Basic HTML Version
which you and 1 live today. It 's the
same world, though it has under–
gone significant changes in two
d irections. Its technology, its mate–
rialistic science and production
have awesomely increased , while
conversely the complexity of its
social, regulatory, governmental ,
judiciary and educational systems
has tremendously expanded.
It
has
produced appalling evils, unsolv–
able problems, human discontent ,
unhappiness and suffering. But all
that is merely the expansion of
human systems already function–
ing.
We cannot therefore understand
the PURPOSE of the Church until
we fi rst understand the origin of
civilization- the world into which
J esus carne to build his Church.
For indeed the Church
is
the Mas–
ter Plan of the Eterna! Goo for
working out bis PURPOSE he re
below . What was wrong that
needed s uch a PURPOSE to be
worked out?
Not God's Clvlllzation
This world has been blinded from
the truth about its very civilization
and how it started. Many people
assume this is Goo's civilization.
Actual\y it all started in the dim
recesses of prehistory. A super
archangel, the cherub Lucifer (lsa.
14:12- 15), invisible but immortal
and extremely intelligent , was very
high in rank in the government of
the universe . He was one of two
majestic cherubs whose wings over–
spread the very throne of the
supreme Creator God in heaven
( Ezek. 28: 14-15) . At the creation
of the earth, Lucifer was set on
earth's throne to administer the
government of God, in which he
was adequately trained and experi–
enced. Lucifer reigned over angels
whose abode was then the newly
created earth.
But, while still on the
inside
of
God's universe-government, per–
fect in all his ways from his cre–
ation, Lucifer allowed vanity to
corrupt him into covetousness, envy
and rebellion. A spi rit of competi–
tion entered him. He attempted to
take over
the government of the
entire universe. He and his invad–
ing army of angels (11 Pet. 2:4)
swooped up to heaven in violent
conquest to overthrow the Creator
Aprll 1982
God from bis throne over the uni- ·
verse.
But they were cast back down to
earth. Lucifer became Satan the
devil , still on the throne of the
earth, but no longer administering
God's government. His angels
became demons.
This angelic rebellion brought
confusion, decay and darkness to
the earth (Gen. 1:2). Then God
(Ps. 104:30) in six days renewed
the face of the earth (Gen. 1:3-25)
for MAN (verse 26), created in
God's own image, after the Goo–
kind-with God's grand PURPOSE
to be worked out here below of
reproducing himself through MAN!
That supreme PURPOSE provides
that man shall be born, finally, into
the very Goo Family! Yet the
world seems never to have grasped
that PURPOSE, or the incredible
human potential!
Man was created with human
spirit (Job 32:8, 1 Cor. 2: 11 , Rom.
8: 16) , which impar ts the power of
intellect to the huma n brain .
Except for this, human brain is like
animal brain. Man was c reated
with power of mind, in the form
and shape of God, yet, even as
dumb vertebrates, of matter from
the ground with only temporary
exi~tence.
tvfan, since rebellion entered bis
world, has been blinded as to what,
and why he is-except for those to
whom God has r evealed this
truth.
Clvlllzatlon la Founded
God is oomposed of Spirit. God is
immortal, possessing life inher–
ent-self-containing life. Man's life
is animal life-temporary physio–
chemical existence. But immortal,
self-containi ng life was freely
offered the firs t created man!
That man was named Adam. But
he was first made incomplete in
two ways: he was of one gender
only and to reproduce he needed
another gender with him, so God
made for him a wife, named Eve.
Also his mind was incomplete, with
the one human spi rit. This gave
him capability to acquire material
knowledge-to deal with things.
But God's ultimate PURPOSE for
him required a close relationship
with his Maker, God, and also a
workable, peaceful and happy reta-
tionship with fellowman. His mind
therefore was incomplete as first
created. For completion, another
Spirit was needed- the Holy Spirit
of God.
All this wonderful truth seems to
have been missing from humanly
taught knowledge.
lt
is revealed in
the incident of the forbidden fruit,
explained in the second and third
chapters of Genesis. WHY has this
been ignored- misunderstood–
misrepresented?
The entire founding of man's
civi lization has lain hidden in this
incident of the forbidden fruit.
What if- yes,
what
if
Adam had
eaten of the tree of LIFE?·The theo–
logians and religionists seem never
to have asked--or answered- that
question.
Before the first created man and
woman were two symbolic trees.
One was the tree of the ..knowledge
of good and evil." This tree pro–
duced the forbidden fruit. That
tree (Adam did not eat an apple)
represented
knowledge.
To take
to
himself
this knowledge production
(of good and evil- of right or
wrong)- would result in death .
The other tree was the tree of
LIFE- immortal, inherent life. But
it , too, represented KNOWLEDGE.
How do we know?
Because immortal LIFE is today
offered to the cal led Christian. And
how does he obtain it? Not all at
once, instantaneously, but by first
receiving the very Spirit Adam
lacked- the Holy Spirit of God.
When one receives the GIFT of
God's Holy Spirit, he becomes
merely a begotten child of God.
And the Spirit of God
opens the
mind
tO UNDERSTAND the spi ritual
Word of God- the Bible!
Man needed
spiritual knowledge
for fellowship with bis Maker, as
well as for contact with fellowman .
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of a
sound mind- the Spirit by which
the mind is enabled to compre–
hend- to UNDERSTAND-Spiritual
knowledge as revealed through
God's Word (1 Cor. 2:9-14).
Placed before the first created
man, father of the human family,
were two very special trees in the
garden of Eden, symbolic of tre–
mendous meaning. The man was
required to make a choice. One
symbolic tree represented LIFE-
3