Chapter 2 - After the Beginning

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According to plan, God renovated the original, devastated heavens and earth to accommodate His purpose. (Genesis 1:2-2:3) As a result, they were no longer “formless and void” but once again suitable for habitation by His creatures.

In agreement with all of the works of God, the renovation lacked nothing. It was perfect. Therefore, He pronounced every aspect of it “good” and His holy angels rejoiced. (Genesis 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31; Job 38:4-7)

Limited Freedom

While waiting to serve their sentence, God provided the devil and his angels with the opportunity to will and to work on the renovated earth. However, they were not given free reign. Instead, the will and work of the devil and his angels was moderated by God to suit the fulfillment of His eternal purpose and plan. (Job 1:6-12; 2:1-6; Romans 8:38; James 4:7; 1 John 5:18)

Mankind

God did not renovate the heavens and earth to serve as a habitat for spiritual, angelic beings but for a new type of creature; mankind. (Genesis 1:26-30) In contrast to the angelic beings, God created humanity with a physical or material body.

The devil and his angels did not fail to notice that God had chosen to replace them in His kingdom with a being that was inferior. Indeed, He replaced the devil and his angels not only by position and authority but also, even more regrettably, as the primary objects of His love and affection. Thus, it is no surprise that the devil and his angels view humanity with intense jealousy and hatred.

Fall of Mankind

The Garden of Eden existed on the renovated earth much like it did on the original, eternal earth. Similar to the purpose of the original Eden, it allowed for intimate fellowship between God and Adam, the first man and high priest of God. (Genesis 1:28; Psalm 8:5-8; Hebrews 2:5-9)

Satan was not ignorant. It was quite apparent to him that God had awarded Adam everything he had once valued.

Satan could plainly see that Adam was privileged to experience the utter joy of intimate, shared life fellowship with God. He was also very aware that his own existence had become quite bleak. Not only was it characterized by darkness, death, and loneliness but subordination to God according to the rule of law rather than the intimate rule of life. To make matters worse, the entire angelic host had witnessed the embarrassing transformation.

The entire ordeal was exceedingly difficult for Satan to endure. His prideful self-preoccupation made it truly intolerable.

Motivated by anger and jealousy, Satan devised a new scheme by which he hoped to defend his choice of rebellion against God. He believed it would show that God’s judgment was unjust and therefore, he would be exonerated.

As indicated, Satan was not ignorant about the activities of God on the renovated earth. He knew that God had forewarned Adam and his “helper,” Eve, not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Convinced he could use the information for his own benefit, it became foundational to his scheme.

In the guise of a serpent, Satan manipulated Eve into questioning God's command not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. His fundamental intent was to plant seeds of doubt about the authority of God.

Carefully manipulated by Satan, Eve chose to believe Satan’s lie, doubted God, and ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. As forewarned, she suffered separation from God, immediate spiritual death, and consequently, began the long slow decline to physical death.

By her fallen countenance alone, Eve’s death was unmistakable to Adam. However, it was made even more apparent by her fallen behavior.

Satan’s deception and Eve’s transformation forced Adam to make a difficult choice. He could reject his beloved bride and allow her to experience her appointed destiny without him. It would be both lonely and heart-wrenching. Conversely, Adam could choose to remain in union with Eve by eating from the prohibited tree and joining her in a state of separation from God. Fundamentally, the satanic scheme forced Adam to choose between God and His beloved Eve.

Eve was the one of whom Adam had stated with great excitement, “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh.” (Genesis 2:23) No other earthly being could be to him what she had become. Therefore, choosing to value Eve more than God, Adam willingly ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Eve’s choice to disobey God was the result of satanic deception. (1 Timothy 2:14) Thus, she was not fully cognizant of the repercussions of her choice.

In contrast to Eve, Adam willfully rebelled. He made a conscious choice to disobey God.

By his deception of Eve, Satan manipulated Adam into eating from the forbidden tree. Although manipulated, the evidence suggests that both willingly disobeyed God.

Eve wanted to be “like God” and Adam wanted to be with Eve. For both, it was the desire of their heart. As a result, God lovingly allowed them to experience separation from His presence and banishment from His kingdom. Thus, Adam and Eve were no longer righteous citizens of the kingdom governed in accordance with the intimacy of shared life. Instead, they became self-governed rebels.

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  Abdication of Authority

By the success of his scheme, Satan demonstrated legal superiority over Adam. As a result, he regained the legal right to rule over the earth and its fallen inhabitants.

The New Testament corroborates. When tempting Christ in the desert, Satan said to Him, “I will give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.” (Luke 4:6) “Handed over”; “delivered” (KJV); “given” (NIV); are translated from the Greek word paradidomi. It “designates the act whereby something or someone is transferred into the possession of another.”[1] Satan could not have made the offer to Christ if he had not possessed at least some of the authority necessary to rule over the earth.

Satan regained the legal right to rule the earth when Adam abdicated it. He willingly traded his God-given authority over the planet for a future with Eve.

Judgment of the Earth

Relative to his misrepresentation of the renovated earth and abdication of his priestly authority, Adam experienced divine judgment. The appointed domain of his rule, the renovated earth, was also subjected to judgment. Thus, the renovated earth, condemned like the original earth before it, was radically transformed into a fallen state. Separated from God, it became characterized by darkness and degeneration. (Genesis 3:17-19; Romans 8:19-21; Colossians 1:13)

Ruler of this World

By his deceptive scheme and Adam’s subsequent abdication, Satan regained some of his previous status and authority. Therefore, he presently and temporarily holds the legal titles of “the ruler of this world” (John 12:31) and “the god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4). According to the Apostle John, “… the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.” (1 John 5:19) However, Satan's present status and authority related to the renovated, fallen earth is a distant shadow of the former glory he once enjoyed. Rather than ruling the pristine, original earth, he now presides over a “domain of darkness.” (Colossians 1:13)

Eternal Remedy

The divine remedy to address the death, darkness, and destruction caused by the rebellious angels was not simply a reactionary response. On the contrary, with foreknowledge, it was congruent with a predetermined plan.

God had already planned to restore His kingdom on earth and repopulate it with willing subjects. His work of restoration and repopulation was in perfect agreement with the attributes of His nature. Consequently, it has been the fruit of selfless love, unfailing mercy, and absolute justice demonstrated in a concurrent and unbiased manner.

The Messiah or Christ was foundational to the eternal plan of God. The Father anointed the Christ as the Savior of the world. (Luke 2:11; John 4:42; Titus 2:11-14; 1 John 4:14) He promised His arrival on the earth immediately after the fall of mankind. (Genesis 3:15)

The identity of the Christ was revealed by more than three hundred prophecies in the Old Testament and by specific name in the New Testament. He is specifically identified in the Bible as Jesus the Nazarene. (cf. Matthew 1:1; Acts 2:22-24)

In the fullness of time, the Father sent Jesus the Christ to the renovated, fallen earth. He was God incarnated in human flesh.

The incarnate Christ possessed both fullness of deity and fullness of humanity. (John 1:1, 14, 18; Philippians 2:5-8; Colossians 2:9) Therefore, He was uniquely qualified to represent both God to man and man to God.

Fully God, Jesus possessed absolute authority. Thus, He had the ability to exercise divine authority while on earth. However, while in human flesh, Jesus “emptied Himself” of His divine authority. As a result, He chose not to act according to His own will or exercise His own authority. (Philippians 2:7a)

Instead, Jesus took “the form of a bond-servant,” one without authority, and lived His earthly life in perfect dependence on His indwelling, heavenly Father. (Philippians 2:7b) Through the authority and power of the indwelling Father, He performed miracles, healed the sick, raised the dead, and cast out demons. Although fully God, Jesus freely emptied Himself of His divine authority and lived an earthly life and ministry of radical dependence.

Entirely dependent on the indwelling Father, Jesus “humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:8) By His crucifixion, He paid the penalty for the sin of all mankind and, thus, provided the means for the divine forgiveness of all human sin. (John 1:29; 4:42; 1 John 2:2; 4:14) His death satisfied the purpose for which it was intended. Therefore, there is no need for additional sacrifice for human sin. (Hebrews 9:26; 10:12)

As stipulated by the Eternal Covenant, Jesus the Christ conquered sin and death and, as promised, He was resurrected by the Father. (Matthew 16:21; Mark 8:31; 10:45; John 2:18-22; 11:25-26; Romans 1:4-5; 1 Peter 1:3) The resurrection demonstrated the Father’s approval of Jesus’ sacrifice, validated the truth of His earthly message, and provided the means for fallen man to receive justification from sin. Further, it opened the door to mankind for the possibility of resurrection to a union of eternal life (zoe) with God, the requirement for citizenship in His eternal kingdom.

In harmony with His eternal plan, God provided the means to restore His kingdom on earth and repopulate it with willing citizens. To the bewilderment of the devil and his angels, it constituted a perfect demonstration of selfless love, unfailing mercy, and absolute justice.

Longing of the Angels

The holy angels have observed the redemptive work of God on the renovated, fallen earth with great interest and curiosity. (Job 1:1-2:13; Luke 15:10; 1 Corinthians 4:9; 11:10; Ephesians 3:8-10; 6:12; 1 Timothy 3:16; 5:21; 1 Peter 1:12) It was a complete surprise that God would restore His kingdom on earth and repopulate it with willing citizens by His own death and resurrection. (Romans 16:25; Ephesians 1:9; 3:4; 6:19; Colossians 1:26-27; 2:2; 4:3) Once unveiled, however, they recognized it was a perfect demonstration of the love, mercy, and justice of God. As a result, it became a point of awe and wonder.

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Regeneration

Despite the rebellion and destructiveness of His creatures, God promised the future regeneration of the earth. It is congruent with His eternal remedy to vindicate His nature in heaven and on earth.

According to plan, the kingdom of God will be visibly manifested on the regenerated earth in the future. (Isaiah 65:17; 66:22; 2 Peter 3:13) It will accommodate the immediate, visible reign of Christ on earth and allow for the vindication of the divine nature through the restoration of national Israel. As revealed throughout the Old Testament, the restoration of Israel to the covenant plan of God and kingdom citizenship has long been their national hope. (cf. Psalm 24:1-10; 89: 3-4, 29, 34-37; Isaiah 1:26-27; 4:2-6; 9:6-7; 16:5; 27:12-13; 29:22-24; 30:18-26; 32:16-20; 33:20-24; 35:1-10; 43:5-7; 44:1-5, 21-23; 45:17; 51:3; 52:1-10; 55:12-13; 56:6-8; 60:1-14; 61:10-11; 62:1-12; Jeremiah 3:8, 17; 16:14-15; 31:1-40; 50:19-20; Ezekiel 11:14-20; 17:22-24; 20:40-41; 28:25-26; 34:25-31; 36:8-15, 24-38; 37:1-25; 40:1-43:27; 44:1-46:24; 47:1-48:35; Hosea 1:10-2:1; 14:4-8; Joel 2:18-32; 3:17-18; Amos 9:11-15; Micah 4:1-8; 7:18-20; Zephaniah 3:9-20; Zechariah 8:1-8; 10:8-12; 14:9-11)

The divine regeneration of the earth will first necessitate the judgment of the degenerated earth. “… the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the [degenerated] heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the [degenerated] earth and its works will be burned up.” (2 Peter 3:7, 10) The fire of divine judgment will destroy every trace of angelic and human rebellion related to the degenerated heavens and earth.

After the fiery destruction of the degenerated earth, God will regenerate the earth in temporal form. “But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.” (2 Peter 3:13: cf. Matthew 19:28) The newly regenerated heavens and earth will be suitable to accommodate the reign of Christ over the earthly nation of Israel.

With the return of Messiah Jesus, God will then manifest His kingdom on earth. (cf. Psalm 2:6-9; Isaiah 2:2-4; 9:6-7; 11:1-12:6; Jeremiah 23:3-8; 33:9-26; Matthew 25:31-34; 2 Timothy 4:1; Revelation 19:11-20:6) He will arrive on the regenerated earth and reign as King over the nation of Israel for one thousand years. (Revelation 20:1-6) Providing a perfect demonstration of selfless love, unfailing mercy, and absolute justice through the restored nation of Israel, His reign on earth will decisively vindicate the nature of God.

Re-Creation

By the end of the thousand year reign of Christ the eternal plan will be complete and the nature of God will be fully vindicated from angelic challenge and accusation. He will then re-create the heavens and earth. The Apostle John states, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away.” (Revelation 21:1) Eternal in form, the re-created heavens and earth will be suitable for existence within the eternal kingdom of God. They will accommodate the eternal God in the midst of all who have placed their faith in Jesus the Christ, Jew and Gentile alike. Consequently, the faithful will forever enjoy the eternal, ever-present reality of the fullness of life shared with God.

© 2023 James Hiatt

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