Son of God or the Holy Spirit as one of the persons in one God.
Every man’s spirit, soul and body similarly work as one. They jointly rejoice, commit crimes, etc. As is in the manner of God, the body of man does the outward duties (Rom. 6:13), the spirit does the interior search and liaison (1Cor. 2:11), and the soul is liable for all actions. It might be the reason Scripture is particular that the soul would die for the sin man committed or for that matter, caused anyone else’s soul to die (Gen. 2:17; Ezek. 33:9); and that the devil cannot kill the soul (Mt. 10:28).
God alone is the witness of the affairs of the heart of man through the intervention of either the Son of God, or the Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 13:14; 1John 5:7). God is love and His first touch for man is to show love 1John:7-17). This forms the bedrock for other kinds of God’s intervention in the affairs of man.
The Holy Spirit poured this love of God in our hearts (Rom. 5:5). Without the love of God in our hearts, men cannot be in true spiritual union. The third intervention is when the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon man (1Pet. 4:14). Find out what happens later under “New Understanding of Grace”.
The Reason God Created Adam (Men)
The Scripture made it abundantly obvious that God created man to please Him by service (Phil. 2:13; Rev. 4:11). This was settled when He put Adam in the garden to tend and keep, which is service (Gen. 2:15). He similarly saved Israel from bondage in Egypt to go and serve Him (Ex. 4:23). Finally, He saved man by grace through faith that he might worship Him (John 4:24) by service to their fellow man through the medium of pure and undefiled religion (James 1:27).
Thus, service is a code word for the worship of God. The Scripture explained the subject of service to Him when it stated that a man who gives succor to the poor for the sake of righteousness does it to God (Prov. 19:17; Mt. 25:40).
Reasons Often Cited to Claim God Created Man for Relationship
The subject of why God created man is examined in detail later. It will suffice here to say that He created man not for relationship (Reference to Chapter Nineteen). Those who believe He created for reason of relationship with Him generally cite:
- His visit to Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:8), or
- His once visit to Israel at Mount Sinai (Ex. 19:17-25), or
- The torn curtain at the temple (Mt. 27:50-51).
In the case of (i), a visit to a garden to see how the tender is progressing certainly does not mean it is for reason of relationship. Similarly, in the case of ii, it is not for reason of relationship a father addresses his children. King David gave us an insight of the reason God created man when he continually sought to be in His presence to please Him with music and etcetera (Ps. 95:2). With respect to (iii), the torn curtain at the temple was an expression of:
- An end to God dwelling in temple made with hands (Acts. 17:24)
- Pointed to the ruin of temple made with hands which Jesus foretold (Lk.13:33), and which destruction occurred in 70 A.D.
- An end to the covenant of circumcision of the foreskin and religion of sacrifice of shedding of blood (Heb. 9:7-9).
- Pointed to a new temple not made with hands to worship God (1Cor. 6:19).
- Pointed to Jesus as the sole way (John 14:6) whose blood made a new covenant of salvation for all (Heb. 8:13).
- Pointed to Jesus as the new and living way to the Holiest through His flesh as the new veil (Heb. 10:19-20) to the Father, and,
- Exposure of every person to the reign of God and its benefit.
If God had created man for reason of relationship with Him, it would have meant He denied Himself to observe that it was not good for man to be alone (Gen. 2:18). It was the observation that led to His making of woman (Eve) from Adam for him (Gen. 2:22-24). This is the origin of relationship, which is fully discussed later.
Incarnation of God on Earth
The coming of God to Earth was settled in Heaven before the foundation of the world (1Pet. 1:20). Eventually He manifested in the flesh, and was justified in the Spirit, and perceived by angels. God is Jesus in the form of man. He preached among men and was believed in the world (1Tim. 3:16).
How God Came to Sinful Earth
It is written that the word spoken by God does not return void to Him but fulfills the purpose for which He has uttered it (Is. 55:8-11). As shown previously the word of a man is the invisible image of the man. This is the principle upon which God manifested on Earth in the form of man. The extraordinary experience is the testimony to the Scripture, which described Jesus as the image of God (Col. 1:15).
The ongoing examinations were the pre-conceived actions of God before the foundation of the world. The reason of His coming to sinful Earth was to enlighten man that he might be turned away from darkness or forgetfulness of His Maker into eternal light. God came to the Earth at the appointed time to redeem the promise that He would make to the man which was to be created.
This suggests that God would speak in the reverse order of the man He proposed to create in the beginning (Gen. 1:26), thus:
“Let Us be flesh to redeem man”, that he might be in the Lord (1John 2:5).
To actualize it God the Holy Spirit ministered the Word of Life upon the Virgin Mary with conception. Then God the Son gave the Word of identity of the Son of God. God the Father overshadowed Mary to give her the Word of power (Lk. 1:35). So, the Word became the Lord in form of Man and seed of Abraham by promise (Gal. 4:23). Later the child fore-named Jesus was born the elect Savior of man, and Christ the Lord (Lk. 2:11). Thus, the Child was the Word of God. Moreover, the Word was God ((John 1:1).
At the pre-ordained time the child was born in the form of man (Phil. 2:6-8) and revealed later as the Son of God (Mt. 16:16). He was equally called the Word of God (Rev. 19:13). This suggests that the Son of God is a separate holy Lord from God the Son. It proposes why God told Him, upon His return to Heaven after reviving man, to sit at His right hand until He made the enemies His footstool (Heb. 1:13).
So, Jesus, and the Word of the Trinity would both be fully God and man on Earth. This plan was proposed to make Jesus to experience the life of man in full. It is God’s justification to save man forever from trickery of the devil (Heb. 2:18). To ensure man is not left as an orphan, Jesus promised to ask God the Father to send the Holy Spirit of wisdom to be helper to man (John 15:26; 16:7).
Afterward the Holy Spirit, not “God the Holy Spirit,” was given to man to pour the love of God in our hearts (Rom. 5:5). The Holy Spirit is impregnated with divine attributes like Christ Jesus. That is the justification for Him to take of what is of Christ and give to man. On a final note, there will be no time that the structure of the Trinity can change. Not when Jesus was on Earth, nor now that the Holy Spirit dwells in man as the Helper. The outline of the manifestation of God in the form of man on Earth is examined in Chapter Five: “Tracing the Journey of God to Earth”.
Re-Incarnation as per Scripture in the Time of Ignorance
The re-visit to the topic of re-incarnation may help Christianity present the truth. There was a period of ignorance. During the time that the creation of man as male and female was intact, but after the first coming of Jesus and the salvation of man by grace through faith (Eph.2:8) the structure of man changed. However, He overlooked his deed (Acts 17:30). Within the period, the Scripture suggests there was re-incarnation. This is attested to as follows:
Re-incarnation appropriately described the prophecy of Prophet Malachi at verse 5 of Chapter 4. It pronounced God will send Prophet Elijah from the world beyond to Earth before the great and dreaded day of the Lord. The day of the Lord suggested the birth of our Savior, Christ the Lord (Lk. 2:11). This was the first hint regarding the coming of Our Savior in the form of man, who God forenamed Jesus. Scripture later declared that He came to fulfill the Laws and Prophets (Mt. 5:17). So, if Jesus is believed to be the Lord, then He is who fulfilled the prophecy of Malachi, long before He was born. Therefore, that person Malachi referred to really came before Jesus. The word “re-incarnated” aptly described the phenomenal re-birth of a previously dead person.
The school of thought arguing that there is re-incarnation is often sighted in traditional ways of knowing who lived previously, but later re-born on Earth. Often used as evidence is a mark made on the body of the dead before burial. When an identical mark is seen at the same place on the body of the newly born, he is believed to have re-incarnated. Wisdom made us to know that re-incarnation is not resurrection. This suggests that the use of mark to identify the re-birth of the dead whose dead body remains in the grave until resurrection is wrong. It is wrong because rebirth of the dead is about the coming back to Earth of the once departed spirit (1Sam. 10:6). It is in the womb of the mother that God gave him a new earthly body (Ps. 22:10; 139:13, 15-16).
The school of thought arguing against re-incarnation is quick to believe that such a mark on the newly born is the deception of the devil. I believe that too. However, the question one is compelled to ask is, why would these Christians believe the devil and deny God? It suggests such Christians need to search their conscience.
The gospel of salvation was virtually taken through inspiration to every nation by missionaries. They were neither the authors of Scripture, nor the originators of the Word. So, their preaching and teaching were based on their interpretation, which could have been untruth. Only the interpretation received from the Holy Spirit is not disputable.
It is incomprehensible why several Christians select the Scripture or people to believe. Is it that they have chosen to please man or church fathers, instead of God? It is written that there is nothing new under the sun and there is no remembrance of former things nor things that are to come (Eccl. 1:9-11). These statements are trademarks of the subject of re-incarnation. Why would anyone who believes Scripture exclude man from “nothing new under the sun”? More so when Scripture mentioned remembrance (of the past life)?
In addition to the declaration of nothing new under the sun is the prophecy of Malachi which was mentioned previously. Afterward Jesus gave the final verdict regarding the controversy around re-incarnation. When John the Baptist sent an emissary from prison to ask if Jesus was the one who is coming, and etcetera, He affirmed that He is the Messiah by the response (Mt. 11:1-6). Later, Jesus categorically revealed that John the Baptist was the Elijah, which Malachi prophesied (Mt. 11:13-15). Additionally, the Disciples later confronted Jesus about re-incarnation: “Why then do the Scribes say that Elijah must come first”? Then Jesus responded that: “Indeed Elijah is coming first and will restore all things, “But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise, the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands.” (Mt. 17:10-12). Then the Disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist (Mt. 17:13). So, where does the denial of re-incarnation by Christianity come from? God has spoken and whether you believe, or not, will not change the truth. The choice is yours. But I must address what seems to be a general understanding in Christianity.
Again, the Christians who argue against re-incarnation also support their denial with (Heb. 9:27): “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” This is one of the misunderstood scriptures verses. Let me explain. God regards to die as separation from His presence and kingdom, into darkness. This darkness is equivalent to the forgetfulness of Him (Is. 60:2). It is the way all men died in the loins of Adam when he disobeyed God and was cast into darkness. It was not cessation of life of the outward man or body as it is on Earth. But a change from godly living to a life of evil and from living in presence of God to living in the presence of Satan who is the ruler of this world (John 12:31). Now that the current Earth is part of the darkness, every man died before birth on Earth. But Jesus came to give it light.
Thus, we do not die again until the Day of Judgment from the perspective of God who regards mortal death as sleep (John 11:11; Acts 13: 36). But surprisingly, man understood it differently as the death Scripture referred to at Hebrews 9:27, to his chagrin.
But the death appointed once for men to die and after it judgment (Hebrews 9:27) is in respect of our death once in the loins of Adam in the Garden of Eden. Note that the Scripture refers to men dying once, and not man dying once.
One silent knowledge is that the mode by which the inner man (soul with spirit) departs from Earth is irrelevant to re-incarnation. It might be death (sleep) like Moses who gave the Law (Num. 27:12-14) or taken up to Heaven like Prophet Elijah (2 Kings 2:11), or outright disappearance. So, it is of no benefit to argue about the mode of death, like some would say that Elijah didn’t die.
In re-incarnation the past life is not remembered, neither will people he left behind in the past life and who he might meet on Earth know him (Matt. 17:12). This suggests he will experience the wickedness of earthly life as if it were the first time. John the Baptist suffered imprisonment and later was beheaded (Matt. 14:3-4, 10). But he remained steadfast. So, the life was as though through fire (1Cor. 3:14-15).
When a believer dies (sleeps) on Earth he instantly awakes in Paradise to await perfection and later to be admitted as born again to the presence of God in His kingdom. In contrast, the unbeliever wakes up in Prison of lamentation to await entry into the Lake of fire (Mk. 9:43-48).
[Read more about (Hebrews 9:27) in a later chapter]
True Meaning of Grace
The grace of God is one Biblical term that suffers from different messages. It is described variously according to the opinion of man. But Scripture clearly describes what grace is. Scripture was written through inspiration by the elect of God. It is likewise the truthful interpretation is by a few elect who received revelation over lifetimes. The truth of such interpretation is always corroborated with Scripture interpreting Scripture. It is how the true meaning of grace has been found. It is contrary to the opinion of man that it is unmerited favor. This has no basis in Scripture other than conjecture.
However, there is saving or common grace (Jude 3) with which God saved everybody according to His sole counsel (1Pet. 1:2). It only requires man to believe on Jesus to qualify for it (Eph. 4:7). Once received, God will give the measure of faith to help him grow own faith (Rom. 12:3). This is the living grace. It is what helps man to work out the salvation of his soul (Phil 2:12).
In retrospect man once rejected knowledge. So, God rejected him (Hos.4:6). Then He cast him as sinners out of His glory and righteousness as deep darkness into darkness (Is. 60:2). So, man did not merit the favor which God extended (Deut. 8:18) or promised to extend to him (Mt. 6:33). So, if favor is unmerited how then can the claim that grace is unmerited favor be true?
Scripture suggests favor is to fulfill God’s promise to Abraham regarding earthly successes (Gen. 12: 2-3). Things of human life, which include favor via the rules of man in the house of God will perish, having no need in eternal life (Col. 2:22). But grace came through …
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