THE RESULTS OF REBELLION: THE EVENT THAT CHANGED ALL OF HISTORY Review from Last Week God s Evaluation of all the Creation: Very Good o Perfect harmony o Perfect balance o Perfect relationships o Perfect responsibility o No sin o No death Perfection Spurned The Seventh Day Summary o Genesis 1:31 2:4 o Everything was very good The Revolt in Heaven o Lucifer determines to rule (Isaiah 14:12-14) I will ascend into heaven I will exalt my throne I will sit on the mount of the congregation I will ascend above the heights I will be like the Most High Lucifer is the Chief Angel of God s Spiritual Creation He was one of the three Archangels (Ezekiel 28:13-17) o Gabriel seems to be connected to the ministry of the Holy Spirit (Daniel 8:16; 9:21; Zacharias in Luke 1:19 and Mary in Luke 1:26) o Michael seems to be connected to the ministry of the Son of God (Daniel 10:13,21; 12:1; Jude 1:9; Revelation 12:7) o Lucifer seems to be connected to the ministry of God the Father Perfection Spurned Adam and Eve in fellowship with God o Perfect relationship with the Creator o Perfect relationship with each other o Perfect relation ship with all life on Earth Adam and Eve now break the fellowship 1
o Eve was deceived yet participated o Adam was NOT deceived and defied God Perfection Judged The Serpent becomes the age-long enemy of man. o Ever to crawl and be feared by Man The Woman now is altered in her relationship with man. o Childbirth and Marriage to be difficult The Man now responsible for death o Earth and all else now to return to dust Satan s Universal Strategy Disputes God s word. o What did God really say? Denies God s capability o You will not die Denigrates God s Character o God knows... He withheld from you The Battle for Your Mind I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led away from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 2 Corinthians 11:3 Results of the Rebellion The relationship with God was severed. The harmony between Man and Woman was strained. The freedom of rulership over the earth was curtailed. The Universe began to die. Shame & nakedness (Genesis 3:7, 21) Fear of God's presence (Genesis 3:8-10) Avoidance of guilt (Genesis 3:11-13) Loss of eternal life (Genesis 3:22) Driven from God s presence (Genesis 3:23-24) Unavoidable death (Genesis 3:19) Necessity of redemption (Romans 5:12, 19) The Universal Laws of Reality 1st Law: Matter can neither be created nor destroyed. o Taught in all schools everywhere that science is taught. o If we know anything; this law is true (Genesis 1:1). o The universe could not create itself. 2
2nd Law: Entropy (in-turning) always increases over time. o When work is done, some energy becomes unusable. Power fails Order becomes random Information gets confused Living things die Stars nova Money disappears. o Everything in the universe is falling apart. Death Encompasses Everything Death Judgment is due to Adam. o because thou has hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: (Genesis 3:17). Death is cessation of physical life. Death is separation from God. o Disconnection o Disharmony o Dislocation Creation Death o For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. (Romans 8:20-22) o You, LORD, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands; they will perish, but You remain; and they will all grow old like a garment; like a cloak You will fold them up, and they will be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will not fail. (Hebrews 1:10-12) What do these laws tell us? o Since the universe could not create itself It must have been CREATED It could not be eternal It does not have intelligence The CREATOR must be both omnipotent and omniscient o Since the universe is falling apart It must not be very old deterioration rates are pretty fast The original condition was much better than now The natural force is to Conserve not Innovate 3
Biblical Data o Romans 5:12 Adam was the cause of sin and its consequence. o Romans 5:18; 1 Peter 2:24 Jesus Christ is the cure through His substitutionary death and victorious resurrection. o John 3:3, 5; 1 Peter 1:23 A new creation is necessary to escape death. o 2 Peter 3:13 The Creator will re create a totally perfect universe Two Opposite Stories Naturalistic Science (Story of Atheism) o Necessary death and long ages o Fossil record cited as proof o Assumes naturalistic evolution and ages o Ignores Bible data of Flood o Carnivorous activity for ages o Repudiates sin and the Fall o Requires physical death as part of creation 4
Creation-based Science (Story of God) o Created Universe o Conservative Processes o Stable conditions o Purpose & Design o Conservation & redemption o DEATH is the enemy and will be overcome by Christ IF death is sanctioned by God Makes God the Author of Death. o Jesus does not agree (John 8:44). o Creation reveals a death-god (Romans 1:20)? Salvation ( rescue ) from what? o New creation? Last Enemy? o God celebrates victory over death? o Celebrates victory over His own creation? Jesus Died Physically o It was necessary for Jesus Christ to die physically in order to accomplish the payment for our sins. (Hebrews 2:14-18). Jesus participated in flesh and blood because that is what we were made of. Jesus died so that he could destroy the devil s power of death. Jesus was obligated to become flesh and blood in order to accomplish reconciliation. If death existed before sin, then death is NOT the judgment for sin. o For the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23) o But sin working death in me by that which is good (Romans 7:13) o The law of sin and death (Romans 8:2) o The sting of death is sin (1 Corinthians 15:56) 5
o But we see Jesus should taste death for every man (Hebrews 2:9) o For Christ being put to death (1 Peter 3:18) Death is Required for Salvation Believers are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ on of Calvary (Hebrews 10:10). This was done once, with and for eternal consequences (Hebrews 10:12-14). o Twisting the words of Scripture so that Christ s physical death had no meaning is a terrible heresy. o If there were eons of pain suffering and death before the awful rebellion of Adam brought death into the world, then a whole sweep of Biblical teaching is thrown into the black hole of allegory. Humanity must be resurrected. o Different kinds of flesh are identified by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:39 o Other creatures are living things that do not take part in the resurrection. o All are specifically separated from the celestial creation (1 Corinthians 15:40) like stars and angels. o The earthy image of flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 15:50) o God requires a change from the physical to the spiritual; from the temporal to the eternal. o That change was made possible by the work of Jesus Christ proven by the resurrection. Physical Changes Required Resurrection is the absolute opposite of physical death. o Corruption must become incorruption. o Dishonor must become glory. o Weakness must become power. o The natural must become spiritual. Physical death is an intrusion into the natural order of things and that it takes a resurrection to correct it. The New Man o The gospel message insists on the birth from above (John 3:3) which brings about a transfer from death to life (John 5:24). It involves a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). That positional change is a pledge of the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 5:5). 6
We await the fulfillment of that promise when our vile bodies will be freed from the curse of death. o 1 Corinthians 15:50 o Philippians 3:21 o 1 John 3:2 o Revelation 21:4-5 Creationist Worldview Triune Creator Omnipotent Omniscient Transcendent Good perfect creation Man to be steward Man Rebels against the Creator o Lucifer deceives Eve o Adam knowingly disobeys o God pronounces sentence o Serpent constant reminder o Child birth and relationships difficult o The ground suffers because of Adam Death becomes the Enemy of all things o 1 Corinthians 15:26 o Hebrews 2:14 Lucifer (Satan) becomes Adversary of the Creator o Revelation 12:9 o 1 Peter 5:8 Death is an intrusion o The last enemy o NOT a good natural process Death is necessary for redemption o The Creator must die to bring life o Death will be destroyed It will be swallowed up in victory It will be cast into the lake of fire Conquering Creator The Creator pronounced the sentence (Genesis 3) The Creator will overcome death (1 Corinthians 15) The Creator has life in Himself ((John 1; John 8; John 11) The Creator gave His life to give us life ((John 10) The Creator now grants eternal life to all who believe His words (John 12) 7