An Outline of History
Changes initiated by the Immutable
The brackets for the history of humanity on this present earth are the two creations. The record of the first, documented by Moses the historian, is stated simply, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth”. (Gen. 1:1) It is here that human history began. God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” (Gen. 1:26) The Bible also indicates there will be another creation. Peter wrote, “Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” (2 Pet. 3:13). In vision, John saw it. “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away”. (Rev. 21:1) Human history on this planet, as we currently know it, will be between the two creations, although eternal life means it will continue forever, albeit under different conditions.
But there are two more major punctuation points needed. One relating to the past and one in connection with the future. The incarnation provided a punctuation mark in past history, an event when “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us”. (John 1:14)
At the first creation, man was made in God’s image (that was at the first punctuation mark), so that at the incarnation God could be made in man’s image (that is at the second punctuation mark).
However, the incarnate God, the Messiah, Jesus Christ will visit earth again. The message from on high is, “This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11) He will return to intervene in the affairs of men. First to gather and evacuate from the earth those ‘in Christ’ (both dead and alive); and then shortly after, to rescue the Hebrew nation from annihilation. For those who will be taken to be ‘with Christ’, they will be remade in the image of Christ, which means they will be remade in the image of God.
In the period between the first creation and the first coming of Christ, the Lord was mainly occupied in educating humankind in the new house rules, which had been changed because of Adam’s disobedience. It is the time that is described in the Bible as the period when God spoke. “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets”. (Heb. 1:1) It was a time dominated by prophetic ministry, whether it was a Moses or a Samuel or an Isaiah. It was the period in which the T’nach was written; a period that came to a glorious consummation when the Word became flesh and dwelt on earth. The implication is that the T’nach, in a sense, was autobiographical because the pre-incarnate Christ spoke through the prophets, and the incarnate Christ stated that they spoke of Himself. The writer of the letter to the Hebrews, who has much to say on the subject, couples the two punctuation points together, that is, the creation and the first coming of Christ; declaring that God “has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds”. (Heb. 1:2)
The period between the first coming of Christ and His second coming has a different emphasis. It is His present ministry, and it is not so much related to the prophet but to the priest. It is the priestly ministry of intercession. “Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us”; (Rom. 8:34) and “He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them”. (Heb. 7:25) He is currently engaged in fulfilling His ministry as a High Priest of the order of Melchizedek.
But when He returns to deal with the crisis affecting the Jewish nation, it will be as King/Messiah. He will deal with the emergency and then judge the nations from His throne. “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory”. (Matt. 25:31) He will usher in the millennial kingdom, while retaining absolute power. “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David”. (Luke 1:32) In that millennial kingdom, the apostles will join with Him in reigning over Israel, while the Church will join Him in reigning over the Gentile nations.
It is clear that the rules that govern the household of God must of necessity change, when the ministry of the Son of God changes. Things cannot be the same after the death of Christ, as they were before His decease. Things cannot be the same after He has returned as King/Messiah, as they were before that great event.
And there are other changes introduced by the Omniscient. We have already noted that Adam’s disobedience brought about a change. His existence suffered the greatest change. God had said, “of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Gen. 2:17) He ate the fruit and paid the penalty, an outcome that had consequences for all his posterity, “In Adam all die”. (1 Cor. 15:22) In the wake of Adam’s transgression, God introduced new ‘house rules’. He could only be approached if the new regimen was recognized, that is, that the wages of sin is death and life is in the grace and gift of God. The death of an animal as a substitute was sufficient to demonstrate acknowledgement of individual failure, remorse for the sinful condition of the penitent, and acceptance of the new regimen. Abel recognized this and brought an acceptable sacrifice. “Abel … brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering”. (Gen. 4:4) The writer of the Hebrew letter identified an essential requirement in the new arrangement – faith. “By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts.” (Heb. 11:4)
The temptation that was involved in the fall of Adam included the statement from the father of lies, “You will not surely die”. (Gen. 3:4) But die they did! Genesis chapter five has the refrain for eight of the nine generations listed there, “and he died”. (Gen. 5:5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 27, 31) And increased wickedness in the world brought about a reinforcement of the principle, “the wages of sin is death”. The deluge catastrophically cut short all life upon earth, apart from one family, a family identified as knowing and observing God’s ‘house rules’. The head of the family was Noah, described as “a preacher of righteousness”, in contrast to his contemporaries who are described as “ungodly”. (2 Pet. 2:5) His experience included the special ingredient “faith”. “By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.” (Heb. 11:7)
Regrettably, humanity, infected as it was by the virus of Adam’s sin, continued to revolt against the sovereign Lord and united in rebellion against Him. They built a tower for protection from any judgment that could be formed against them. The narrative of the tower of Babel, signifying the rebellion of humankind, is included to identify, among other reasons, how Babylon got its name. It is perhaps, the foundation of the idea that Babylon, in Scripture, always represents the world against God. The unity of these rebellious people was disturbed by the removal of their common language. It is at this point in history that the Lord chose a man to build up an individual relationship, to enter into an arrangement with him, with the promise of large blessings in return for personal commitment. It is here that God’s ‘house rules’ were slightly modified. They were still based on the principle that the wages of sin is death and life is in the grace and gift of God, but here we have an initiative of God that was designed to lead to a solution to the problem of sin. With His eye on a sacrifice that would not simply cover sin but rather cleanse it; He entered into a covenant relationship with Abram, a man He extracted from Babylonia.
Next Time - The Abrahamic Covenant
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