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The IICREDIBLE HUMAN POTEITIAL
•••
The Missing Dimension in Knowledge
PartiV
N
O llEUOIOH
has givea
U$
lJu.s
rn.i.ssiog
4imensl0n in lu>Owledgc.
sao=
has
never ex:plarned lO us
wby
mao
is
as
Jt~
is–
eapable of sending men
10
\he moon and
back, yet uuerly helple$$ to solvc his prob–
lems heteoo carth.
In Part JU
or
this series we saw lhe
aw~
some poteoual of man. But
why!
Why
does
the Crator God putp0$C aU lhis'
Wlty
did
the livinS God de<:ide
to
create man and
pul
hin1 on earth? Ood does not do things witb·
out a reason.
To undersWid -
10
compreheod the
whole"J)icture in tbe otder of umc sequence
- we
must
now
&o
~
the
way bact into
prehistory. That mis.sing dtmen.sion in
k"owfedge, too, is revealed in 1he Word of
God - Ood's message ond revclation of
knowledge to mankind.
Tbe
P<ñectcm.ti041
So now we
&O
bact and beJin at \he be·
sJnning.
The first four words of tbe "Bible are: "In
the beginning Ood . .. ." Sincc: in lhe Bible
Ood reveals hlmself
as
Cteator or
AU -
tbe
c:ntare o.niverse
witb
its
ga.J..axies. u.s suns.
plaoel$ and moons - this
plaees
Ood an
exiStente beforc all else.
The next verse tells us what God
did
-
..created."
Ood
Íl,
ñrst
o(
all, Creator. And
whtu
did he create? ••... lhe hcave:n and tbe
e4<lh" (<len.
1. 1)
The Kin.¡ Jama Vcrsioa rcoclen thc word
"heaven"
an
\he
sm&War.
but tbc original
Hcbrew
is
in thc plural - ..beavens" - as
it
should be.
fl
is so
tran.~.lated
in the
R~vised
Standard Version, Moffau. and other trans·
lations. This verse is spul<ing of tbe
original
creation - the entire universe. iocluding our
eanh.
Tbe
oripoal Hebrew words (!bese
words were onginally wriuen by
M
oses) im–
ply a peñect crcation. God reveal• bimself
as
Creator of peñection, light, and beauty.
Every re(erence
i.n
tbe Bible describes the
condition or any pbase ofGod's ereation
as
"very
&<>od" '-
perfcct.
This
first verse of tbe Bil>le octually speaks
or
1he
original
PKYSICAL
creation
in its
en–
tirety - the universe -
lntludfng
the earth,
perhaps miUioru of years ago - as a peñec:t
ctrarion. bc.autiful and broad
1
God
is
a pc-r·
recraonm:~
In Job 38:4, 7, God is speakang
specill–
eaUy of the ereation of
Ibis
eanh. He said
all
the angels
{creat~d
"sons of Ood") shouted
for jox at tbe creation of lhc eanh. Tbis
reveals tbat an¡¡els were created
~foro
thr
cfflltion
of
thr tarrh
-
and probably before
the
mo.tuiDI
univcrse.. Thc suru.. pla.netS. aud
tilnll bodies
are
mawrial substAnce. Angels
are ind.ividually created spirit bcings. com·
posed
solely ofspirit.
JI
wiU come as a surprise to many to Je.am
tbat angels iobabited
Ibis
earth
llPORf
lhe
creation ofmao Tbis passagc from Job im–
pliesit.
Allgds on
Earth
Slnncd
Oth.r
passages place angels on carth prior
toman.
Noúce O Pcter 2:4-6. Fint
1ft
time order
•ere "ange.b tbat sinned... Next
in
time
se..
qucnoe, the antediluvi.an world beJinning
witb Adam, carrying tbrough
10
\he Flood.
Afler
lha~
Sodom and Oomorrah.
Thi$ book
or
books,
oout&lniog
tbe re·
vealcd lmowledsc or
the
Creator
Oocl,
tells
us that God creatcd angels u boly angels -
composod or spiriL But can you imagine
angels becoming
sinning
angeL<? Angels
were created with powcr of thought, of deci-
6
by
Herbert W . Armstrong
Was humanity put here on earth for a purpose? Winston
Churchi/1 said to the American Congress: '7here is a
purpose being worked out here be/ow," implying a
higher power above working on earth. But w_hyl What
caused the placing of humanity here, and what is that
purpose? Where are we going, and what is the way?
sion aod
o(
choice, else thcy bave. no individ–
uality or characte r. Since
sin
is the
"" ttansgre5.sjoo of Ood's
law. thc.se angels re·
belled agoinst Gód's law, \hc basis of God's
sovemmen.L
Notice earcf.,Uy wbat
js
revealed in
11
Pe–
ter
2:4-S:
"Por 1fOod spared not tbe angcb
that
sinned,
but cast tbem
down
to
heU.
a.nd
delivered the.m into chajns of darkness, to
be
reserved \loto judgment; and spared not \he
old world, but oaved Noah tlie cightb pcr·
son, a Pf<achcr of righteousnea. brinsJng in
thc
ftood
upon lhe world oflhe unsodly."
These verses sbow that universal sin
brings universal destruction to Lhe physjcal
ea.rth.. The antedlluvian sín. eulmina:tjng
with
the
ftood.
wu
woddwide, univeiS&l
sin.
Notice:
~
. .• tbe
eartb -..
fillrd
witb
vio–
lence .... ror
o/1
Jlnh
bad corruptcd his way
upon the eartb ... for tbc
«Jrth
l.r
filled
witb
vaolence ..." {Gen.
6: 11-13).
"Out Noah
found grace in the eyes or the Lord. . . .
Noa.h
WaJ
a jusc man and
~tfect
in
his
generations. and Noa&.
wal.kécf
with God"
(verses 8-9). All ftesb except Noah had
smned - over che whole eartb. So. the
Flood
destroyed
th~
wholt eanlt
The
homosexual
and
otbcr
sins
of Sodom
and Oomorrab spread over the tenitory of
th""" two cities. And pbysieal dcsuuction
came
to
thear t:ntire
asea.
Tbe
sin
or
lbe
ansets
was
worldwade; tbe desU'UCUOn of
lb
e
physica.lcanh was worldwidc.
Tbe verses quoted above placed the sin·
ning of thc an¡els prior lO tbe antediJuvian
••ns
that started with Adam, prior to tbe
crcation of maa. Aod
1hoJ
s.hould
be
a sur·
prise
revea~tn&
of
OM
pbase
of lhe missing
dimensioo
in
knowlcdge! Angcls inhabited
this earth be(ore the creation
or
man.
And the governmcot ofOod was adminis–
tered on eartb
until
the rebellion
or
the sin·
ningangels.
How loo¡ lhese angels mhabated the earth
be(
ore the creahon
o(
mao
ls
not revcaJed_ h
migbt have been millions or years. More on
that later. But thesc angcls sinned. Sin
is
tbe
transgression ofOod's law
(1
John
3:4).
And
Ood's law
is
the basis or God's goverumenL
So we
know
tbese angcls, apparently a
tlúrd
or aU thc an&eb (Rev.
12:~).
•inned -
~
belled agauut the govemment of Ood. And
sin ca.nies pcnalties. The penalty ror tbe
sin
of lhe angels is not
death~
as
it
is for man.
Angels are immortal spirit bein31 and
tan·
not dic. Tbese spirit beings had
~in
gi..
n
domfnitm
overthe
PHYSICAL LUTH
as a
pos–
K:ssion aDd an abode.
Tbe universal, worldwide
sjn
of the angels
resulted in tbe physical. demuetion of tbe
ra~
or tbe earth.
Ood
is
creator. Ood
is
also ruler over
bis
c:r-eaúon. He preserves
what
he creates
by
bis
goverrunenL What God creates, he has
Cle·
ated for a purposc - to be used, preserved,
and maintained. And \his use is regulatcd by
God's govem.ment. Wben the angels re·
belled
agaiDlt
Ood's
~overnmen~ th~ p~r
vation of the pllysacal earth and
~
its
orisJnal beauty and glory c:eascd - and
pbysical destrvetion to tbe ¡uñate of the
carth resulledl
Ood is creator. preserver. and ruler.
1t
i.s Satan who is thc great destroyer!
So, now, wc rcad in Jude
6-7:
"And tbc
angels which kept not lheir 6rsi estate, but
left lheir owa habitation. be halh resetved in
evcriasting
cbains
Wlder darkncss unto the
judgment of \he ueat day. Even as Sodom
and Gomorn.h, and lbe eüics •bout lbem
in
like manoer, giving themselvcs
over
10
fonU..
cation, and going after strange ftesh, are set
fonh for an example, sulferin& tbe ven–
&eance of ctemal ftre."
Now back 10 Gen..U
1: 1-2. Vene 1, u
stated above, implies 'pcñec1 c:reation. Ood
is the autlior of life. of beauty, of pcrfection. •
Satan has
brou~t
only darkness, ugliness,
imperfectioo. vaolence.
Verte
J
shows the
creation of a peñcct
eartb,
¡lorious and
bea uti!W. Verse
2
reveals tbc res\111 ofthc
sin
of tbe angcls.
"And tbe eaNh was [bceame) wi thout
form. and void."' The words ' 'whhout form
and void.. are tra.n.slated from the Hebrew
tohu
and
bohu.
A
bene~
ttanslatio_!\
is
:;:w~~~
and empty" or "chaob<: anci an confusioo."
The
word
"'wu ...
is
c:lsewhue
in
Genesis
translaied "beeame," as in Ocnesis
19:26.
In
other words. the eartb, originaUy created
perreet and beautiful. hlld now becomc
cbBotic. wa.stc, and empty. like oúr moon.
cxcept
its
sutface was covered
Mth
water.
David was inspired
10
reveal bow God
renewed the rote of
lb
e
eartb:
"Tbou send–
e$1 fonh thy spirit, thcy are created: and
thou
renewcst the
face
of the carth" (Ps.
1()4:30).
Now
anolber
surprise
for
most
rcaders.
Here
is
anotbcr bit of the
missaD&
dimensioo
in knowledge. actually revealcd
10
the Bible,
but unrecogniz.cd by religion. by science.
and by highcr cdueation.
From verse
2
or
Ge.nesis 1
on,
the remain·
der of
Ibis
firsl chapter of lhe Bible is
not
describio¡ the onpnal tteation or
the
eartb.
But
itls
de:sc:nb•ns
a renewio¡ or
the
facc
or
the
eanh,
al\et
u had become waste and
empty
as a
result of tbe
sin
of the an¡;els.
What is described from
verse
2 on, in lhe
supposed "creation chaptet' ' of lhe Bible,
did
OCC:U<,
ac:eordin& 10 tbe Bible. approlli–
mawly
6.000
years
ago. But that could have
been millions or trillions of years afler the
actual ereation of the carth dt$Cribed in
verse 1!
1
will commcnt later on tbe length of time
h
might bave taken before
~
eatth's angels
tu.mcd
to rebeUion.
Tbc earth
lrDd
brcom•
waste and empty.
God did not c:re.ate it waste and empty. or in
confusion. Ood ia not tbe author
or
con·
fusion
(1
!J>r.
14:33).
This
same Hebrew
word -
tohu
- meaning waste aod empty,
was inspired in
lsa.iah
45: 1~
where
it
is
transla.ted ""in vain."' Usi.n,& the original He–
brew word,
u
origin~y
itapited,
it
reads,
"Por tbus saith the Lord tbat ereated the
heavens; God himself tbat formcd the earth
and made it; he halh esta.bHsbed it. be crc–
ated
a
not
in
vain
(10buL
be tormed
¡,
to
be
inbabited."
Continue now with the remaindcr ofverse
l(Gcn.l).
The eanb had become chaotie, wa$le, and
empty:
"And darkness
was
upon tbe fot:t: of lhe
dcep(t&.e oeean or ftuid
suñacc:
oftbe eartb).
And tbe Spint ofGod moved
u
pon lhe facc
of the waters. And God said, Let tbere be
light: and there was lighL And Ood saw \he
ligbt, that it wu good: and God divided lhe
li¡ht from tbe darl<ness" (verses l-4).
Satan
is
the author ofdarkncss Thc n:bel–
hon of
the
ao.gcls had
caused
\he darlcness.
Ood
is
thc author or light and truth. Ligbt
dísplay~
and cnhanccs
beauty,
and atso ex–
poses evil. OarkMss bides both.
The verses wbieh rollow in thiS firsl chap–
tcr of lhe Bible dacribe
the
reoewan&or lhe
(ate or tbe
earth.
wilh tbe produttion of tha t
yiclding beautiful lawns, tre<J, shrubs, ftow–
ers,
vegetation - thcn
tbe creaúon
of
fish
and fowl, animal life. and finally man.
ne
e,..,
Lüdftr
8ut
6.151,
before
eoming
10
moa, we need
10
fill in tbe prehistory pottion.
How did Ibis sin of the angels "Come
10
take place? How did it start?
Remember. Ood lhe Creator
pnstrws,
amproves
a.nd
eobanees wbat be c:reatt$ by
bis
¡ovem.menL
Wbat
he
aeates
is
aeated
lO be
nsed.
Th11 eanh was
10
be inbabited
and used by angel$. originally.
•
When Ood pl•ced angels - apparently
a
third of
aU
(Rev.
12:4) -
on the newly cre–
lted, perfeet. beauti!\11 and &[orious
eartb.
be sct over lhem.
1.0
admi.núu:t the govern.
ment ofGod. an arehangel - a
great
cherub
Lucifer. Tbere were only two othcr cherubs
of
this
exlremely higb rank. Michael and
Gabñel.
So
far as
revealed, tbese are the supreme
p11111ade of an&<IS
or
spirit-composed beings
walhin God's power
10
erute Tb11 Lucifer
was a super
bein.s
of awcsome. majest.ic
beauty, dattling brightness, supremc knowt–
edge. wisdom and power - perfe<:t
as
God
created
him!
But Oo<l
ofoeccssity eruted
in
hlm the powcr of choice and
decision. or he
could nol bave been a beins of andividuality
and character.
1
want you 10
grasp
fully the supremo
magnificcnce or this towcrins pinnadc of
Ood's created
bein~.
Two dilfcrent biblical
passages teU us of has originalcrcated staw.
First. ootice what
is
reveaJed in l.saiah 14;
This
famous chapter.beguu w11b tbe
time.
shortly at\ead of
us
now, wben lhe etemal
God shaU have inteavened in tbi.s world's
alfairs. The pcople of Israel (not ne<:essarily
or exclusively lhe lsraclis or Judah) shall
hove been laken as eaptivc slaves, and God
shaU ioteavene and bring tbem bact to thc
Ptle$1-it.li•n bo01eland.
~
And it shall come 10
pass
in
thc day tbat
the Lord shall give tbee rest from thy sor–
row, a'nd from thy fear, and from the bard
bondage wh.erein thou
wast
made lo serve.
tbat tbou ahalt tAke up
thiS
proverb against
the l<ing of Babylon, and .ay, How hatb lhe
oppressor teased! lhe golden city c:eased!
The Lord hath broken tbe ¡talf o f the
wíckcd, and tbe sceptre of thc rulers. He
who smotc lhe people
in
wratb ... be tbat
ruled
t.be
oatioas in a..ng_er.
i$
persccute<L and
oone
hindcTCtb.. (verses
3-6).
This
is
!<OT
speaking or tbe k.ins of Baby–
ton, Nebucbadoezzar. Tbe
time
is yet ahead
~:eu~~~;:: :~~~h:~:,• !~:r."n~~!b~~
chadnenar.
lt
i.s
speak.ing of the one wbo
wiU be
&IILI!l
ot
t&.e sooo-comio¡ rcsur–
rected "Holy Roman Empire" - a sort of
soon-coming "United StAws of Europc"
-a
unioo of' ten nations to risc up out of or
following the Commoo _Martet of today.
WEEK ENDINO IIPRJL
19,
l91S