Chapter 3 - Consequence

Vertical Divider

According to eternal plan, God renovated the original, devastated heavens and earth. (Genesis 1:2-2:3) No longer “formless and void,” they were once again suitable for habitation.

The renovation lacked nothing. It was perfect. Therefore, God 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 their sentence was suspended, 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. The influence 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 human race was designed to contribute to the fulfillment of God’s eternal plan. It would serve both in the vindication of His nature and the repopulation of His kingdom.

The devil and his angels did not fail to notice that God had chosen to replace them in His kingdom with an inferior being. It was clear that He had replaced them according to position and authority but also, even more regrettably, as the primary objects of His love and affection. Consequently, the devil and his angels view humanity with intense jealousy and hatred.

Vertical Divider

Fall of Mankind

The Garden of Eden existed on the renovated earth much like it did on the original, eternal earth. Like the original Eden, it allowed for intimate fellowship between God and His created beings. Rather than fellowship between God and Satan, however, it was intended to accommodate fellowship between God and Adam, the first man, and high priest of the renovated earth. (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, including the joy of intimate, shared life fellowship with God.

Satan was very aware that his own existence had become quite bleak. It was characterized by darkness, death, loneliness, and subjection to God according to the bondage of the rule of law. To make matters worse, the entire angelic host bore witness to his embarrassing transformation.

Motivated by anger and jealousy, Satan devised a new scheme by which he hoped to defend his rebellion against God. He believed it would show 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 subsequent 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 Eve was manipulated, the evidence suggests that both Eve and Adam 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. Consequently, 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.

Vertical Divider

Abdication of Authority

By his scheme, Satan gained legal superiority over Adam, the appointed legal representative of the earth. Consequently, he regained the legal right to rule 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) The English words "give" (2x) and "handed over" are translated from the Greek word, didomi
(did'-o-mee) and its variation paradidomi (par-ad-id'-o-mee). They are essentially synonymous in meaning. Therefore, both words can be interpreted "I can give" or "I am in a position to give."1 Thus, Satan could not have made the offer to Christ if he had not possessed at least some authority to rule over the earth.

Satan regained the legal right to rule the earth when it was abdicated by Adam. 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 but a distant shadow of the former glory he once enjoyed. Rather than ruling the pristine, original earth as high priest, he now presides over the “domain of darkness” as a desperate criminal. (Colossians 1:13)

Vertical Divider

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 planned beforehand 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 Jesus as the Savior of the world. (Luke 2:11; John 4:42; Titus 2:11-14; 1 John 4:14) His eventual arrival on earth was promised 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. Nevertheless, while in human flesh, Jesus willingly “emptied Himself” of His divine authority. Therefore, 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 bondservant,” one without authority, and lived an earthly life of perfect dependence on His indwelling, heavenly Father. (Philippians 2:7b)

Through the authority and power of the indwelling Father, Jesus performed miracles, healed the sick, raised the dead, cast out demons, and much more. Emptying Himself of His own, divine authority, His ministry on earth was satisfied by radical dependence on the Father.

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. Consequently, 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) His resurrection demonstrated the Father’s approval of Jesus’ sacrifice, validated the truth of His earthly message, and provided the means for fallen mankind to be justified from all sin. As a result, the door was opened for humanity to be resurrected to a union of eternal life (zoe) with God, the requirement for becoming a citizen 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 to them 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.

© 2023 James Hiatt

Vertical Divider