The History of Rest: God’s Intention for Humanity

 The History of Rest: God’s Intention for Humanity 

The concept of rest is woven throughout the fabric of Scripture, starting from the very beginning. In Genesis 2:2, we read that after creating the world, God rested on the seventh day. This divine rest was not due to fatigue or weariness but served as a model for humanity. God’s intention was to extend this rest to His creation, a gift freely given without any merit on our part. Man’s first day of existence was marked by God’s rest. There were no tasks to accomplish, no deeds to earn favor. Instead, God bestowed rest upon humanity as a gracious provision. Unfortunately, this perfect rest was short-lived. The serpent deceived Adam and Eve, leading to their disobedience and the forfeiture of God’s rest. From that point on, man entered a realm of sweat, thorns, and unrest. Work became laborious, marred by corruption and the struggle against weeds. 

As history unfolded, God instituted the Sabbath—a day of rest—as a mandatory observance for His people. Despite witnessing the consequences of Adam’s failure, subsequent generations often remained insensitive to the significance of this rest. The Sabbath transitioned from a gift to a law, and failing to observe it became wickedness in the eyes of the Lord. Imagine your father as a powerful military leader who could rain down missiles with his single command.  Now image you are walking alongside this powerful person who is surrounded by mighty soldiers. If you, as his child, carried a mere sharpened pencil for self-protection, it would be an insult to your father's authority. Similarly, when we undermine God’s provision of rest by worrying and fending for ourselves, we act contrary to His nature. The climax of the history of rest occurs with the Lord of the Sabbath entering humanity. Jesus Christ embodies the realm of Sabbath—a place of all-inclusiveness and divine rest. To worry or be restless in Christ is to undermine His lordship and wisdom. Yet, even in our troubles, the Lord remains our protector and purpose-giver. God’s salvation comes in two forms: daily deliverance from the wickedness of this age and eternal redemption through Christ’s blood. Our lives are a journey of transformation, moving from faith to faith. The trials we face refine us, preparing us for God’s kingdom. Without this process, our weaknesses, jealousies, and fleshly tendencies remains the sum total of who we are and would not align with our eternal glorious living. So, let us enter into the perfect rest—the Lord’s intended realm—where His wisdom and might sustain us. May we remain in this rest, trusting His purpose for our souls and embracing transformation as we journey toward eternity. 

Bible readings: 1: Genesis 2:2. 2: Hebrews 4:1-10. 3: Matthew 12:1.

What happened to the dinosaurs according to the Bible?

Gen 1.1 in the Bible marks the beginning of time when God created the universe. The Bible then continues to speak about God and His dealings with His creation until its end in the future which will be the final judgment at the great white throne (Rev 20.11-15).  When we read the verse, Gen 1.1, we understand that God created the heavens and the earth first. However, in the 2nd verse, we receive a grim picture of the status of His creation.

‘but the earth became waste and emptiness and darkness was on the surface of the deep’.  Gen 1.2

The earth ‘became’ waste means something had happened between Gen 1.1 and Gen 1.2 which is not mentioned there. We understand that some events had happened between the first and second verses because, in Job 38:4-7, the Bible says that when God laid the foundation of the earth, morning stars sang together and the sons of God shouted for joy.  Such was the glory of the creation soon after Gen 1.1.  Further In Isaiah 45.18, the Bible says that God did not create the earth waste.  The Bible alone can explain to us what events had come to pass in between the verses in consideration. There are two passages in the Bible that enlighten us about these events. The first one is Isa 14:12-15 which says that the Satan was hewn down to earth after his heart got corrupted. From the decorated cherub that he was, when Sin entered into him, he intended to exalt himself to the Most High. 

The second passage is found in Ezek 28:12-19, where the Bible says how the Lord God had created Lucifer as a glorious angel.  You and I could never imagine the things that God had done for this angel at his conception.  Later, there was a time when God found unrighteousness in Lucifer which forced God to destroy the fallen angel and cast him to the ground. 

When we connect the dots, we affirm that there was some cataclysmic event as part of God’s judgment on the pre-adamic universe following Satan’s rebellion.  This judgment was executed on Satan, upon the angels that followed him and the pre-adamic creatures that lived on the earth during that time. The deep water in Gen 1.2 symbolizes that this cataclysmic event was a judgment from God or otherwise simply understood as a state of death thrust upon the earth by God.  As a result of God’s judgment on the pre-adamic universe, the entire earth was covered with the deep water, signifying the earth was under the state of death. 

All the prehistoric creatures including the dinosaurs existed in between Gen 1.1 and Gen 1.2.  Whether the Dinosaurs were wiped out before or during the deep waters is unknown but when God judged the pre- adamic era, every thing became waste and submerged in death.  Also, whether God wiped out the pre-Adamic creatures as part of His judgment or just to clear the board for the creation of a world, compatible to accommodate man, is unknown. However, as believers it seems that the latter is more appropriate.  Further to support this theory is the fact that God preserved certain land creatures belonging to the pre-adamic era even today.  God only removed certain species like dinosaurs not as part of His judgment but rather to create a human friendly environment that marks a new chapter. 

Amen Hallelujah.  May God bless us all from faith to faith and enlarge us in all vital knowledge to receive more blessings.

Why did Jesus Christ pray to the Father when He was the God Himself?

      We can see Jesus praying to the Father, why does He have to pray if He is God Himself?

 

Matt 14.23

Standing in the position of man (Mat 4.4), the heavenly King, as the beloved Son of the Father (3.17) needed to pray privately to His Father who was in the heavens, that He might be one with the Father and have the Father with Him in whatever He did on the earth for establishing of the kingdom of the heavens.  He did this not in the deserted place but on the mountain, leaving all the people, even His disciples, that He might be alone to contact the Father. 

 

Mark 1.35

To fellowship with God, seeking God’s will and pleasure for His gospel service.  The Slave-Savior performed the evangelistic service not by Himself, independent of God and according to His own will, but according to God’s will and pleasure by being one with God to fulfill His purpose

 

Again in Matt 4, we see Jesus was led up into the wilderness by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil.  As the Son of God, Satan cannot stand against Him to challenge, but as the Son of man, The Lord Jesus intended to follow every human limitations to make His life, death and resurrection a successful mission.  In Matt 4.3, we read that the newly anointed King fasted in His humanity, standing on the ground of man.  On the other hand, He was also the Son of God as God the Father had declared at Christ’s baptism (3.17).  Thus under this criteria, He had to accomplish His ministry for the kingdom of the heavens.  He had to defeat God’s enemy, the devil, Satan as a man as He was the sacrificial Lamb of God for the redemption of Mankind.  Hence, He stood as the Son of man to confront the enemy of God.  The devil knowing this clearly tempted the Lord time and again to leave the standing of man and assume His position as the Son of God.  At the start of the forty days wilderness period, the subtle tempter took the declaration of God the Father that Jesus was His beloved Son to be the ground to tempt Him.  If Christ had assumed His position as the Son of God before the enemy, He would have lost the criteria to defeat Him and save His creation. 

 

Later we read that on many occasions, the evil spirits tried to expose the Lord as the Son of God.  However, Christ’s mission was to accomplish where the first Adam failed by becoming the Second Adam.  As the Second Adam, He submitted to every human limitation, endured trials, and prayed as a man on earth.  This also set a pattern for us today in our walk with God to be like Him. 

 

Summary

Jesus praying doesn’t diminish His glory, but as the incarnation of God on earth, His mission was to accomplish what we couldn’t due to the Law.  He stood on the grounds of human limitation and thus prayed within that limited premise to know the will of God the Father and go on with His mission.

Why Jesus cried out on the cross, 'Eli Eli lama sabachthani' if He is the Second Person of the Godhead?

In Mat 27.46 we read that Christ cried out in loud voice asking God why He had forsaken Him.  This verse is used by skeptics and cynics to present their case against the Triune God and that Jesus was not one with the Father.  These doubters would argue that if the Father and the Son are one, how could the Father forsake the Son? Is it really possible?  

Let us start with the fact that God forsook Christ on the cross and this forsaking is not exactly the abandonment of the Son but the people whom He had come to save because He replaces us the believers on the cross (1 Pet 3.18).  He bore oursins (1 Pet 2.24, Isa 53.6).  He was made sin for us(2 Cor 5.21).  Isa 53.6 says that our iniquities fell on Him.  1 Pet 2.24, says that He bore our sins in His body on the cross, in order we having died to sins, might live to righteousness by whose bruise we were healed.  1 Pet 3.18 says that ‘…..being put to death in the flesh, but on the other hand made alive in the Spirit.’  In 2 Cor 5.21 says, ‘–Him who did not know sin was made sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.'

The above verses clearly indicate that though it was Christ on the cross, we the believers are actually crucified for our sins with Christ.  Now, Imagine if we were crucified for our sins without Christ's redemptive work, then God’s Holy nature will demand Him to abandon us because of our sins.  Unless and until we obtain forgiveness for our sins and sinful nature before our time comes to an end, we would never have an escape from our condemning crosses.  However, the Lord Jesus took our sins and was made sin for us on the cross.  Now, God’s abandonment of His Son was actually His abandonment of the creation that was under sin.  Simply put, the abandonment of the Father which Jesus suffered was in fact our abandonment, but Hallelujah for Christ who suffered on our behalf.  Isn’t this a mighty and a wonderful plan?  What a wisdom!  Hallelujah!  I have no words to praise our wonderful and great God.  

Next, if the Father and the Son were separate, then it would be sadistic for the Father to punish an innocent Person on our behalf.  However, the Father and the Son are one, so the Father suffered along with the Son on the cross.  This only states how infinitely loving our God is.  Hallelujah.  To understand this further, let us read an illustration.  Imagine your child is fast asleep on your shoulder in a church meeting.  Your arms are paining due to the weight of the child, but your love for the little one makes you ignore your paining arm and you will continue to hold your sleeping child carefully because of your love for him or her.  You just forsook your arm just to keep the child comfortable.  Similarly, the Lord Jesus as the arm of God was forsaken to suffer for us, so that we can be drawn back to the Father once and for all.  Hallelujah.  The fact that the Lord Jesus suffered even this abandonment gives credibility to our great God and how meticulous He is to satisfy His righteous requirement by receiving the perfect sacrifice of the Lamb of God.  Amen

Violence in Old Testament - Did God change in New Testament?

Violence in Old Testament
Bible Verses	Description of the context	God’s dealings
Gen 6.11	Earth was corrupt before God and filled with violence	Judgment by flood, corrupt killed
Gen 49.5	Simeon and levi.. weapons of violence are their swords	God judged their violence, cursed their anger, and received no blessings
Judges 9.24	In Jud 9.24, Abimelech killed his brothers 70 of them.	God warned them through Jotham and Abimelech three years after.  He was killed by a woman, (Jud 9.54). God repaid evil, brought all evil upon their own head
Deut 19.16	False witness rising against another	Repaid with same malicious intent.  Utterly remove evil from their midst
Deut 7.16, 7.24	Devour enemies without pity. Mighty kings will be delivered to be destroyed by Israel	Deut 7.6, sets a background for this.  God loved Israel very much.  Israel was His personal treasure.  There were oppressive kings like the pharaoh who God had and will destroy if they terrify God’s beloved Israel
Deut 20.10-18	Deut 20.11 – forcing them to serve you if they surrender. Deut 20.14- women and the little ones and the beasts as spoils, which God is giving. Deut 20.16-17 utterly destroy	>Though it seems these verses refer war mongering, it is not.  Deut 20.4 tells us that it was a defensive battle and, God will save them explains that the israelites were being threatened.  Later we see our great God instructing Israelites who had built new house, new vineyard or engaged to a woman or even who is afraid of the battle to return. >Battle with far off cities, only men engaged battle are to be killed, woman, children and all the beasts will be spoils of war. > But the Hittites and the amorites, the Canaanites and the perizzites , the hivites and the jebusites needs to be utterly destroy to avoid all possible corruptions due to their abomination which they practiced for their gods and thus sin against Jehovah.
Amos 1.3 – 2.3	Transgressions of different nations	God’s warning to the erring nation.  His proclamation about the seriousness of transgressions.  The violence and slayings was a choice of the nations if they continued in sin.
Gen 18-19	Brimstone and fire from heaven killing scores of people	The whole city was evil, they faced the judgment of God.  There is no looking back in longing for the sinful city which God hated due to the wickedness.  Judgment on Lot’s wife
Ex 32.27	Kill neighbors, brother, companions and there was mass murder by the levites	God was issuing something special on the mountain to Moses.  Within a span of few years, Israelites had witnessed God’s abundant love, providence, protection, miracles, His effort to establish them as a nation.  However, just few days, the nation made them an idol, the golden calf and worshipped it.  Again, there was a chance of repentance when Moses asked who is on the Lord’s side
Lev 17-26	Animal sacrifices, death punishments	This is the set standard of Jehovah.  Time and again, He instructs His people to be Holy, because He is Holy.  The entangling sin has spared none, thus the requirement of sacrifice is advocated.  Yet from the Bible we understand that there is no more animal sacrifices after the ultimate sacrifice which is Christ, the lamb of God.  In fact the Old Testament sacrifices all typifies the sacrifice of Christ.
Num 1	Military service for men	This does not indicate that our God is promoting violence.  This is what God wants His beloved Israel to do.  Since Israel is God’s beloved, Satanic and all dark forces will cause harm even to the last days.  God wants His people to be courageous and defend themselves as instructed.
Num 11	The fire of Jehovah burned and consumed people	This is in response to the murmur of the people who complained against God who loved them like a Father.
Num 15.32	Stoning for not observing Sabbath	God’s judgment to not honor His rest.  It was in His rest, that Adam was brought forth.  This rest was lost by them due to their sin.  Now the nation of Israel was commanded to honor after all that they have seen God do for them a day of His rest, which is the Sabbath.
Num 16	Korah and all their possessions were destroyed Fire came down and consumed 250 of the Israelites leaders	Korah had rebelled, didn’t honor God’s commission.  They caused tension and rifts among people.  Korah’s dishonored their levite status and they rebelled against God and thus faced judgment.
Num 25	Moses commanding the Judges of Israel to slay his men	Among all the sins that the Israelites have done, idolatry is the most grievous thing before God.  Repeatedly, the people have witnessed great punishment for worship idols and bowing to other gods.  This is a personal attack on God by the devil.
Num 31	Vengeance on Midianites Killing of all male children and young and women who are not virgin	Midianites was corrupted race.  (Read who are the Midianites).  They had a clear knowledge that the Israel was blessed by God, yet they persevered to harass them.  Midianites were a culture of utterly disgusting lustful people.  The women except for virgins were lustful fleshly people had the danger of fornication and spreading the Midianite deception among the people of Israelites.  The young male children can never be considered an Israelite by natural means and can cause divisions and strife in the future.  However, this was not the commandment of Jehovah.  This was told by Moses on his own volition.  Whether it is approved by Jehovah or not is unknown.
Numbers 33	Driving out the inhabitants of Canaan	Israelites were about to possess the good land, but they had to drive out the previous inhabitants, their idols first.  This was the judgment of God over the wicked Canaanites and a lesson for Israelites about what God disliked like idol worshipping, the paganic way of life etc.
Deut 13.15	Slay the inhabitants of that city with the edge of sword	This again a judgment of God over the people leading His beloved Israel astray.  If we read the previous verse we understand that these inhabitants are worthless men who have gone out from your midst and have forced the people to serve other gods.
Jud 3.12	Violence intended by God against Israel	Israel did evil in the eyes of God.  The children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab for 18 years. Note that Moabs were a disgusting race in the eyes of God.
1 Sam 6.19	Jehovah struck the men for looking at the Ark of Jehovah..He struck 70 men among the people	The Ark contains the law, God’s testimony.  It is an unchangeable standard of God.  God is Holiness is perfect and eternal.  His commands are serious and non negotiable.  People looking at the Ark falling to die is divine judgment of God falling in the hands of God without any offering with their wickedness.  People who are glancing casually at the Ark without reverence suffered huge losses.  It was as if looking into the heart of the Lord casually.  This was serious.  It was like you got caught in a furnace without shield.
1 Sam 15.2	Strike Amalekites and utterly destroy them	Amalakites signify flesh – the fallen man.  We have thus far seen God’s relentless effort to preserve His people, His personal treasure.  Here too it continues, God put Saul to destroy the fleshly amalakites.  All their properties, their sheeps, oxen were an abomination to God.  They were brought forth in Sin and by sinful men.  That’s why God want utter destruction of the tribes who harass Israel with its harlotry and idols.
2 Kin 1.10	Elijah commanded fire from heaven which consumed 100 of the Moabites	First of all the Moabs had a life long history of rebellion against God.  The very beginning of Moab (Gen 19.33-37) was an abomination to God.  However, here Elijah was sent to warn the latest rebellion of Moab against Israel.  Ahaziah fell sick, he sought, the lord of the flies, Beelzebul, who was a god of the demon.  This enraged God, who sent a warning to Ahaziah through his men.  Subsequently, the soldiers of Ahaziah dealt casually, puffed with their ego, forgetting how to address the concern of God, suffered judgment of God.
2 Kin 5.27	Leprosy of Namaan transferred to Gehazi	While Namaan honored God of Israel after the miraculous healing, Elisha refused to accept anything in return most probably to retain the gratefulness in Namaan’s heart or maybe to avoid undermining the healing of the leprosy, but Gehazi dealt unwisely, selfishly, undermined the work of God with a life.  God judged Gehazi for his wickedness.
2 Kin 2.23	Elisha cursed 42 little boys in the name of Jehovah who were then devoured by two female bears.	Not much is revealed here, except how much God values His Prophets and their works.  42 little boys, does not mean very small boys, in fact they could be violent teen age boys.  Their intention of choosing Elisha and mocking him is unknown.  They belittled the Prophet of God and how serious was it in the eyes of God is in the passage.  Whatever the reason, 2 female bears came from the woods and devoured the boys.
Psalms 137	Violence against little ones of Babylon	This is the psalmists own intentions.  God is not in picture here to understand whether he approved it or not.  This was a curse proclaimed against Babylon and the daughters of Babylon who rebelled against God.  We the New Testament believers are not told to curse others but to bless our oppressors.

Now when we read the New Testament, there is absolutely no bloodshed or harm commanded by the Lord God against any tribes or nations or even individuals due to their unbelief, sins disobedience or rebellions.  On the contrary, we understand that the Lord Jesus asking His followers not to retaliate, curse or harm others, even if they were on the receiving end and suffer willingly.  When Christ gave this new outlook to his followers, it was new and spiritually very superior.  Now, we come to the question, whether God of the Old Testament, Father of the Lord Jesus, made a mistake in slaughtering the people rebelled, sinned etc?  or Did God change in the New Testament?  The answer is 'No' to both the questions.  When we analyze the above verses in the table, we notice without ambiguity the perfect and uncompromising standard of God.  He considered Israel His precious treasure, His child.  With this standard of pure love, God demanded a perfect loyalty from Israel which they failed to render many times when they engaged with the enemies of God and worked against Him.  The God of the Old Testament was a Triune God but was not consummated Christ's birth, death, resurrection and ascension.  Before Christ, He didn’t have scope to overlook people’s rebellions and sin while keeping His perfect nature which included perfect righteousness, perfect mercy and perfect love intact.  No wicked deed will go unpunished without giving an account for to satisfy the perfect righteous nature of God Almighty.  In the New Testament, our God is the same perfect, strict and uncompromising God, but He was in a position to forgive the sins of the people in the name of the Son’s sacrifice without compromising His highest standard of righteousness. 

Summary.  Our God is the same perfect, righteous Father today as He was in the Old Testament.  He never makes error as He is the perfect Creator.  In the New Testament, through the sacrifice of Lord Jesus, He have acquired for Himself a scope of forgiving the sins of His people whey they repented and confessed their shortcomings to Him through the blood of Christ for salvation.   Hallelujah 

Why did God allow the serpent to deceive Adam and Eve?

      Why did God allow the serpent to deceive Adam and Eve?

God decided to create man and woman in His own image (Gen 1.26).  The purpose of God's creation is to produce the New Jerusalem (Rev 21.2).  Whatever project one undertakes, the end achievement or result is the goal or objective.  The goal of the Lord God, our Triune God’s whole deal about creating humanity is to produce the New Jerusalem which is the bride of God.  The New Jerusalem which constitutes the redeemed, glorified church after the millennial kingdom will be God's partner for eternity.  Hallelujah.  Glorified church is a corporate entity of human beings who with their freewill chose to obey the Lord God, no matter the cost while they were on earth.  These people upheld their testimony and have denied their soul life even unto death.  Their testimonies and their precious lives are the stones on which the Lord Jesus is building His church .  For these testimonies to be perfect and acceptable by God, it need to be without coercing and follow the Lord willingly.  In order to achieve that, the Lord has to show His creation what is evil, since He is good and all that belongs to Him is Holy.  The serpent as an incarnation of Satan introduced a never before entity into the creation, sin.  Eve’s disobedience led to Adam’s fall which gave birth to mankind’s first sin.  Subsequently, man continued to fall from one level to another.  God intervened during man's every fall and judged them accordingly.  At the same time, He set aside for Himself a group of people who would remain faithful to Him.  During the Old Testament time, God gave His people hope and promised a future messiah who will redeem them and save them from their sins.  God’s chosen ones in every age before Christ had faith in Him and the One who was to come.  They were encouraged through the prophecies of the coming Messiah and dispensation of God’s infinite love through Him.  Before Christ, people were battered by the law which induced fear of death, condemnation and slavery until the Word became flesh and dwelt among men.  Lord Jesus as the Lamb of God fulfilled the law through His perfect life, death and resurrection.  As the second Adam, He abolished death and ushered in abundant grace.  Through His great work, a new glorious entity was born out which is the church.  The church as the body of Christ on earth today functions according to God’s will.  God can move and accomplish things on earth through this body.  Secondly, church is the foretaste of the coming God's kingdom.  The church over the course of time will transform mostly through tribulations into the New Jerusalem.  This perfect New creation is possible indirectly through the participation of the devil.  In a negative way, Satan is contributing to the building of the church thought he thinks he is destroying it.  Through the satanic evilness in the world, we can know what God is not, what He hates.  When we choose God over the trampled and crushed serpent we will be the goal of God's creation, the New Jerusalem.    Amen.